TelluBase Definitions, Use-Cases, Citations & Press Releases

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We bring all TelluBase collected materials together with hyperlinks to our publications repository.

1. TelluBase Definitions

Here we show what is included in Tellubase.

1.1 Data Series

The Tower of TelluBase

We show the contents of TelluBase in a simple 3D “tower”, demonstrating its comprehensiveness. It makes clear what is unique about TelluBase compared to conventional data sources.

The Tower of TelluBase has three dimensions: geographies, years, and data series.

Defining and Quantifing Socioeconomic Levels

The middle class is often talked about but seldom well defined. Before we embark on an expose on trends, we therefore define socioeconomic levels—what we call “Consumer Classes”.

1.2 Geographic Entities

TelluBase Global Coverage

This map shows the 218 countries, 2600 cities, and 2500 primary subdivisions we cover in Tellubase. Beyond this, we cover 25000 secondary subdivisions.

China – Cities and Subdivisions Covered in TelluBase

The map shows how TelluBase covers 425 cities and 342 secondary subdivisions in China.

Note that what many think are cities, the so-called prefecture-level cities (PLC), are not cities at all. They are secondary subdivisions and may contain many cities (at least one; up to eight) and always have rural areas.

Colombia – Cities and Subdivisions Covered in TelluBase

The map shows the 36 large cities and 1100 secondary subdivisions in Colombia.

For each of these entities, we cover economic, socioeconomic, and demographic information, as well as the size of the consumer classes. All this with a view toward the future with data covering 2000 till 2050.

European Union Cities and Subdivisions Covered in TelluBase

Countries typically paint too coarse a picture for the EU. A more suitable way to understand the European economy is to look at cities and NUTS socioeconomic regions.

We cover 504 cities and 349 subdivisions. They are NUTS 0, 1, 2, or 3 levels depending what representants a country best.

Mexico – Cities and Subdivisions Covered in TelluBase

The map shows the cities (92 zonas metropolitanas) and secondary subdivisions (1500 municipios) in Mexico.

Nigeria – Income per Household by Local Government Area

Local Government Areas (LGA) are the secondary subdivisions (below states) in Nigeria. This map shows the income per household for the close to 800 LGAs and the 50 cities with a population larger than 300,000.

Our TelluBase database covers these secondary subdivisions and cities within its Nigeria module.

United States – Cities Covered in TelluBase

States are often too high level for insights in the U.S. Counties are too detailed. The U.S. government therefore developed Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) to allow for better policy making. Instead of subdividing the entire country, the MSAs focus on cities.

Our TelluBase database uses MSAs to define cities down to 100,000 inhabitants.

2. Uses of TelluBase — See the Data in Action

2.1 Foundational Papers

Where in the World Is the Market?

By Dr. Staffan Canback and Frank D’Agnese. Problems and Perspectives in Management, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2008

Finding, measuring and capturing market opportunities in emerging countries are critical tasks for multinational consumer goods companies. Central to these tasks is the need to collect and analyze income distribution data within a globally coherent framework and to move beyond income metrics based on national averages.

This article describes a new framework and dataset that achieves this goal and demonstrates how income distribution data, combined with consumer and marketing data, can be incorporated into demand models.

Uses of Tellubase

How are TelluBase data used? We highlight six examples in this Quick Read. They cover a wide range of industries and applications.

2.2 Raw Data Works

Pure extracts with no analyes beyond what ids already in the database.

TelluBase Fact Sheets

We provide free TelluBase data to select public institutions and media through the Tellusant Public Service Series. These are small, but important, subsets of the full product. The following countries are currently covered.

The World’s Cities by Köppen Climate Zones

The map shows the Köppen climate zones for the 2600 cities we cover in TelluBase.

The World Countries by Köppen Climate Zones

The map shows the population-weighted climate zones by country. That is, the climate where people live, rather than geographic area climate (e.g., Algeria has Mediterranean, not desert climate).

Note: Only a handful of countries have diffuse climate zones (notably U.S., China) where there is no truly dominant climate.

China by Köppen Climate Zones

China as a whole covers many climate zones. Here we show them at the secondary subdivision level (prefecture or equivalent).

This variability leads to differing consumer preferences and cultures around the country. Most famous is the wheat / rice divide.

2.3 Unidimensional analyses

By single dimension analysis, we mean TelluBase data on their own, not interacting with other data series.

The Global Middle Class

How will the global middle class evolve over the next 20 years. At a torrid pace, but with different regions leading the way.

Time for expert to replicate:2-5 years, maybe impossible

The City Middle Class Compared to Country GDP Growth

Cities typically grow faster than their countries in emerging markets, and the middle class (and above) grows even faster. We took the ten largest cities in Latin America to illustrate the point.

Time for expert to replicate:2-5 years, maybe impossible

The Risk of Nations

How should we look at country risk? We present the risk of nations based on a quantitative analysis. We divide risk into financial and market (demand) components. Looking at risk this way gives a strict definition to what is meant by risk. It is in line with Frank Knight’s observation: Risk is a knowable probability distribution.

Time for expert to replicate:3-5 months

Recession Pressure by Country

What is the probability of a recession in a given country? We analyzed data for all (218) countries at the subnational level to find out. The map shows the the results.

Tajikistan has the lowest recession probability, Yemen the highest. Most of the affluent counties have higher than average probabilities; emerging countries do better, with some notable exceptions.

British Middle Class Distribution in 2025

See how British cities and subdivisions vary in size and density of the middle class.

Time for expert to replicate:40-80 hours

A Tale of Two Chinas—The Rich vs Poor Split

The income per capita disparity between urban and rural areas is large in China. We used our TelluBase data to create this map showing the clear divide.

Time for expert to replicate: 80-120 hours

Analyzing Data-Poor Countries: The DR Congo Example

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) may be the world’s third most difficult country to analyze (after North Korea and Eritrea). This brief shows that every country’s economic conditions can be quantified at the sub-national level.

Time for expert to replicate: 80-200 hours

The Emerging Significance of the Nordic-Baltic Eight

The NB8 region is tightly integrated economically and politically and has a GDP almost of Italy’s size. The total population is around 35 million and given the high standard of living, it ranks fourth in the Single Market (EU + 4) by GDP, ahead of Spain and just behind Italy at third.

It is tightly integrated economically. For example, the top countries Sweden exports to are, in terms of share of those countries’ imports, the other seven NB8 countries.

Time for expert to replicate: 60-120 hours

Spanish Middle Class Distribution in 2025

See how Spanish cities and subdivisions vary in size and density of the middle class.

Time for expert to replicate: 80-200 hours

Using the Correct Macro Metrics: Avoid GDP per Capita

It is bad practice to evaluate consumer goods markets based on gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Why should GDP have anything to do with consumer demand?

Time for expert to replicate: 20-30 hours

2.4 Multidimensional analyses

Multi-dimension analyses use TelluBase and at least one other data series with interactions determined statistically (such as income elasticity of product demand).

Subnational ICT Opportunities in South Africa

There is a strong trend among global companies toward understanding markets at subnational levels. They always face local players who have a keen sense for subnational opportunities. We take this approach on the South African information & communications technology (ICT )sector.

Time for expert to replicate: 120-200 hours

Income Elasticity: The Global Beer Example

How does demand for a category or industry change with disposable income and how do you go from analysis to strategic implications? We use global beer demand to illustrate.

Time for expert to replicate: 80-120 hours

Predicting Exchange Rates

How can we estimate future exchange rates (XR) for strategic purposes (3-10 years out)? The answer is that a random walk model does the best job. Understanding the logic of future XR may seem difficult, but it is not. We tend to make it difficult though.

Time for expert to replicate: 40-60 hours

Greenhouse Gas Productivity

Climate change is the problem of the century. How do countries differ in their ability to manage the greenhouse gases (GHG) that cause it?

We emit GHG to stimulate economic activity. Not the other way around (we have economic activity to emit GHG). This view allows us to think about GHG productivity: How much economic activity, GDP, does a unit of emitted GHG create?

Time for expert to replicate: 60 hours

Sveriges exportmöjligheter i ett besvärligt handelsklimat 🇸🇪

Världens handelsmönster håller på att stöpas om. Att USA ökat tarifferna för att minska importen är tydligt. Men Europeiska Unionen har också ökat tarifferna mot Kina under flera år. Kina kommer svara på bägge. Sekundära effekter uppstår för alla. Hur ska ett exportberoende land som Sverige agera för att bibehålla och öka sin export?

3. Presentations Based on TelluBase (and Other Data)

What Is to Be Done? How What We Do Changes the World (Slowly)

Presentation by Dr. Staffan Canback at Tellusant’s Punta Cana Global Office Retreat, November 18-21, 2025

The World Is My Oyster: Personal Reflections from a Career in Global Business

Presentation by Dr. Staffan Canback to the Harvard Club of Boston’s Shared Interest Group on business, April 15, 2025

Where in the World Is the Market? Real World Meets Math—and Math Wins

The Lund Lecture by Dr. Staffan Canback, May 2024

How Tellusant Works Linear: Algebra ∧ Calculus

Internal Training Session by Dr. Staffan Canback, Executive Chairman, May 22, 2025

4. External Citations

See how external authorities (academic journals, newspapers, TV, governments, NGOs, companies) have cited TelluBase, Tellusant, and its team members publicly over the years. This shows the incredible range of uses from veterinary science to theme park opportunities, and everything in-between.