Armenia (Republic of Armenia)

Armenia Republic of Armenia
Status	Independent State
Capital	Yerevan
Land Area	28 480km21
Location	Asia, Europe
Population	3.1m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	74.89yrs (2017)3
GNI	$8 189 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	AM, ARM, 515
Internet Domain	.am6
Currency	Dram (AMD)7
Telephone	+3748

1. Overview
2. Armenia National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom
5. Peace Versus Instability
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. Children's Health
10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
11. Links

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1. Overview

#azerbaijan #christianity #russia #turkey

“Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh practices that resulted in at least 1 million Armenian deaths. The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. Turkey closed the common border with Armenia in 1994 in support of Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia over control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas, further hampering Armenian economic growth. In 2009, senior Armenian leaders began pursuing rapprochement with Turkey, aiming to secure an opening of the border, but Turkey has not yet ratified the Protocols normalizing relations between the two countries.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Armenia is said to have its head in the west and its heart in the east: here you can experience a Mediterranean lifestyle beneath the Caucasus mountains. [...] The rapidly modernising capital, the boutique tourism industry and the warm welcome you´ll receive everywhere seem to belie the country´s reputation for tragedy. Rather than letting past woes weigh it down, Armenia has built its memorials, dusted itself off and moved on. For travellers, easily visited highlights include ancient monasteries, candlelit churches and high-walled forts - but lasting impressions lie more with the ... gracious, humble and easy-going people, even without a common language. The travel experience is wide-ranging - you can have a four-star holiday in Yerevan and Sevan or a much simpler experience in rural towns like Dilijan and Goris.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Armenia National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
81	Bosnia & Herzegovina	81
82	Macedonia	82
83	Algeria	83
84	Armenia	84
85	Ukraine	84
86	Jordan	86
87	Peru	87
88	Thailand	87
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	83.6
2	Finland	83.1
3	Sweden	82.6
	...
68	Georgia	57.2
69	Brunei	57.2
70	Qatar	57.2
71	Armenia	57.1
72	Tajikistan	56.8
73	Turkey	56.5
74	Montenegro	56.5
75	Ukraine	56.5
	World Avg	55.4
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#Armenia #birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #overpopulation #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
134	Chile	27.0
135	Macedonia	27.7
136	Luxembourg	28.3
137	Armenia	28.7
138	Thailand	29.2
139	Ireland	29.2
140	Russia	29.5
141	Georgia	29.7
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
15	St Vincent & Grenadines	37.7%
16	Cape Verde	37.6%
17	Jamaica	36.1%
18	Armenia	28.2%
19	Trinidad & Tobago	26.7%
20	Malta	26.2%
21	Georgia	25.1%
22	Kazakhstan	23.6%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
38	Lebanon	1.77
39	Mexico	2.25
40	Sri Lanka	2.26
41	Armenia	1.74
42	Kuwait	2.27
43	Bhutan	2.27
44	Jamaica	2.28
45	Suriname	2.28
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
50	France	10.7%
51	Costa Rica	10.5%
52	Netherlands	10.5%
53	Armenia	10.5%
54	Libya	10.4%
55	Greece	10.1%
56	Norway	10.0%
57	Syria	9.8%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
72	Georgia	75.02
73	Tunisia	74.98
74	Malaysia	74.90
75	Armenia	74.89
76	Romania	74.84
77	Peru	74.81
78	Brazil	74.75
79	Thailand	74.62
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		Population17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
132	Uruguay	3.4m
133	Lithuania	3.3m
134	Albania	3.2m
135	Armenia	3.1m
136	Oman	2.9m
137	Kuwait	2.9m
138	Mongolia	2.8m
139	Jamaica	2.8m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Armenia's population is predicted to fall to 3 105 000 by 2030. Developed countries with falling populations face a pension's crises, whereby an incresingly ageing population must be cared for by fewer and fewer workers. Economic stability can be maintained by increasing foreign workers from younger countries. This country has a fertility rate of 1.74. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom

#Armenia #equality #freedom #human_rights #politics #tolerance

Armenia does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Armenia does better than average in terms of the year from which women could participate in democracy₁₈, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₁₉, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₀, opposing gender inequality₂₁, supporting press freedom₂₂, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₃ and in LGBT equality₂₄ although widespread harassment, discrimination and violence against LGBT folk still exists₂₉. Armenia does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in eliminating modern slavery₂₅, fighting corruption₂₆ and in its Global Peace Index rating₂₇. And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 in fighting anti-semitic opinions₂₈. Domestic violence persists as a serious problem and in 2017 there were many examples of human-rights defenders facing threats and harassment, and excessive force was used against protesters and journalists₂₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights, Equality and Freedom in Armenia

5. Peace Versus Instability

#Armenia #extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
133	Portugal	133
134	El Salvador	134
135	Macedonia	135
136	Armenia	136
137	Dominica	137
138	Cape Verde	138
139	St Lucia	139
140	Kuwait	140
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
101	Georgia	101
102	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	102
103	Barbados	103
104	Armenia	104
105	Suriname	105
106	Namibia	106
107	Tunisia	107
108	Cape Verde	108
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Global Peace Index (2012)27
Pos.		Lower is better27
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
111	Egypt	2.22
112	Jamaica	2.22
113	Benin	2.23
114	Armenia	2.24
115	Niger	2.24
116	Turkmenistan	2.24
117	Bahrain	2.25
118	Rwanda	2.25
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

"The 2012 Global Peace Index is the sixth edition of the world's leading study on global levels of peacefulness. The GPI ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. By generating new information on the state of peace at the national and global level, the Institute for Economics and Peace hopes to make a valuable contribution to better understanding how civil society, researchers, policymakers, and government can create a more peaceful society"₂₇. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₂₇ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₂₇.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)31
Pos.		Lower is better Score31
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
54	Montenegro	1.00
55	Taiwan	1.01
56	Laos	1.03
57	Armenia	1.17
58	Senegal	1.19
59	Morocco	1.22
60	Guatemala	1.33
61	Georgia	1.34
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

6. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion

Religiosity (2009)32
Pos.		Lower is better %32
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
37	Italy	72
38	Moldova	72
39	Kyrgyzstan	72
40	Armenia	73
41	Mexico	73
42	Poland	75
43	Cyprus	75
44	Macedonia	76
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)33
Pos.		Higher is better %33
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
32	Iceland	16
33	Spain	15
34	Israel	15
35	Armenia	14
36	Lithuania	13
37	Singapore	13
38	Kazakhstan	12
39	China	12
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₄:

Christian	98.5%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	1.3%

By adding up the Pew Forum data for the major monotheistic religions we can see that these make up 98.7% of the population. Yet there are simply too many who disbelieve in God for this to be true (14%). This is due to the so-called 'Census Effect', whereby many put down a religion for cultural reasons rather than because it reflects their beliefs. In highly Christian countries, as many as half of those who say they're a Christian lack any connection to a Church, and do not hold Christian beliefs (such as believing in God!).

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 99% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 73% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3%₃₅.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

7. The Internet

#Armenia #internet #it_security #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)36
Pos.		Higher is better36
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
96	S. Africa	52%
97	Dominican Rep.	52%
98	Uzbekistan	51%
99	Armenia	50%
100	Iran	49%
101	Tunisia	48%
102	Moldova	48%
103	Paraguay	47%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)37
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio37
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
95	Belarus	0.0
96	Azerbaijan	0.0
97	Angola	0.0
98	Armenia	0.0
99	Cape Verde	0.0
100	Nigeria	0.0
101	Uzbekistan	0.0
102	Colombia	0.0
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

IT Security (2013)38
Pos.		Lower is better38
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
	...
53	Mauritania	1.19
54	Azerbaijan	1.21
55	Belarus	1.22
56	Armenia	1.22
57	Malawi	1.23
58	Turkmenistan	1.23
59	Kazakhstan	1.23
60	Djibouti	1.29
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #Armenia #genetics #health #mental_health #obesity #public_health #smoking #sociology #suicide #UK

Armenia does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Armenia comes in the best 20 when it comes to its suicide rate₃₉. It does better than average when it comes to its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₀, its immunizations take-up₄₀, its adolescent birth rate₂₁, its alcohol consumption rate₄₁ and in the prevalence of overweight adults₄₂. Armenia does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in its smoking rate₄₃. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the last 40 years.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)41
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita41
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
81	Suriname	5.1
82	Nicaragua	5.2
83	Turkmenistan	5.4
84	Armenia	5.5
85	Venezuela	5.6
86	Sierra Leone	5.7
87	India	5.7
88	Cape Verde	5.7
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₄₄ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₄₅ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₄₆ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₄₇. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₄₈. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
28	Austria	28
29	Greece	29
30	Nicaragua	30
31	Armenia	31
32	Bangladesh	32
33	Hungary	33
34	Macedonia	34
35	India	35
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)42
Pos.		Lower is better %42
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
90	Georgia	54.2
91	Switzerland	54.3
92	Austria	54.3
93	Armenia	54.4
94	Belize	54.8
95	Haiti	54.9
96	St Vincent & Grenadines	55.0
97	Solomon Islands	55.0
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₄₉. Most Western countries are facing an obesity epidemic. Our cultures are having to change to compensate for widespread ill-health. It is costing our health systems a massive amount of money, and is having negative effects on national economies. The situation has persisted for a suitable length of time for our very perceptions to change; opinions on "normal weights" for people and "average sizes" for clothes has shot up₅₀. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₅₀ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₅₁ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₅₂. We are forgetting how to be healthy.

The causes are not genetic. Most people who say obesity "runs in their family" are wrong. The rate of increase in obesity is many, many times too fast to be accounted for by a change in inherited genes₅₃. Our culture and lifestyle choices are to blame. The causes of the modern obesity epidemic are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products, poor knowledge of nutrition. Most of this is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheaper mass-produced food. Even some so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₅₄.

Smoking Rates (2014)43
Pos.		Lower is better43
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
150	Germany	1 480
151	Bulgaria	1 505
152	Kuwait	1 517
153	Armenia	1 545
154	Turkey	1 581
155	Slovakia	1 618
156	Romania	1 620
157	Tunisia	1 628
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)39
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k39
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
8	Bahamas	2.5
9	Peru	2.9
10	Kuwait	3.6
11	Armenia	3.9
12	Dominican Rep.	4.6
13	St Lucia	4.9
14	Tajikistan	5.2
15	Venezuela	6.5
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

9. Children's Health

#Armenia #health #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)21
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100021
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
66	Albania	21.7
67	Moldova	22.6
68	USA	22.6
69	Armenia	23.0
70	Jordan	23.2
71	Russia	23.4
72	New Zealand	23.6
73	Ukraine	24.1
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)40
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %40
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
54	Japan	95.7
55	Portugal	95.7
56	Qatar	95.6
57	Armenia	95.6
58	Uruguay	95.6
59	Bhutan	95.6
60	Turkey	95.5
61	Malta	95.5
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries