Bulgaria (Republic of Bulgaria)

http://www.humantruth.info/bulgaria.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Bulgaria Republic of Bulgaria
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	44th best
Capital	Sofia
Land Area	108 560km²₁
Location	Europe, The Balkans
Population	7.1m₂
Life Expectancy	71.80yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$23 079 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	BG, BGR, 100₅
Internet Domain	.bg₆
Currency	Lev (BGN)₇
Telephone	+359₈

1. Overview

“The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“From wild, wooded mountain ranges speckled with remote villages and enchanting monasteries to vibrant modern cities and long sandy beaches hugging the Black Sea coast, Bulgaria rewards exploration. Bulgaria may attract the majority of its visitors with its long, sandy Black Sea beaches, but there´s much more to see than that. Bulgaria boasts no fewer than seven mountain ranges and varied landscapes ideal for hiking, cycling, climbing and wildlife-watching. And you´ll find some of Europe´s most modern and reasonably priced ski resorts.
The depth of Bulgaria´s history and culture are immediately evident. There are countless churches and a full measure of Orthodox monasteries full of vibrant icons, picturesque villages of timber-framed houses 19th-century revival-era architecture and cobbled lanes, and dramatic reminders of the country´s heritage, from Thracian tombs and Roman ruins to medieval fortresses, Ottoman mosques and communist monuments slowly crumbling away into history.
Bulgaria´s cities reward visitors, with treasure-filled museums and galleries, and parks sprinkled with cafes and restaurants where the coffee is strong, the cuisine hearty and the conversation always animated.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Bulgaria National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Value₁₁
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
4	Hong Kong	0.952
5	Australia	0.951
	...
66	Thailand	0.800
67	Albania	0.796
68	Grenada	0.795
69	Bulgaria	0.795
70	Barbados	0.790
71	Antigua & Barbuda	0.788
	Europe Avg	0.87
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₁
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
4	Luxembourg	$84 649
5	Ireland	$76 169
	...
57	Kazakhstan	$23 943
58	Trinidad & Tobago	$23 392
59	St Kitts & Nevis	$23 358
60	Bulgaria	$23 079
61	Guyana	$22 465
62	Mauritius	$22 025
	Europe Avg	$40 512
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₂_,₁₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂_,₁₃
1	Taiwan	28.6
2	Norway	29.4
3	Denmark	31.2
4	Sweden	32.2
5	Finland	32.6
	...
41	Monaco	63.0
42	Kosovo	63.4
43	Lithuania	63.9
44	Bulgaria	64.6
45	Mauritius	66.9
46	Argentina	67.8
	Europe Avg	57.3
	World Avg	86.1
q=195.

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: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Bulgaria's Demographics and Migration

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

Population:

Bulgaria's population is predicted to fall to 6 455 000 by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 1.54. 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.

Population (2018)₂
Pos.		Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
4	Indonesia	267.7m
5	Pakistan	212.2m
	...
102	Sierra Leone	7.7m
103	Hong Kong	7.4m
104	Laos	7.1m
105	Bulgaria	7.1m
106	Paraguay	7.0m
107	Lebanon	6.9m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
4	Australia	84.5
5	Switzerland	84.0
	...
94	Armenia	72.0
95	Libya	71.9
96	Bhutan	71.8
97	Bulgaria	71.8
98	Georgia	71.7
99	St Kitts & Nevis	71.7
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₄
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
	...
66	Serbia	1.56
67	Libya	2.44
68	Cambodia	2.45
69	Bulgaria	1.54
70	Bahrain	2.46
71	Thailand	1.54
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₅
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₅
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
4	Burkina Faso	04.7
5	Sierra Leone	04.8
	...
161	Singapore	36.5
162	Latvia	36.7
163	Sweden	37.0
164	Bulgaria	37.0
165	Denmark	37.1
166	Bosnia & Herzegovina	37.3
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₆
Pos.		%₁₆
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
4	Liechtenstein	65.1%
5	Monaco	54.9%
	...
121	Benin	2.3%
122	S. Korea	2.3%
123	Cameroon	2.2%
124	Bulgaria	2.2%
125	Kenya	2.2%
126	Angola	2.1%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₇
Pos.		%₁₇
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
4	Grenada	65.5%
5	St Kitts & Nevis	61.1%
	...
38	Ireland	16.1%
39	Belize	16.1%
40	Azerbaijan	16.0%
41	Bulgaria	16.0%
42	Lebanon	15.6%
43	Equatorial Guinea	14.9%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#Bulgaria #equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₈_,₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈_,₁₉
1	Sweden	9.2
2	Norway	14.7
3	Denmark	14.7
4	Netherlands	15.8
5	New Zealand	17.5
	...
32	Romania	44.3
33	S. Korea	45.7
34	Malta	46.3
35	Bulgaria	46.5
36	Cyprus	46.7
37	USA	47.4
	Europe Avg	50.3
	World Avg	87.7
q=199.

Bulgaria performs very well in ensuring human rights and freedom compared to most other countries. Bulgaria comes in the best 20 for speed of uptake of HR treaties₂₀ (the lowest in Europe) and in commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₁. It does better than average in the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₂₂, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₃, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₄ (but bad for Europe), freethought₂₅, opposing gender inequality₂₆ (but bad for Europe), LGBT equality₂₇ (but low for Europe) and in supporting press freedom₂₈ (but bad for Europe). But, things could still be better. Bulgaria does worse than average when it comes to its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Bulgaria

5. Bulgaria's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #Bulgaria #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Compared to Europe (2020)₃₀_,₃₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₀_,₃₁
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Norway	61.0
3	Finland	65.3
4	Switzerland	65.6
5	Italy	67.5
	...
40	Azerbaijan	100.0
41	Moldova	101.5
42	Montenegro	102.8
43	Romania	104.1
44	Bulgaria	105.5
45	Belarus	107.1
46	Ukraine	107.3
	Europe Avg	82.5
q=46.

Health (2020)₃₀_,₃₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₀_,₃₁
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Hong Kong	18.3
3	Maldives	41.0
4	Singapore	42.6
5	Japan	51.0
	...
137	Tonga	104.1
138	Guinea	104.5
139	Malawi	104.5
140	Bulgaria	105.5
141	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	105.6
142	Lesotho	106.3
143	Botswana	106.5
	World Avg	93.5
q=196.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Hong Kong and The Maldives₃₀. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, S. Sudan and Palau₃₀.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and The Mediterranean₃₀, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa₃₀.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

Bulgaria has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Bulgaria does better than average when it comes to its fertility rate₁₄ (but bad for Europe), its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₂ (but bad for Europe), its immunizations take-up₃₃ (but low for Europe), its adolescent birth rate₂₆ (but one of the highest in Europe) and in its average life expectancy₁₁ (but low for Europe). But, things could still be better. Bulgaria does worse than average for its suicide rate₃₄ and in its smoking rate₃₅. And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 when it comes to its alcohol consumption rate₃₆. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016.

Life Expectancy (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
4	Australia	84.5
5	Switzerland	84.0
	...
94	Armenia	72.0
95	Libya	71.9
96	Bhutan	71.8
97	Bulgaria	71.8
98	Georgia	71.7
99	St Kitts & Nevis	71.7
	Europe Avg	78.36
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₆
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
4	Mauritania	0.0
5	Somalia	0.0
	...
178	Slovenia	12.6
179	France	12.6
180	Romania	12.7
181	Bulgaria	12.7
182	Latvia	12.9
183	Luxembourg	13.0
	Europe Avg	10.3
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₄
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
	...
66	Serbia	1.56
67	Libya	2.44
68	Cambodia	2.45
69	Bulgaria	1.54
70	Bahrain	2.46
71	Thailand	1.54
	Europe Avg	1.61
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₅
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₅
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
179	Macedonia	2 732
178	Russia	2 690
	...
154	Turkey	1 581
153	Armenia	1 545
152	Kuwait	1 517
151	Bulgaria	1 505
150	Germany	1 480
149	Italy	1 443
	Europe Avg	1 648
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₃₄
Pos.		Per 100k₃₄
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
4	Jordan	0.2
5	Maldives	0.7
	...
61	Germany	23.9
62	Cuba	24.5
63	Romania	24.5
64	Bulgaria	25
65	Sweden	25.5
66	Slovakia	25.7
	Europe Avg	26.99
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₂
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
4	UK	4
5	Norway	5
	...
50	Ecuador	50
51	Israel	51
52	Slovakia	52
53	Bulgaria	53
54	Panama	54
55	Ukraine	55
	Europe Avg	47.4
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₃₇
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₇
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
4	Ethiopia	20.9
5	Nepal	21.0
	...
148	Costa Rica	61.6
149	Tunisia	61.6
150	Iran	61.6
151	Bulgaria	61.7
152	Algeria	62.0
153	Greece	62.3
	Europe Avg	58.5
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₆
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₆
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
4	Hong Kong	3.2
5	Slovenia	3.8
	...
86	Morocco	31.7
87	Botswana	32.3
88	Romania	34.6
89	Bulgaria	37.7
90	Tajikistan	38.1
91	Vietnam	38.6
	Europe Avg	14.6
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₃₃
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₃₃
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
4	Niue	98.8
5	Mongolia	98.7
	...
86	Italy	93.8
87	Austria	93.8
88	Argentina	93.7
89	Bulgaria	93.7
90	Serbia	93.5
91	Egypt	93.4
	Europe Avg	92.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Bulgaria's Modernity and Learning

#education #english #intelligence #maths #modernity #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to Europe (2020)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Finland	8.4
2	Switzerland	15.1
3	Estonia	15.8
4	Denmark	16.0
5	Belgium	16.1
	...
27	Greece	40.9
28	Croatia	44.3
29	Ukraine	47.1
30	Bulgaria	47.3
31	Liechtenstein	47.7
32	Romania	49.1
33	Turkey	50.1
	Europe Avg	41.2
q=49.

Modernity and Learning (2020)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Finland	8.4
2	Taiwan	10.0
3	Switzerland	15.1
4	Estonia	15.8
5	Denmark	16.0
	...
39	Argentina	43.8
40	Croatia	44.3
41	Ukraine	47.1
42	Bulgaria	47.3
43	Liechtenstein	47.7
44	Romania	49.1
45	Turkey	50.1
	World Avg	83.2
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₃₈
2	Israel	4.11₃₈
3	Japan	3.58₃₈
4	Finland	3.17₃₈
5	Sweden	3.16₃₈
	...
49	Egypt	0.68₃₉
50	Belarus	0.67₃₉
51	Mali	0.66₄₀
52	Bulgaria	0.65₃₉
53	Ethiopia	0.61₃₉
54	Latvia	0.60₃₉
	Europe Avg	1.32
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₄₁
Pos.		Higher is better₄₁
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
4	Canada	100.0%
5	Finland	100.0%
	...
25	USA	95.6%
26	Norway	95.4%
27	S. Korea	95.2%
28	Bulgaria	95.1%
29	Lithuania	94.9%
30	Ukraine	94.6%
	Europe Avg	88.3%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2021)₄₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₄₂
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
4	Belgium	19.6
5	Sweden	19.4
	...
85	Sri Lanka	14.1
86	Brunei	14.0
87	Seychelles	13.9
88	Bulgaria	13.9
89	Bosnia & Herzegovina	13.8
90	Egypt	13.8
	Europe Avg	16.1
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₂
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
4	Denmark	4
5	UK	5
	...
11	Switzerland	11
12	New Zealand	12
13	Latvia	13
14	Bulgaria	14
15	Iceland	15
16	Bosnia & Herzegovina	16
	Europe Avg	31.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading (2015)₄₃
Pos.		Higher is better Score₄₃
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
4	Macau	1582
5	Estonia	1573
	...
42	Slovakia	1389
43	Greece	1376
44	Chile	1329
45	Bulgaria	1319
46	Romania	1313
47	Cyprus	1313
	Europe Avg	1417
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity (2018)₄₄
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₄
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
4	Switzerland	9
5	Denmark	9
	...
19	Russia	16
20	Australia	18
21	Vietnam	18
22	Bulgaria	19
23	Norway	19
24	Netherlands	20
	Europe Avg	25.8
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ (2006)₄₅
Pos.		Higher is better₄₅
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
4	Japan	105
5	Taiwan	105
	...
44	Romania	94
45	Georgia	94
46	Argentina	93
47	Bulgaria	93
48	Ireland	92
49	Malaysia	92
	Europe Avg	96.6
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)₄₆
Pos.		Higher is better₄₆
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
4	Bermuda	97%
5	Andorra	97%
	...
78	Belarus	61%
79	St Vincent & Grenadines	60%
80	St Lucia	59%
81	Bulgaria	59%
82	Turkey	58%
83	Romania	58%
	Europe Avg	76.7%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₄₇
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₄₇
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
4	USA	35.0
5	Greece	33.5
	...
45	Argentina	1.4
46	Faroe Islands	1.4
47	Russia	1.3
48	Bulgaria	1.3
49	S. Korea	1.2
50	Dominican Rep.	1.1
	Europe Avg	8.11
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

World Giving Index (2013-2021)₄₈
Pos.		Lower is better₄₈
1	Myanmar (Burma)	2.7
2	New Zealand	4.0
3	USA	4.7
4	Australia	4.9
5	Indonesia	9.0
	...
137	Montenegro	110.3
138	Latvia	111.1
139	Mauritania	111.3
140	Bulgaria	112.3
141	Azerbaijan	112.3
142	Croatia	113.0
	Europe Avg	75.2
	World Avg	67.9
q=160.

Corruption (2022)₄₉
Pos.		Higher is better Points₄₉
1	Denmark	90.0
2	Finland	87.0
3	New Zealand	87.0
4	Norway	84.0
5	Singapore	83.0
	...
71	Bahrain	44.0
72	Senegal	43.0
73	S. Africa	43.0
74	Bulgaria	43.0
75	Benin	43.0
76	Ghana	43.0
	Europe Avg	57.61
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness (2018)₅₀
Pos.		Higher is better₅₀
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
4	Iceland	7.5
5	Switzerland	7.5
	...
97	Bhutan	5.1
98	Somalia	5.0
99	Cameroon	5.0
100	Bulgaria	4.9
101	Nepal	4.9
102	Venezuela	4.8
	Europe Avg	6.06
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity and Culture (2017)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₂
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
4	Switzerland	4
5	Sweden	5
	...
36	Belize	36
37	Iceland	37
38	Croatia	38
39	Bulgaria	39
40	Marshall Islands	40
41	Malaysia	41
	Europe Avg	35.0
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₂
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
4	Netherlands	4
5	Switzerland	5
	...
36	Italy	36
37	Estonia	37
38	Cyprus	38
39	Bulgaria	39
40	Turkey	40
41	Marshall Islands	41
	Europe Avg	42.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

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

Global Peace Index (2021)₅₁
Pos.		Lower is better₅₁
1	Iceland	1.10
2	New Zealand	1.25
3	Denmark	1.26
4	Portugal	1.27
5	Slovenia	1.32
	...
24	Poland	1.52
25	Romania	1.53
26	Slovakia	1.56
27	Bulgaria	1.58
28	Mauritius	1.59
29	Qatar	1.61
	Europe Avg	1.69
	World Avg	2.08
q=163.

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₂
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
4	Egypt	4
5	Nigeria	5
	...
66	Ghana	66
67	Sweden	67
68	Congo, (Brazzaville)	68
69	Bulgaria	69
70	Zimbabwe	70
71	Spain	71
	Europe Avg	84.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₂
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
4	Sweden	4
5	Malta	5
	...
29	USA	29
30	Singapore	30
31	Greece	31
32	Bulgaria	32
33	S. Korea	33
34	Mauritius	34
	Europe Avg	37.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₅₂
Pos.		Lower is better Score₅₂
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
4	Equatorial Guinea	0.00
5	Cambodia	0.00
	...
36	Macedonia	0.30
37	Zambia	0.31
38	Djibouti	0.32
39	Bulgaria	0.37
40	Albania	0.42
41	Cyprus	0.42
	Europe Avg	1.62
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₅₃
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₃
1	Iceland	+205.6
2	Bahrain	+144.4
3	Uruguay	+131.3
4	Kuwait	+81.2
5	Dominican Rep.	+79.5
	...
29	Iran	+17.8
30	France	+17.7
31	Algeria	+17.3
32	Bulgaria	+17.1
33	Thailand	+17.1
34	Chile	+16.2
	Europe Avg	+15.0
	World Avg	+02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₅₄
Pos.		Higher is better₅₄
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
4	Malta	80.9
5	Sweden	80.5
	...
27	USA	71.2
28	Slovakia	70.6
29	Lithuania	69.3
30	Bulgaria	67.9
31	Costa Rica	67.9
32	Qatar	67.8
	Europe Avg	69.6
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency (2014)₅₅
Pos.		Higher is better₅₅
1	Hong Kong	26.32
2	Sri Lanka	20.00
3	Panama	17.86
4	Colombia	17.54
5	Ireland	17.54
	...
84	Vietnam	07.14
85	Saudi Arabia	07.04
86	Honduras	06.80
87	Bulgaria	06.54
88	Qatar	06.49
89	Finland	06.33
	Europe Avg	09.80
	World Avg	09.29
q=119.

Convention on Biological Diversity
Pos.		Earlier is better Signed
1	China	1993 Dec 29
2	Guinea	1993 Dec 29
3	Cook Islands	1993 Dec 29
4	Vanuatu	1993 Dec 29
5	Papua New Guinea	1993 Dec 29
	...
145	Tanzania	1996 Jun 06
146	Eritrea	1996 Jun 19
147	Ireland	1996 Jun 20
148	Bulgaria	1996 Jul 16
149	Rwanda	1996 Aug 27
150	St Vincent & Grenadines	1996 Sep 01
	Europe Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment (2011)₅₆
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₆
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
4	Trinidad & Tobago	74.5%
5	Costa Rica	74.2%
	...
83	Luxembourg	33.3%
84	Togo	33.3%
85	Benin	32.6%
86	Bulgaria	32.5%
87	Kyrgyzstan	32.0%
88	Georgia	31.9%
	Europe Avg	33.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #social_development

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₅₇
Pos.		Higher is worse₅₇
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
181	Somalia	38.90
180	Nigeria	37.10
	...
52	Romania	6.30
51	USA	6.30
50	Chile	6.30
49	Bulgaria	6.10
48	Malaysia	6.10
47	Maldives	6.00
	Europe Avg	4.86
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) (2017)₅₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₅₈
1	Ukraine	25.0
2	Belarus	25.4
3	Slovenia	25.4
4	Czechia	25.9
5	Moldova	25.9
	...
74	Yemen	36.7
75	Solomon Islands	37.1
76	Lithuania	37.4
77	Bulgaria	37.4
78	Bhutan	37.4
79	Vanuatu	37.6
	Europe Avg	31.5
	World Avg	38.1
q=152.

11. Religion and Beliefs

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

Religiosity (2018)₄₄
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₄
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
4	Switzerland	9
5	Denmark	9
	...
19	Russia	16
20	Australia	18
21	Vietnam	18
22	Bulgaria	19
23	Norway	19
24	Netherlands	20
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)₅₉
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₉
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
4	Czechia	61
5	Estonia	49
	...
11	UK	42
12	Cuba	40
13	Slovenia	35
14	Bulgaria	34
15	Hungary	32
16	Norway	31
	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 below₆₀:

Christian	82.1%
Muslim	13.7%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	4.2%

By adding up the Pew Forum data for the major monotheistic religions we can see that these make up 95.9% of the population. Yet there are simply too many who disbelieve in God for this to be true (34%). 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 96.2% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 19% 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: Eastern Orthodox 59.4%, Muslim (Sunni) 7.4%, Muslim (Shia) 0.4%, other (including Catholic, Protestant, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox, and Judaism) 1.7%, other (unknown) 27.4%, none 3.7% (2011 census)₆₁.

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