Colombia (Republic of Colombia)

Colombia Republic of Colombia
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	74th best
Capital	Bogota
Land Area	1 109 500km21
Location	South America, The Americas
Population	49.7m2
Life Expectancy	72.83yrs (2017)3
GNI	$14 384 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	CO, COL, 1705
Internet Domain	.co6
Currency	Peso (COP)7
Telephone	+578

1. Overview
2. Colombia National and Social Development
3. Colombia's Demographics and Migration
4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. Colombia's Health
6. Colombia's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Colombia's Modernity and Learning
8. Colombia's Culture, Peace and Inequality
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

#ecuador #venezuela

“Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A nearly five-decade long conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups, principally the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) heavily funded by the drug trade, escalated during the 1990s. More than 31,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia as a formal organization had ceased to function. In the wake of the paramilitary demobilization, emerging criminal groups arose, whose members include some former paramilitaries. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, but continue attacks against civilians. Large areas of the countryside are under guerrilla influence or are contested by security forces. In October 2012, the Colombian Government started formal peace negotiations with the FARC aimed at reaching a definitive bilateral ceasefire and incorporating demobilized FARC members into mainstream society and politics. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its administrative departments. Despite decades of internal conflict and drug related security challenges, Colombia maintains relatively strong democratic institutions characterized by peaceful, transparent elections and the protection of civil liberties.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Soaring Andean summits, unspoiled Caribbean coast, Amazon jungle, archaeological ruins and colonial communities. Colombia boasts all of South America´s allure and more. Forget everything you´ve ever heard about Colombia - for decades demonized, today Colombia is a safe, affordable, accessible and utterly thrilling destination.

Whatever you want, you´ll find it here. Whether that´s floating down Amazonian backwaters, wandering through perfectly preserved colonial towns, diving pristine Caribbean reefs or galloping on horseback along mountain ridges overlooking ancient indigenous burial sites, it´s all in Colombia. Just to seal the deal, Colombians are friendly, welcoming and helpful people - they receive tourists like long-lost brothers and sisters.

Security improvements have driven the continent´s longest-running civil conflict into all but the most remote and inaccessible areas of the country, where travelers have no reason to visit. And best of all many Colombians, for years caged in their cities, can now enjoy their beautiful country, too.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Colombia 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
	...
85	Armenia	0.759
86	Mexico	0.758
87	Brazil	0.754
88	Colombia	0.752
89	St Vincent & Grenadines	0.751
90	Maldives	0.747
91=	Tonga	0.745
91=	Algeria	0.745
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	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
	...
79	Bosnia & Herzegovina	$15 242
80	Moldova	$14 875
81	Georgia	$14 664
82	Colombia	$14 384
83	Brazil	$14 370
84	Azerbaijan	$14 257
85	Albania	$14 131
86	Palau	$13 819
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	28.1
2	Norway	31.2
3	Switzerland	32.9
	...
71	Vietnam	80.6
72	China	81.0
73	Mexico	81.0
74	Colombia	81.0
75	Philippines	82.0
76	Antigua & Barbuda	82.4
77	Bahamas	83.3
78	Georgia	83.5
	The Americas Avg	81.5
	World Avg	88.7
q=199.

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. Colombia's Demographics and Migration

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

Population Datasets:

Colombia's population is predicted to rise to 56.86 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.69. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - 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 (two new children for each set of parents who die), 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 highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
26	Myanmar	53.7m
27	Kenya	51.4m
28	S. Korea	51.2m
29	Colombia	49.7m
30	Spain	46.7m
31	Argentina	44.4m
32	Ukraine	44.2m
33	Uganda	42.7m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
81	Palestine	73.5
82	N. Korea	73.3
83	Trinidad & Tobago	73.0
84	Colombia	72.8
85	Dominica	72.8
86	Samoa	72.8
87	Brazil	72.8
88	Dominican Rep.	72.6
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
40	Panama	2.30
41	Morocco	2.30
42	Ireland	1.70
43	Colombia	1.69
44	French Polynesia	1.69
45	Iran	1.68
46	Seychelles	2.32
47	Maldives	1.68
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better15
Pos.		2016 Per 10015
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
112	Vietnam	18.3
113	Tunisia	18.6
114	Azerbaijan	18.7
115	Colombia	18.8
116	Antigua & Barbuda	19.0
117	St Vincent & Grenadines	19.7
118	Seychelles	19.8
119=	St Lucia	19.9
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

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

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
182	Somalia	0.3%
183	Lesotho	0.3%
184	Peru	0.3%
185	Colombia	0.3%
186	Morocco	0.3%
187	Philippines	0.2%
188	N. Korea	0.2%
189	Sri Lanka	0.2%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
114	Denmark	4.7%
115	Yemen	4.7%
116	Hungary	4.6%
117	Colombia	4.6%
118	Sierra Leone	4.6%
119	Philippines	4.6%
120	Egypt	4.4%
121	Germany	4.3%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#Colombia #colombia_homosexuality #equality #freedom #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
66	St Lucia	69.9
67	Kiribati	70.1
68	Monaco	71.7
69	Colombia	71.9
70	Mongolia	72.6
71	Macedonia	72.8
	The Americas Avg	71.80
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

Colombia does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Colombia does better than average for LGBT equality₁₉, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₂₀ (but bad for The Americas), freethought₂₁, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₂, eliminating modern slavery₂₃ (but bad for The Americas), commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₄ (but one of the lowest in The Americas) and in its average Freedom in the World rating. But, things could still be better. Colombia does worse than average in terms of its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₅ (one of the highest in The Americas), opposing gender inequality₂₆, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₇ (amongst the worst in The Americas) and in supporting press freedom₂₈. Human rights defenders, trade unionists, journalists, indigenous and Afro-Colombian leaders, and other community activists face death threats and violence, mostly from guerrillas and successor groups. Perpetrators of these abuses are rarely held accountable"₂₉. Progress is always going to be difficult in a country where the richest 1% hold 20% of the country's entire income₃₀.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Colombia

5. Colombia's Health

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

Compared to The Americas (2025)31
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank31
1	Canada	57.4
2	Turks & Caicos Islands	62.6
3	St Martin	66.7
	...
10	Costa Rica	75.4
11	Grenada	81.0
12	Uruguay	81.6
13	Colombia	84.3
14	Dominica	86.0
15	Chile	86.2
16	Bahamas	86.2
17	Brazil	86.6
18	Jamaica	88.1
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=41.

Health (2025)31
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank31
1	Monaco	12.4
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	San Marino	30.6
	...
69	Lithuania	82.2
70	Belarus	82.3
71	Bulgaria	83.5
72	Colombia	84.3
73	Seychelles	84.8
74	Russia	84.8
75	Armenia	85.7
76	Dominica	86.0
	World Avg	96.86
q=204.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and San Marino₃₂. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are Angola, Somalia and S. Sudan₃₂.

36 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on 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, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate, its immunizations take-up and childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far). The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₃₂, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Melanesia₃₂.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Health Datasets:

Colombia does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Colombia comes in the best 20 in its smoking rate₃₃. It does better than average in its suicide rate₃₄, its fertility rate₁₄, its average life expectancy₁₁, childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far)₃₅ and in its alcohol consumption rate₃₆. But, things still need to improve in Colombia. Colombia does worse than average in terms of its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₇, the prevalence of overweight adults₃₈, its immunizations take-up₃₉ and in its adolescent birth rate₄₀. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years. Life expectancy in Colombia improved by +8.1yrs in the 30 years from 1990, just over the global average improvement of +7.9yrs. Colombia is amongst only 41 countries who have seen their fertility rate drop by more than 4 since the 1960s. Its peak fertility rate was 6.74 in 1960.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
81	Palestine	73.5
82	N. Korea	73.3
83	Trinidad & Tobago	73.0
84	Colombia	72.8
85	Dominica	72.8
86	Samoa	72.8
87	Brazil	72.8
88	Dominican Rep.	72.6
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better36
Pos.		2016 Per Capita36
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
88=	Cape Verde	5.7
89	Liberia	5.8
90=	Haiti	5.8
90=	Colombia	5.8
92	Nauru	6.0
93	Cuba	6.1
94	Kyrgyzstan	6.2
95=	Guyana	6.3
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
40	Panama	2.30
41	Morocco	2.30
42	Ireland	1.70
43	Colombia	1.69
44	French Polynesia	1.69
45	Iran	1.68
46	Seychelles	2.32
47	Maldives	1.68
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better33
Pos.		Total %33
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
15	Sao Tome & Principe	7.9%
16	Mali	8.0%
17	Haiti	8.1%
18	Colombia	8.2%
19=	Liberia	8.3%
19=	Guinea-Bissau	8.3%
21	Oman	8.4%
22	Belize	8.8%
	The Americas Avg	12.7%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165.

Suicide Rate34
Pos.		2013 Per 100k34
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
29	Cyprus	9.1
30	Uzbekistan	9.3
31	Brazil	9.7
32	Colombia	9.9
33	Panama	10.9
34	Nicaragua	11.6
35	Costa Rica	12.1
36	Italy	12.8
	The Americas Avg	13.57
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better37
Pos.		2017 Rank37
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
95	Bosnia & Herzegovina	95
96	Namibia	96
97	Guyana	97
98	Colombia	98
99	Vietnam	99
100	Lesotho	100
101	Tanzania	101
102	Equatorial Guinea	102
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better38
Pos.		1976 %38
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
114=	Nicaragua	32.2
115	Belize	32.4
116	Bosnia & Herzegovina	32.6
117	Colombia	32.7
118	Tunisia	32.8
119	Cyprus	33.0
120	Moldova	33.4
121	Peru	33.5
	The Americas Avg	30.7
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better41
Pos.		2022 %41
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
94	Israel	23.4%
95	Cuba	23.5%
96	Finland	23.7%
97	Colombia	23.9%
98	Mongolia	24.0%
99	Germany	24.2%
100	Bulgaria	24.2%
101	Algeria	24.2%
	The Americas Avg	32.0%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health Datasets:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better40
Pos.		2022 Per 100040
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
133	Peru	56.1
134	Belize	56.6
135	Marshall Islands	57.5
136	Colombia	57.6
137	Solomon Islands	59.4
138	Gambia	60.7
139	S. Africa	60.9
140	Iraq	61.2
	The Americas Avg	48.1
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better39
Pos.		2015 Avg %39
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
126	Honduras	88.8
127	Kenya	88.5
128	Costa Rica	88.5
129	Colombia	88.4
130	Kiribati	88.4
131	Netherlands	88.1
132	Paraguay	88.1
133	Bosnia & Herzegovina	88.0
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Infant Mortality (2020s) Lower is better35
Pos.		Total Per 100035
1	San Marino	2.11
2	Finland	2.59
3	Luxembourg	2.60
	...
82	Bahamas	15.20
83	British Virgin Islands	15.26
84	Moldova	15.77
85	Colombia	15.90
86	Ecuador	15.98
87=	Belize	16.05
87=	Iran	16.05
89	Brazil	16.51
	The Americas Avg	18.99
	World Avg	32.19
q=195.

6. Colombia's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #colombia #deforestation #energy #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #sustainability #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Americas (2025)42
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank42
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
	...
9	Mexico	66.3
10	El Salvador	67.4
11	Brazil	70.2
12	Colombia	70.9
13	Argentina	78.5
14	Dominica	78.5
15	Cuba	79.4
16	Nicaragua	80.5
17	Bolivia	81.8
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)42
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank42
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
55	Brazil	70.2
56	Maldives	70.5
57	Ivory Coast	70.8
58	Colombia	70.9
59	Togo	71.1
60	Netherlands	71.1
61	Luxembourg	71.4
62	Sweden	71.8
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₄₃. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Colombia is 58th in the world in terms of its responsibility towards the environment. This is calculated from 21 data sets. Colombia comes in the best 20 in the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₄. It does better than average for its score on the Green Future Index₄₅, its environmental performance₄₆, energy to GDP efficiency₄₇ and in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. Colombia does not succeed in everything, however. Colombia does worse than average when it comes to reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₈ and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₉.

Environmental Performance Higher is better46
Pos.		201846
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
39	Seychelles	66.0
40	Albania	65.5
41	Croatia	65.5
42	Colombia	65.2
43	Hungary	65.0
44	Belarus	65.0
45	Romania	64.8
46	Dominican Rep.	64.7
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better47
Pos.		2022 Avg47
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
49	Costa Rica	0.81
50	Latvia	0.81
51	Ghana	0.83
52	Colombia	0.83
53	Lithuania	0.83
54	Italy	0.84
55	Mali	0.86
56	Morocco	0.86
	The Americas Avg	1.42
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
92	Burkina Faso	59%
93	Benin	59%
94	Ireland	59%
95	Colombia	58%
96	Turkmenistan	58%
97	Czechia	58%
98	Antigua & Barbuda	57%
99	Bangladesh	57%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better44
Pos.		2011 %44
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
7	Guatemala	70.9%
8	Philippines	70.8%
9	S. Korea	70.7%
10	Colombia	70.3%
11	Bolivia	69.3%
12	Paraguay	68.9%
13	Mexico	67.0%
14	Nicaragua	67.0%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better48
Pos.		2021 kg48
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
103	Trinidad & Tobago	58.5
104	Armenia	60.0
105	Suriname	60.8
106	Colombia	60.9
107	Slovenia	61.2
108	Bulgaria	61.8
109	Moldova	61.9
110	Costa Rica	62.2
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

Green Future Index Higher is better45
Pos.		2023 Score45
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
	...
31	Czechia	5.0
32	Singapore	5.0
33	Hong Kong	4.9
34	Colombia	4.8
35	Slovakia	4.8
36	UAE	4.8
37	Morocco	4.7
38	Brazil	4.7
	The Americas Avg	4.6
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

7. Colombia's Modernity and Learning

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

Compared to The Americas (2020)51
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank51
1=	Canada	21.8
2	USA	26.4
3	Argentina	38.2
	...
13	Cuba	72.8
14	Trinidad & Tobago	74.5
15	Ecuador	74.8
16	Colombia	77.3
17	Bolivia	79.5
18=	Antigua & Barbuda	79.6
19	St Vincent & Grenadines	80.0
20	Bahamas	83.5
21	Dominica	84.0
	The Americas Avg	81.34
q=35.

Modernity & Learning (2020)51
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank51
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
79	Uzbekistan	76.5
80	Vietnam	76.9
81	Macedonia	77.2
82	Colombia	77.3
83	Kyrgyzstan	77.3
84	Armenia	77.9
85	Iran	78.0
86	Brunei	78.4
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₅₂. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₅₂. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₅₃.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₅₄

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₅₂, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₅₂.

For more, see:

• "Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education Datasets:

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.2955
2	Israel	4.1155
3	Japan	3.5855
	...
119=	Honduras	0.0456
119=	Guatemala	0.0457
119=	Bahrain	0.0458
119=	Colombia	0.0458
123	Iraq	0.0359
124=	El Salvador	0.0357
124=	China	0.0358
126	Lesotho	0.0159
	The Americas Avg	0.47
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education Higher is better60
Pos.		201860
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
103	Portugal	54.2%
104	Turkey	53.1%
105	Costa Rica	52.9%
106	Colombia	52.0%
107	Ecuador	51.9%
108	Tunisia	51.8%
109	India	51.6%
110	Kuwait	51.5%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better61
Pos.		2021 Years61
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
74	Dominican Rep.	14.5
75	Albania	14.4
76	Cuba	14.4
77	Colombia	14.4
78	Moldova	14.4
79	Serbia	14.4
80	Luxembourg	14.4
81	China	14.2
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better37
Pos.		2017 Rank37
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
75	Argentina	75
76	Costa Rica	76
77	Jamaica	77
78	Colombia	78
79	Liberia	79
80	Kyrgyzstan	80
81	Saudi Arabia	81
82	Uganda	82
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading Higher is better62
Pos.		2015 Score62
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
	...
55=	Mexico	1247
56	Albania	1245
57=	Thailand	1245
58	Colombia	1231
59	Qatar	1222
60	Georgia	1216
61	Jordan	1197
62	Indonesia	1186
	The Americas Avg	1287
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity Lower is better63
Pos.		2018 %63
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
67=	Costa Rica	76
68	Puerto Rico	77
69=	Malaysia	77
69=	Colombia	77
71	Dominican Rep.	78
72=	Iran	78
72=	Tunisia	78
74	Bangladesh	80
	The Americas Avg	65.4
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ Higher is better64
Pos.		200664
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
74=	Peru	85
74=	Cuba	85
76	Venezuela	84
77=	Colombia	84
77=	Jordan	84
77=	Afghanistan	84
77=	UAE	84
77=	Iran	84
	The Americas Avg	85.3
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information Datasets:

Internet Users Higher is better65
Pos.		201665
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
84=	Venezuela	58%
84=	Seychelles	58%
86	Morocco	58%
87	Colombia	57%
88	Costa Rica	56%
89	Kazakhstan	56%
90=	US Virgin Islands	54%
90=	Serbia	54%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IT Security Lower is better66
Pos.		201366
1=	Ireland	0.11
1=	Luxembourg	0.11
1=	Belize	0.11
4	Hong Kong	0.12
5	Mexico	0.16
6	Israel	0.20
7	Colombia	0.22
8=	S. Africa	0.22
8=	Japan	0.22
10	Philippines	0.24
11	Czechia	0.24
12	Argentina	0.27
	The Americas Avg	0.84
	World Avg	0.98

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better67
Pos.		2017 Ratio67
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
99=	Cape Verde	0.0
99=	Nigeria	0.0
99=	Uzbekistan	0.0
99=	Colombia	0.0
99=	Ghana	0.0
99=	Yemen	0.0
99=	Laos	0.0
99=	Malta	0.0
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Digital Quality of Life Higher is better68
Pos.		202468
1	Germany	77.9%
2	Finland	76.9%
3	France	73.9%
	...
52	Bahrain	51.1%
53	Brazil	50.9%
54	Peru	49.9%
55	Colombia	49.8%
56	Oman	47.9%
57	Philippines	47.9%
58	Kazakhstan	47.6%
59	Indonesia	47.5%
	The Americas Avg	44.7%
	World Avg	48.4%
q=121.

8. Colombia's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#bolivia #capitalism #charitability #charity #colombia #corruption #culture #economics #equality #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #life_expectancy #morals #nigeria #peace #politics #poverty #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism

Compared to The Americas (2020)69
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank69
1	Canada	22.7
2	Uruguay	47.4
3	Barbados	48.3
	...
22	Ecuador	86.0
23	Peru	86.4
24	Grenada	86.6
25	Paraguay	90.1
26	Colombia	90.7
27	Nicaragua	90.9
28	Honduras	95.1
29	Venezuela	108.5
30	Haiti	123.8
	The Americas Avg	79.19
q=30.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020)69
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank69
1	Denmark	12.2
2	Netherlands	14.0
3	Norway	14.1
	...
115	Paraguay	90.1
116	Namibia	90.2
117	Tajikistan	90.2
118	Colombia	90.7
119	Nicaragua	90.9
120	Cape Verde	92.8
121	Azerbaijan	93.9
122	Zambia	94.2
	World Avg	76.86
q=178.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 28 datasets, including multiple decades of data on World Giving Index, resisting corruption, overall happiness, Creativity and Culture, Open Trading, Aid and Development, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, poverty in the 2020s (so far), Inequality in Life Expectancy, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

National Culture Datasets:

World Giving Index Higher is better70
Pos.		2022 %70
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
49=	Bolivia	43.0
49=	Ghana	43.0
51	Sweden	42.0
52=	Colombia	42.0
52=	China	42.0
52=	Ecuador	42.0
55	Bulgaria	41.0
56=	Slovakia	41.0
	The Americas Avg	43.7
	World Avg	39.6
q=125.

Corruption Higher is better71
Pos.		2022 Points71
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
90	Guyana	40.0
91	Belarus	39.0
92=	Moldova	39.0
92=	Colombia	39.0
94	Ethiopia	38.0
95=	Brazil	38.0
95=	Argentina	38.0
95=	Tanzania	38.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

In 1997, Colombia sunk to the Corruption Perception Index's 3rd-worst result, after Nigeria and Bolivia.

Happiness Higher is better72
Pos.		2024 Score72
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
58	S. Korea	6.0
59	Bahrain	6.0
60	Portugal	6.0
61	Colombia	6.0
62	Ecuador	6.0
63	Honduras	6.0
64	Malaysia	6.0
65	Peru	5.9
	The Americas Avg	6.31
	World Avg	5.58
q=147.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better37
Pos.		2017 Rank37
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
115	Afghanistan	115
116	Ivory Coast	116
117	Panama	117
118	Colombia	118
119	Brazil	119
120	Honduras	120
121	Tanzania	121
122	Zimbabwe	122
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better37
Pos.		2017 Rank37
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
116	Russia	116
117	Angola	117
118	Guyana	118
119	Colombia	119
120	Congo, (Brazzaville)	120
121	Zambia	121
122	Nigeria	122
123	Pakistan	123
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability Datasets:

Global Peace Index Lower is better73
Pos.		2023 Score73
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
137	Libya	2.61
138	Niger	2.63
139	Cameroon	2.66
140=	Colombia	2.69
140=	Venezuela	2.69
142	Chad	2.70
143	Israel	2.71
144	Nigeria	2.71
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better37
Pos.		2017 Rank37
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
12	Tanzania	12
13	Cameroon	13
14	Singapore	14
15	Colombia	15
16	Costa Rica	16
17	Hungary	17
18	Japan	18
19	Chile	19
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better37
Pos.		2017 Rank37
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
118	Lesotho	118
119	Oman	119
120	Egypt	120
121	Colombia	121
122	Honduras	122
123	Guinea	123
124	Congo, (Brazzaville)	124
125	Swaziland	125
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better74
Pos.		2019 Score74
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
129	USA	5.69
130	Kenya	5.76
131	Sudan	5.81
132	Colombia	5.91
133	Thailand	6.03
134	S. Sudan	6.32
135	Turkey	6.53
136	Cameroon	6.62
	The Americas Avg	2.16
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets:

Poverty (2020s) Lower is better75
Pos.		Total %75
1	Malaysia	0.01%
2	Bhutan	0.01%
3	Cyprus	0.02%
	...
78	Georgia	8.11%
79	Equatorial Guinea	8.79%
80	Guatemala	9.66%
81	Colombia	10.42%
82	Philippines	13.61%
83	Honduras	16.37%
84	Syria	16.47%
85	Kosovo	17.25%
	The Americas Avg	4.07%
	World Avg	11.40%
q=106.

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better76
Pos.		201976
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
82	Mexico	10.50
83=	St Lucia	10.60
83=	Jordan	10.60
85	Colombia	10.70
86	Peru	10.80
87	Brazil	10.90
88	Belize	11.10
89	Grenada	11.20
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better77
Pos.		2023 %77
1	Slovakia	24.1%78
2	Slovenia	24.3%78
3	Belarus	24.4%79
	...
160	Zambia	51.5%80
161	Brazil	52.0%80
162	Botswana	53.3%81
163	Swaziland	54.6%82
164	Colombia	54.8%80
165	Belize	57.7%83
166	Namibia	59.1%81
167	S. Africa	63.0%84
	The Americas Avg	44.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better85
Pos.		2018 Severity85
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
29	Paraguay	.019
30	Vietnam	.019
31	Egypt	.019
32	Colombia	.020
33	Philippines	.024
34	Mexico	.025
35	S. Africa	.025
36	Indonesia	.028
	The Americas Avg	.045
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

9. Religion and Beliefs

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

Religiosity (2018)63
Pos.		Lower is better %63
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
67=	Costa Rica	76
68	Puerto Rico	77
69=	Malaysia	77
69=	Colombia	77
71	Dominican Rep.	78
72=	Iran	78
72=	Tunisia	78
74	Bangladesh	80
75=	India	80
76	Iraq	82
77=	El Salvador	85
77=	Jordan	85
79	Palestine	86
80=	Uganda	86
80=	Chad	86
80=	Niger	86
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)86
Pos.		Higher is better %86
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
73=	Paraguay	1
73=	Nicaragua	1
73=	Bolivia	1
73=	Colombia	1
73=	Costa Rica	1
73=	Honduras	1
73=	Brazil	1
73=	Ecuador	1
73=	S. Africa	1
73=	Venezuela	1
73=	Peru	1
73=	Guatemala	1
73=	El Salvador	1
73=	Panama	1
87	Somalia	0
88=	Sri Lanka	0
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Pew Forum polling over the decades has found the following adherency rates:₈₇:

	2010	2020
Christian	92.4%	86.2%
Unaffiliated	7.24%	9.94%
Other	0.322%	3.79%
Buddhist	<0.1%	<0.1%
Jewish	<0.1%	<0.1%
Muslim	<0.1%	<0.1%
Hindu	<0.1%	<0.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states simply: Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%₈₈.

Links:

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