Croatia (Republic of Croatia)

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Comments:
FB, LJ

Croatia Republic of Croatia
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	40th best
Capital	Zagreb
Land Area	55 960km²₁
Location	Europe, The Mediterranean
Population	4.4m (2011)₂
Life Expectancy	77.50yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$20 291 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	HR, HRV, 191₅
Internet Domain	.hr₆
Currency	Kuna (HRK)₇
Telephone	+385₈

1. Overview

“The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands, along with a majority of Croatia's ethnic Serb population. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998. In April 2009, Croatia joined NATO; Croatia signed the EU Accession Treaty in December 2011 and ratified the Treaty in January, 2012.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Croatia´s rare blend of glamour and authenticity make it Europe´s `it´ destination, where beaches vie for attention with cultural treasures, ancient architecture and time-tested folk traditions. Croatia has been touted as the `new this´ and the `new that´ for years since its re-emergence on the tourism scene, but it´s now clear that it´s a unique destination that holds its own and then some: this is a country with a glorious 1778km-long coast and a staggering 1244 islands. The Adriatic coast is a knockout: its sapphire waters draw visitors to remote islands, hidden coves and traditional fishing villages, all while touting the glitzy beach and yacht scene. Istria captivates with its gastronomic delights and wines, and the bars, clubs and festivals of Zagreb, Zadar and Split remain little-explored gems. Eight national parks showcase primeval beauty with their forests, mountains, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. You can end your journey in dazzling, historic Dubrovnik in the south - just the right conclusion to any trip. Best of all, Croatia hasn´t given in to mass tourism: there are pockets of unique culture and plenty to discover off the grid.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Croatia National and Social Development

#economics #human_development

UN HDI (2016)₁₁
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₁₁
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
42	UAE	42
43	Hungary	43
44	Latvia	44
45	Croatia	45
46	Argentina	45
47	Bahrain	47
48	Montenegro	48
49	Russia	49
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2011)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₂
1	Qatar	$129 916
2	Singapore	$78 162
3	Kuwait	$76 075
	...
56	Equatorial Guinea	$21 517
57	Argentina	$20 945
58	Antigua & Barbuda	$20 907
59	Croatia	$20 291
60	Panama	$19 470
61	Romania	$19 428
62	Uruguay	$19 148
63	Gabon	$19 044
	World Avg	$17 240
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₃_,₁₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₃_,₁₄
1	Denmark	28.3
2	Norway	29.1
3	Finland	29.7
	...
36	Uruguay	58.3
37	Chile	59.1
38	Monaco	59.4
39	Croatia	61.1
40	Lithuania	61.7
41	Romania	62.0
42	Greece	63.8
43	Israel	64.8
	World Avg	86.9
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. Croatia's Demographics

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

Population:

Croatia's population is predicted to fall to 4 185 000 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 1.49. 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 (2012)₁₅
Pos.		Population₁₅
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
119	Ireland	4.6m
120	Central African Rep.	4.6m
121	New Zealand	4.5m
122	Croatia	4.4m
123	Georgia	4.3m
124	Lebanon	4.3m
125	Palestine	4.3m
126	Liberia	4.2m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
41	Dominica	77.85
42	Panama	77.76
43	Poland	77.62
44	Croatia	77.50
45	Uruguay	77.35
46	UAE	77.12
47	Estonia	77.01
48	Mexico	76.97
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₆
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₆
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
78	Latvia	1.50
79	Czechia	1.50
80	Spain	1.50
81	Croatia	1.49
82	Dominican Rep.	2.51
83	Lithuania	1.49
84	Kazakhstan	2.52
85	Ukraine	1.48
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₇
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₇
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
169	Belgium	38.1
170	Switzerland	38.3
171	Canada	38.5
172	Croatia	39.7
173	Malta	39.9
174	France	40.5
175	Austria	40.5
176	Greece	41.3
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2010)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
27	Lebanon	17.8%
28	Cyprus	17.5%
29	Gambia	16.6%
30	Croatia	15.9%
31	Austria	15.6%
32	Spain	15.2%
33	Belize	15.0%
34	Latvia	15.0%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Emigrants (2010)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
31	Micronesia	19.7%
32	Belarus	18.4%
33	Eritrea	18.0%
34	Croatia	17.1%
35	Liechtenstein	17.1%
36	Cyprus	17.0%
37	Marshall Islands	16.6%
38	Ireland	16.1%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#Croatia #equality #freedom #human_rights #politics #tolerance

Croatia does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Croatia comes in the best 20 in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₉. It does better than average in commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₀ (but bad for Europe), opposing gender inequality₂₁, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₂ (but high for Europe), the year from which women could participate in democracy (but high for Europe) and in supporting press freedom₂₃ (but bad for Europe). Croatia does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₄ and in eliminating modern slavery₂₅. Croatia has not been dealing with asylum seekers fairly, deporting some to Serbia without examining their cases₂₆ and returning others to Italy, therefore forcing other countries to bear an unfair portion, and damaging the lives of those seeking asylum.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Croatia

5. Croatia's Health

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

Health (2020)₂₇_,₂₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₇_,₂₈
1	Hong Kong	18.0
2	Singapore	41.5
3	Maldives	43.3
	...
55	Malta	81.6
56	Poland	82.5
57	Albania	82.8
58	Croatia	82.9
59	France	82.9
60	Vietnam	83.0
61	Czechia	83.0
62	Canada	83.1
63	Bosnia & Herzegovina	83.1
	World Avg	92.3
q=187.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Hong Kong, Singapore and The Maldives₂₇. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea₂₇.

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 Europe, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Polynesia.

Health:

Croatia does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Croatia does better than average in its fertility rate₁₆, its adolescent birth rate₂₁, its average life expectancy₁₂ and in its immunizations take-up₂₉. Croatia does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₀, its alcohol consumption rate₃₁ (still good for Europe) and in its smoking rate₃₂. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 when it comes to its suicide rate₃₃. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
41	Dominica	77.85
42	Panama	77.76
43	Poland	77.62
44	Croatia	77.50
45	Uruguay	77.35
46	UAE	77.12
47	Estonia	77.01
48	Mexico	76.97
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₁
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₁
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
129	Vietnam	8.4
130	Ukraine	8.6
131	Netherlands	8.7
132	Croatia	8.9
133	Cameroon	8.9
134	Canada	8.9
135	Rwanda	9.0
136	Iceland	9.1
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₆
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₆
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
78	Latvia	1.50
79	Czechia	1.50
80	Spain	1.50
81	Croatia	1.49
82	Dominican Rep.	2.51
83	Lithuania	1.49
84	Kazakhstan	2.52
85	Ukraine	1.48
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₂
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₂
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
	...
164	Estonia	1 775
163	Hungary	1 759
162	Japan	1 713
161	Croatia	1 709
160	Cyprus	1 688
159	Serbia	1 644
158	Switzerland	1 634
157	Tunisia	1 628
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₃₃
Pos.		Per 100k₃₃
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
73	France	33.2
74	Moldova	35.7
75	Switzerland	36.2
76	Croatia	36.4
77	Estonia	37.9
78	Serbia	38.1
79	Finland	39
80	Belgium	39.1
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
80	Uruguay	80
81	Dominican Rep.	81
82	Zambia	82
83	Croatia	83
84	Indonesia	84
85	Bolivia	85
86	Kyrgyzstan	86
87	Moldova	87
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₄
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
136	France	59.5
137	Belgium	59.5
138	Lithuania	59.6
139	Croatia	59.6
140	El Salvador	59.9
141	Dominica	60.3
142	Morocco	60.4
143	Ireland	60.6
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

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
	...
27	Bosnia & Herzegovina	8.6
28	Saudi Arabia	8.8
29	France	8.9
30	Croatia	9.5
31	Israel	9.7
32	Canada	9.8
33	Kuwait	9.8
34	Portugal	9.9
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₂₉
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₂₉
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
48	Rwanda	96.1
49	Sao Tome & Principe	96.0
50	Malaysia	96.0
51	Croatia	95.9
52	Nicaragua	95.9
53	Tunisia	95.7
54	Japan	95.7
55	Portugal	95.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Croatia's Modernity and Learning

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

Modernity and Learning (2020)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₅
1	Finland	8.0
2	Belgium	9.1
3	Denmark	10.0
	...
36	Russia	37.1
37	Slovakia	38.9
38	Turkey	40.0
39	Croatia	40.0
40	Ukraine	41.9
41	Bulgaria	42.7
42	Chile	43.3
43	S. Africa	43.7
44	Romania	44.6
	World Avg	69.0
q=180.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₃₆
2	Israel	4.11₃₆
3	Japan	3.58₃₆
	...
38	Malta	0.89₃₇
39	Greece	0.84₃₆
40	India	0.82₃₈
41	Croatia	0.81₃₇
42	Kenya	0.79₃₉
43	Ukraine	0.76₃₇
44	Morocco	0.73₃₉
45	S. Africa	0.73₄₀
	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%
	...
20	Moldova	96.4%
21	Germany	96.3%
22	Russia	95.9%
23	Croatia	95.7%
24	Azerbaijan	95.6%
25	USA	95.6%
26	Norway	95.4%
27	S. Korea	95.2%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2018)₄₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₄₂
1	Australia	22.1
2	Belgium	19.7
3	Finland	19.3
	...
54	Ukraine	15.1
55	Montenegro	15.0
56	Mauritius	15.0
57	Croatia	15.0
58	Ecuador	14.9
59	Bulgaria	14.8
60	Serbia	14.8
61	Iran	14.7
	World Avg	13.2
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
30	Romania	30
31	Cyprus	31
32	Ireland	32
33	Croatia	33
34	Israel	34
35	Barbados	35
36	Estonia	36
37	Luxembourg	37
	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
	...
33	Italy	1456
34	Luxembourg	1450
35	Iceland	1443
36	Croatia	1426
37	Lithuania	1425
38	Hungary	1424
39	Israel	1416
40	Argentina	1406₄₄
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity (2009)₄₅
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₅
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
30	USA	65
31	Argentina	66
32	Chile	70
33	Croatia	70
34	Singapore	70
35	Montenegro	71
36	Greece	71
37	Italy	72
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

IQ (2006)₄₆
Pos.		Higher is better₄₆
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
53	Lithuania	91
54	Cambodia	91
55	Albania	90
56	Croatia	90
57	Kyrgyzstan	90
58	Chile	90
59	Costa Rica	89
60	Laos	89
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)₄₇
Pos.		Higher is better₄₇
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
42	Lithuania	77%
43	Latvia	76%
44	Lebanon	76%
45	Croatia	74%
46	Hong Kong	74%
47	Cayman Islands	74%
48	Macau	73%
49	Israel	73%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₄₈
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₄₈
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
74	Iran	0.1
75	Zambia	0.1
76	Panama	0.1
77	Croatia	0.1
78	Costa Rica	0.1
79	Serbia	0.1
80	Liechtenstein	0.0
81	Cyprus	0.0
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

Personal Charitability (World Position, 2013-2016)₄₉
Pos.		Lower is better₄₉
1	Myanmar (Burma)	1.25
2	USA	1.5
3	New Zealand	3.5
	...
127	Slovakia	110.5
128	Ecuador	111
129	Egypt	112.25
130	Croatia	113
131	Chad	113.75
132	Madagascar	114
133	Benin	114.25
134	Niger	115
	World Avg	68.1185897435897
q=156.

Life Satisfaction (2011)₅₀
Pos.		Higher is better₅₀
1	Denmark	7.8
2	Norway	7.6
3	Netherlands	7.6
	...
60	Poland	5.6
61	Ghana	5.6
62	Peru	5.6
63	Croatia	5.6
64	Montenegro	5.5
65	Hong Kong	5.5
66	Kazakhstan	5.5
67	Estonia	5.5
	World Avg	5.4
q=150.

Corruption (2012-2016)₅₁
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score₅₁
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
56	Slovakia	49.0
57	Jordan	48.6
58	Bahrain	48.4
59	Croatia	48.4
60	Saudi Arabia	47.4
61	Cuba	46.8
62	Oman	45.8
63	Ghana	45.8
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Happiness (2018)₅₂
Pos.		Higher is better₅₂
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
	...
79	Greece	5.4
80	Tajikistan	5.4
81	Montenegro	5.3
82	Croatia	5.3
83	Dominican Rep.	5.3
84	Algeria	5.3
85	Morocco	5.3
86	China	5.2
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity and Culture (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
35	New Zealand	35
36	Belize	36
37	Iceland	37
38	Croatia	38
39	Bulgaria	39
40	Marshall Islands	40
41	Malaysia	41
42	Namibia	42
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
7	Belgium	7
8	Norway	8
9	Finland	9
10	Croatia	10
11	Georgia	11
12	Philippines	12
13	Austria	13
14	Germany	14
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

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

Global Peace Index (2012)₅₃
Pos.		Lower is better₅₃
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
32	Romania	1.63
33	Uruguay	1.63
34	Vietnam	1.64
35	Croatia	1.65
36	Costa Rica	1.66
37	Laos	1.66
38	Italy	1.69
39	Bulgaria	1.70
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
143	Belize	143
144	Haiti	144
145	Libya	145
146	Croatia	146
147	UAE	147
148	Central African Rep.	148
149	Bosnia & Herzegovina	149
150	Seychelles	150
	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
	...
55	Zambia	55
56	Lithuania	56
57	Ukraine	57
58	Croatia	58
59	Bangladesh	59
60	Seychelles	60
61	Philippines	61
62	Indonesia	62
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₅₄
Pos.		Lower is better Score₅₄
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
4	Equatorial Guinea	0.00
5	Cambodia	0.00
6	Portugal	0.00
7	Croatia	0.00
8	Benin	0.00
9	Mauritania	0.00
10	Slovenia	0.00
11	Costa Rica	0.00
12	Romania	0.00
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₅₅
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₅
1	Iceland	205.6
2	Bahrain	144.4
3	Uruguay	131.3
	...
60	Lebanon	04.8
61	Gabon	04.5
62	Ukraine	04.1
63	Croatia	03.8
64	Iraq	03.3
65	USA	02.7
66	Georgia	02.6
67	Austria	02.5
	World Avg	02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₅₆
Pos.		Higher is better₅₆
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
38	Turkmenistan	66.1
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
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency (2014)₅₇
Pos.		Higher is better₅₇
1	Hong Kong	26.32
2	Sri Lanka	20.00
3	Panama	17.86
	...
47	Brazil	10.10
48	Algeria	10.00
49	Macedonia	10.00
50	Croatia	10.00
51	France	09.90
52	Lebanon	09.90
53	Hungary	09.80
54	Latvia	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
	...
161	Turkmenistan	1996 Dec 17
162	Laos	1996 Dec 19
163	Haiti	1996 Dec 24
164	Croatia	1997 Jan 05
165	Belgium	1997 Feb 20
166	Dominican Rep.	1997 Feb 23
167	Turkey	1997 May 15
168	Gabon	1997 Jun 12
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

10. Religion and Beliefs

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

Religiosity (2009)₄₅
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₅
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
30	USA	65
31	Argentina	66
32	Chile	70
33	Croatia	70
34	Singapore	70
35	Montenegro	71
36	Greece	71
37	Italy	72
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)₅₈
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₈
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
42	Trinidad & Tobago	9
43	Albania	8
44	Dominican Rep.	7
45	Croatia	7
46	Kyrgyzstan	7
47	Cambodia	7
48	Moldova	6
49	Italy	6
	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 below₅₉:

Christian	93.4%
Muslim	1.4%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	5.1%

By adding up the Pew Forum data for the major monotheistic religions we can see that these make up 94.9% of the population. Yet there are simply too many who disbelieve in God for this to be true (7%). 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 95.2% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 70% 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: Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census)₆₀.

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