Cyprus (Republic of Cyprus)

Cyprus Republic of Cyprus
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	29th best
Capital	Nicosia
Land Area	9 240km21
Location	Asia, Europe, The Mediterranean, The Middle East
Groupings	Small Islands
Population	1.2m2
Life Expectancy	81.20yrs (2017)3
GNI	$38 188 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	CY, CYP, 1965
Internet Domain	.cy6
Currency	Euro (EUR)7
Telephone	+3578

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

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1. Overview

#cyprus #eu #greece #human_rights #turkey #UK

“A former British colony, Cyprus became independent in 1960 following years of resistance to British rule. Tensions between the Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head in December 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia. Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic intercommunal violence continued forcing most Turkish Cypriots into enclaves throughout the island. In 1974, a Greek Government-sponsored attempt to seize control of Cyprus was met by military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled more than a third of the island. In 1983, the Turkish Cypriot-occupied area declared itself the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" ("TRNC"), but it is recognized only by Turkey. The election of a new Cypriot president in 2008 served as the impetus for the UN to encourage both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to reopen unification negotiations. In September 2008, the leaders of the two communities began discussions under UN auspices aimed at reuniting the divided island. The talks are ongoing. The entire island entered the EU on 1 May 2004, although the EU acquis - the body of common rights and obligations - applies only to the areas under the internationally recognized government, and is suspended in the areas administered by Turkish Cypriots. However, individual Turkish Cypriots able to document their eligibility for Republic of Cyprus citizenship legally enjoy the same rights accorded to other citizens of European Union states.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“This island country possesses a fractured identity, a passionate people, and a culture, landscape and lifestyle that capture the imagination and produce plenty of surprises. ... Cyprus reflects its proximity to Asia and the Middle East in its culture, cuisine and history. Similarly evocative is the contrast between old and new, particularly evident in the capital, Nicosia (Lefkosia), where dilapidated buildings sit round the corner from smart boutiques and arty bars.

And yet with a stunning landscape and overall mild climate outside is where it´s at. From the varied beaches to the pine-clad interior, you can swim, dive, hike, bike, wine and dine, and, in winter, even ski.

Digging into the island´s past has unearthed extraordinary relics, including Neolithic dwellings, Bronze Age and Phoenician tombs and exquisite Roman mosaics. And while on the streets, keep your eyes peeled for Venetian walls, Byzantine castles and churches, Roman monasteries and Islamic mosques.

Experiencing the intrinsically different Greek and Turkish societies of the island´s present is increasingly easy for visitors - and will give a fuller picture of the complex and fractured Cypriot identity.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

The EU has acted on behalf of its member states on many occasions to support, foster, fund and encourage human rights protections in every region of the world, with agreement of its member states through the European Parliament. The protections of workers' rights and their harmonisations (which stops companies moving staff to countries with the weakest laws) has had great effect in stopping workforce abuse₁₁. According to Human Rights Watch's comprehensive review for the year 2017, in addition to vocal and public pronouncements on poor human rights records of many countries, the EU has also acted through economic sanctions, political pressure and used other means to incentivize the adoption of human rights protections, even if these measures harm EU trading₁₂. It is to Cyprus's credit that it supports the EU in these actions.

2. Cyprus National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)13
Pos.		Higher is better Value13
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
26	UAE	0.911
27	Spain	0.905
28	France	0.903
29	Cyprus	0.896
30	Italy	0.895
31	Estonia	0.890
32	Czechia	0.889
33	Greece	0.887
	The Mediterranean Avg	0.81
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)13
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $13
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
35	Malta	$38 884
36	Czechia	$38 745
37	Spain	$38 354
38	Cyprus	$38 188
39	Estonia	$38 048
40	Lithuania	$37 931
41	Portugal	$33 155
42	Poland	$33 034
	The Mediterranean Avg	$23 885
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index14
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank14
1	Denmark	27.0
2	Norway	29.9
3	Sweden	31.8
	...
26	Estonia	52.4
27	Czechia	52.6
28	S. Korea	53.8
29	Cyprus	53.9
30	Costa Rica	54.7
31	Hungary	54.7
32	Malta	55.8
33	Poland	56.3
	The Mediterranean Avg	71.0
	World Avg	88.6
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. Cyprus's Demographics and Migration

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

Population:

Cyprus's population is predicted to rise to 1.301 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 1.31. 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 8.86.₁₅

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
153	Equatorial Guinea	1.3m
154	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	1.3m
155	Mauritius	1.3m
156	Cyprus	1.2m
157	Swaziland	1.1m
158	Djibouti	1.0m
159	Fiji	0.9m
160	Comoros	0.8m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better13
Pos.		2021 Years13
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
23	Netherlands	81.7
24	Austria	81.6
25	Denmark	81.4
26	Cyprus	81.2
27	Portugal	81.0
28	San Marino	80.9
29	UK	80.7
30	Slovenia	80.7
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best16
Pos.		202216
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
118=	Mauritius	1.32
118=	Finland	1.32
120	Thailand	1.32
121	Cyprus	1.31
122	Luxembourg	1.31
123=	Curaço	1.30
123=	Bermuda	1.30
125	Syria	2.70
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better17
Pos.		2016 Per 10017
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
130	China	25.3
131	Mauritius	25.9
132	Uruguay	26.8
133	Cyprus	26.9
134	Chile	27.0
135	Macedonia	27.7
136	Luxembourg	28.3
137	Armenia	28.7
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

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

Migration:

Immigrants18
Pos.		2017 %18
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
26	Sweden	17.6%
27	Equatorial Guinea	17.5%
28	Ireland	16.9%
29	Cyprus	16.0%
30	Belize	16.0%
31	San Marino	15.7%
32	Bahamas	15.6%
33	Maldives	15.4%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants19
Pos.		2010 %19
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
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%
39	Belize	16.1%
40	Azerbaijan	16.0%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Cyprus's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #freethought #gender #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #mass_media #misogyny #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #slavery #tolerance #women

Compared to The Mediterranean (2025)20
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank20
1	Spain	24.5
2	France	25.8
3	Slovenia	27.8
4	Italy	30.8
5	Malta	39.7
6	Cyprus	40.5
7	Greece	52.4
8	Croatia	54.9
9	Montenegro	65.3
10	Israel	65.7
11	Monaco	71.7
12	Albania	73.6
13	Bosnia & Herzegovina	76.0
	The Mediterranean Avg	76.94
q=22.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)20
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank20
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
25	Estonia	36.9
26	USA	38.6
27	Malta	39.7
28	Cyprus	40.5
29	Czechia	43.1
30	Taiwan	43.7
31	Lithuania	44.7
32	Chile	47.9
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway₂₁. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, N. Korea and Afghanistan₂₁.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₂₁, whereas the worst are Africa, The Middle East and Asia₂₁.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Human Rights & Tolerance:

Press Freedom Higher is better22
Pos.		202522
1	Norway	92.31
2	Estonia	89.46
3	Netherlands	88.64
	...
73	Senegal	59.43
74	Comoros	59.27
75	Malawi	59.20
76	Cyprus	59.04
77	Papua New Guinea	58.35
78	Qatar	58.25
79	Albania	58.18
80	Botswana	57.64
	The Mediterranean Avg	52.03
	World Avg	54.65
q=179.

Slavery Lower is better23
Pos.		2018 % Victims23
1	Japan	0.03
2=	Canada	0.05
2=	Taiwan	0.05
	...
81	Kosovo	0.40
82	Cape Verde	0.41
83=	Kyrgyzstan	0.41
84	Cyprus	0.42
85=	Kazakhstan	0.42
85=	Lesotho	0.42
87	Georgia	0.43
88=	Romania	0.43
	The Mediterranean Avg	0.44
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better24
Pos.		2014 Rank24
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
30	Romania	30
31	France	31
32	Japan	32
33	Cyprus	33
34	Mauritius	34
35	S. Korea	35
36	Spain	36
37	Hungary	37
	The Mediterranean Avg	76.1
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
4=	Costa Rica	1.0
4=	St Vincent & Grenadines	1.0
4=	St Lucia	1.0
4=	Cyprus	1.0
4=	Denmark	1.0
4=	Dominica	1.0
4=	Portugal	1.0
4=	Slovenia	1.0
	The Mediterranean Avg	3.5
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

Human Rights Watch Comments Higher is better25
Pos.		2017 Score25
1=	UK	9
1=	France	9
1=	Germany	9
	...
9	Luxembourg	6
10=	Belgium	6
11	Greece	5
12=	Cyprus	5
12=	Czechia	5
12=	Denmark	5
12=	Romania	5
12=	Estonia	5
	The Mediterranean Avg	-0.8
	World Avg	-1.9
q=123.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better26
Pos.		2009 Treaties26
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
30	Czechia	20
31=	Georgia	20
31=	Albania	20
31=	Cyprus	20
31=	Namibia	20
31=	Ukraine	20
31=	Macedonia	20
31=	Slovakia	20
	The Mediterranean Avg	18.3
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better27
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty27
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
27	Austria	5.68
28	Belarus	5.71
29	Canada	5.73
30	Cyprus	5.81
31	Argentina	5.90
32	Hungary	5.91
33	Mongolia	6.26
34	Poland	6.34
	The Mediterranean Avg	8.79
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Gender Equality:

Cyprus is on the way towards ending gender inequality but women are still in an unfavourable position much of the time.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

Gender Inequality Lower is better28
Pos.		202228
1	Denmark	0.01
2	Norway	0.01
3	Switzerland	0.02
	...
59	Tunisia	0.24
60	Uruguay	0.24
61	Uzbekistan	0.24
62	Cyprus	0.25
63	Oman	0.27
64	Trinidad & Tobago	0.27
65	Libya	0.27
66	Turkey	0.27
	The Mediterranean Avg	0.21
	World Avg	0.34
q=166.

Gender Biases Lower is better29
Pos.		2022 %29
1	Sweden	31.830
2	New Zealand	34.431
3	Australia	37.031
	...
26	Chile	79.931
27	Hong Kong	80.831
28	Poland	81.430
29	Cyprus	81.831
30	Ukraine	86.131
31	Brazil	86.331
32	Romania	86.631
33	Trinidad & Tobago	87.430
	The Mediterranean Avg	82.62
	World Avg	83.93
q=88.

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
123=	Tunisia	1959
123=	Tanzania	1959
125	Tonga	1960
126=	Cyprus	1960
126=	Gambia	1960
128	El Salvador	1961
129=	Rwanda	1961
129=	Mauritania	1961
	The Mediterranean Avg	1950
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Prejudice:

LGBT Equality Higher is better32
Pos.		2017 Score32
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
39=	Albania	40
39=	Switzerland	40
39=	Serbia	40
39=	Cyprus	40
39=	Italy	40
44	Greece	39
45=	Czechia	39
45=	Slovakia	39
	The Mediterranean Avg	17.0
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better33
Pos.		202133
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
95	Switzerland	3.0
96=	El Salvador	3.0
96=	Serbia	3.0
96=	Cyprus	3.0
96=	Ivory Coast	3.0
96=	Spain	3.0
96=	Grenada	3.0
96=	Guatemala	3.0
	The Mediterranean Avg	3.3
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Cyprus's Health

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

Compared to The Mediterranean (2025)34
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank34
1	Monaco	14.3
2=	France	44.1
3	Italy	56.2
4	Slovenia	59.4
5	Malta	59.9
6	Spain	60.4
7	Greece	60.5
8=	Croatia	63.0
9	Cyprus	63.1
10	Montenegro	63.8
11	Tunisia	69.2
12	Israel	70.2
13	Albania	71.4
	The Mediterranean Avg	86.85
q=22.

Health (2025)34
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank34
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
45	Germany	61.9
46=	Croatia	63.0
46=	Czechia	63.0
48	Cyprus	63.1
49=	Portugal	63.2
49=	Antigua & Barbuda	63.2
51	Montenegro	63.8
52	St Martin	66.7
	World Avg	96.74
q=212.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man₃₅. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Angola and Nigeria₃₅.

21 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, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Balkans₃₅, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Melanesia₃₅.

For more, see:

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

Health:

Cyprus does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Cyprus does better than average for its average life expectancy₁₃, its adolescent birth rate₃₆, its suicide rate₃₇, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₈ and in its immunizations take-up₃₉. Cyprus doesn't do so well in other areas. Cyprus does worse than average in its fertility rate₁₆, its smoking rate₄₀ and in its alcohol consumption rate₄₁ (amongst the highest in The Mediterranean). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016. Life expectancy in Cyprus improved by +7.9yrs in the 30 years from 1990, which is the global average. Cyprus's peak fertility rate was 3.62 in 1961.

Life Expectancy Higher is better13
Pos.		2021 Years13
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
23	Netherlands	81.7
24	Austria	81.6
25	Denmark	81.4
26	Cyprus	81.2
27	Portugal	81.0
28	San Marino	80.9
29	UK	80.7
30	Slovenia	80.7
	The Mediterranean Avg	77.77
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better41
Pos.		2016 Per Capita41
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
158=	New Zealand	10.7
158=	Finland	10.7
160	Uruguay	10.8
161=	Cyprus	10.8
162	Serbia	11.1
163	Belarus	11.2
164=	Andorra	11.3
164=	Equatorial Guinea	11.3
	The Mediterranean Avg	5.7
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best16
Pos.		202216
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
118=	Mauritius	1.32
118=	Finland	1.32
120	Thailand	1.32
121	Cyprus	1.31
122	Luxembourg	1.31
123=	Curaço	1.30
123=	Bermuda	1.30
125	Syria	2.70
	The Mediterranean Avg	1.89
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking Rates Lower is better40
Pos.		201440
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
157	Tunisia	1 628
158	Switzerland	1 634
159	Serbia	1 644
160	Cyprus	1 688
161	Croatia	1 709
162	Japan	1 713
163	Hungary	1 759
164	Estonia	1 775
	The Mediterranean Avg	1 644
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate37
Pos.		2013 Per 100k37
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
26=	Israel	8.5
27	Georgia	8.8
28	Seychelles	8.9
29	Cyprus	9.1
30	Uzbekistan	9.3
31	Brazil	9.7
32	Colombia	9.9
33	Panama	10.9
	The Mediterranean Avg	16.48
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better38
Pos.		2017 Rank38
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
56	S. Africa	56
57	Slovenia	57
58	Morocco	58
59	Cyprus	59
60	Guinea	60
61	Sierra Leone	61
62	Honduras	62
63	Lebanon	63
	The Mediterranean Avg	76.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better42
Pos.		2016 %42
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
129	Panama	58.8
130	Suriname	58.9
131	Colombia	59.0
132=	Cyprus	59.1
132=	Iceland	59.1
134	Montenegro	59.4
135=	Belarus	59.4
136	France	59.5
	The Mediterranean Avg	61.4
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better36
Pos.		2022 Per 100036
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
25	Canada	6.6
26	Tunisia	6.6
27	Maldives	6.8
28	Cyprus	6.8
29	Qatar	6.9
30	Monaco	6.9
31	Libya	7.0
32	Portugal	7.1
	The Mediterranean Avg	14.4
	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
	...
61	Malta	95.5
62	Botswana	95.4
63	Gambia	95.4
64	Cyprus	95.3
65	Switzerland	95.3
66	Israel	95.2
67=	Grenada	95.2
67=	Slovenia	95.2
	The Mediterranean Avg	92.6
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Cyprus's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #cyprus #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Mediterranean (2025)43
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank43
1	Morocco	46.5
2	Spain	59.5
3	Tunisia	60.1
4	Greece	61.4
5	Italy	63.1
6	Cyprus	64.8
7	France	72.8
8	Turkey	75.0
9	Syria	77.4
10	Egypt	78.0
11	Algeria	79.7
12	Slovenia	82.1
13	Croatia	88.5
	The Mediterranean Avg	80.97
q=22.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)43
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank43
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
41	Gambia	63.3
42	Senegal	63.4
43	Hong Kong	64.6
44	Cyprus	64.8
45	Dominican Rep.	65.0
46	Ecuador	65.6
47	Hungary	65.8
48	Guatemala	66.1
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

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).

With regard to its responsibility towards the environment, Cyprus is positioned 44th in the world. This rank is calculated from 6 data sets. Cyprus comes in the best 20 in the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₄ (amongst the highest in The Mediterranean). It does better than average in its environmental performance₄₅, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment (amongst the best in The Mediterranean), energy to GDP efficiency₄₆ and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₇ (but bad for The Mediterranean). Cyprus does not succeed in everything, however. Cyprus does worse than average in reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₈.

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better47
Pos.		Total47
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
78	French Polynesia	0.6%
79	Germany	0.6%
80	Norway	0.6%
81	Cyprus	0.5%
82	New Zealand	0.4%
83	Slovenia	0.4%
84	Wallis & Futuna	0.3%
85	Japan	0.2%
	The Mediterranean Avg	7.5%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better45
Pos.		201845
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
21	Australia	74.1
22	Greece	73.6
23	Taiwan	72.8
24	Cyprus	72.6
25	Canada	72.2
26	Portugal	71.9
27	USA	71.2
28	Slovakia	70.6
	The Mediterranean Avg	65.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better46
Pos.		2022 Avg46
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
59	Sao Tome & Principe	0.88
60	Germany	0.91
61	Palestine	0.91
62	Cyprus	0.92
63	Tunisia	0.93
64	Israel	0.94
65	Djibouti	0.94
66	France	0.95
	The Mediterranean Avg	1.23
	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%
	...
24	Brazil	71%
25	Chile	71%
26	S. Africa	71%
27	Cyprus	71%
28	Japan	70%
29	UK	70%
30	Tunisia	70%
31	Austria	70%
	The Mediterranean Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Cyprus enacted the Basel Convention on waste and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) both during their first year, and one of the early adopters of the Kyoto Protocol in 1999.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better44
Pos.		2011 %44
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
4	Trinidad & Tobago	74.5%
5	Costa Rica	74.2%
6	Cyprus	71.0%
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%
	The Mediterranean Avg	40.1%
	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
	...
133	Italy	74.3
134	Norway	74.7
135	Mexico	75.4
136	Cyprus	75.8
137	Austria	76.4
138	Germany	76.6
139	Greece	76.8
140	Serbia	77.6
	The Mediterranean Avg	59.1
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

In the 2010s, meat consumption per person in Cyprus was well above the global average (of 49kgs per year), putting unnecessary strain on water supplies and the environment, although the rate during that decade was reducing.₄₈

7. Cyprus's Modernity and Learning

#capitalism #charity #corruption #cyprus #economics #education #english #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #life_expectancy #maths #modernity #morals #peace #politics #religious_violence #research #science #social_development #technology #terrorism #the_internet

Compared to The Mediterranean (2020)49
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank49
1	Slovenia	22.5
2	France	26.8
3	Israel	29.5
4	Spain	30.0
5	Italy	34.0
6	Greece	36.3
7	Malta	45.9
8	Croatia	47.8
9	Cyprus	55.6
10	Turkey	55.9
11	Montenegro	64.9
12	Bosnia & Herzegovina	65.6
13	Tunisia	70.8
	The Mediterranean Avg	63.02
q=21.

Modernity & Learning (2020)49
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank49
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
48	Romania	51.0
49	Belarus	51.5
50	Brazil	52.8
51	Cyprus	55.6
52	Turkey	55.9
53	S. Africa	56.9
54	Serbia	57.1
55	Uruguay	57.6
	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 Denmark₅₀. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₅₀. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₅₁.

“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)₅₂

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 Europe₅₀, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₅₀.

For more, see:

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

Modernity and Education:

In the 1990s, Cyprus was one of only ten countries to increase its expected duration of education by over 3 years. ₅₃

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.2954
2	Israel	4.1154
3	Japan	3.5854
	...
58=	Senegal	0.5455
59	UAE	0.4956
60=	Uganda	0.4855
60=	Cyprus	0.4857
62	Costa Rica	0.4756
63=	Qatar	0.4758
63=	Cuba	0.4757
65	Macedonia	0.4457
	The Mediterranean Avg	1.08
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education Higher is better59
Pos.		201859
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
56	Sri Lanka	82.8%
57	Bosnia & Herzegovina	81.2%
58	Malaysia	80.8%
59	Cyprus	80.3%
60	Singapore	79.6%
61	Italy	79.6%
62	Hong Kong	79.4%
63	Chile	79.3%
	The Mediterranean Avg	69.8%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better60
Pos.		2021 Years60
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
45	Kazakhstan	15.8
46	UAE	15.7
47	Barbados	15.7
48	Cyprus	15.6
49	Brazil	15.6
50	Georgia	15.6
51	St Kitts & Nevis	15.4
52	Tunisia	15.4
	The Mediterranean Avg	15.1
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better38
Pos.		2017 Rank38
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
28	Serbia	28
29	Canada	29
30	Romania	30
31	Cyprus	31
32	Ireland	32
33	Croatia	33
34	Israel	34
35	Barbados	35
	The Mediterranean Avg	58.7
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading Higher is better61
Pos.		2015 Score61
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
	...
44	Chile	1329
45	Bulgaria	1319
46=	Romania	1313
46=	Cyprus	1313
48	UAE	1298
49	Uruguay	1290
50	Turkey	1273
51	Trinidad & Tobago	1269
	The Mediterranean Avg	1331
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users Higher is better62
Pos.		201662
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
51	Poland	72%
52	Brunei	72%
53	Slovenia	72%
54	Cyprus	72%
55	Russia	71%
56	Oman	71%
57	New Caledonia	70%
58=	Macedonia	69%
	The Mediterranean Avg	61.6%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better63
Pos.		2017 Ratio63
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
78=	Costa Rica	0.1
78=	Serbia	0.1
80	Liechtenstein	0.0
81=	Cyprus	0.0
82	Philippines	0.0
83=	Macedonia	0.0
83=	Pakistan	0.0
83=	Paraguay	0.0
	The Mediterranean Avg	2.98
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Digital Quality of Life Higher is better64
Pos.		202464
1	Germany	77.9%
2	Finland	76.9%
3	France	73.9%
	...
28	Latvia	63.2%
29	Portugal	62.8%
30	Slovenia	62.3%
31	Cyprus	61.6%
32	New Zealand	61.1%
33	Croatia	61.1%
34	Malta	61.0%
35	Slovakia	60.7%
	The Mediterranean Avg	54.2%
	World Avg	48.4%
q=121.

8. Cyprus's Culture, Peace and Inequality

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

Compared to The Mediterranean (2020)65
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank65
1	Slovenia	32.6
2	Malta	36.8
3	France	41.3
4	Spain	45.0
5	Cyprus	47.4
6	Italy	48.6
7	Croatia	52.9
8	Albania	66.0
9	Israel	68.6
10	Bosnia & Herzegovina	68.9
11	Greece	70.9
12	Montenegro	73.2
13	Tunisia	74.9
	The Mediterranean Avg	72.22
q=21.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020)65
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank65
1	Denmark	11.2
2	Norway	13.9
3	Netherlands	14.4
	...
30	Japan	45.5
31	Barbados	46.9
32	Costa Rica	47.3
33	Cyprus	47.4
34	Portugal	48.2
35	Mauritius	48.3
36	Italy	48.6
37	Slovakia	48.8
	World Avg	78.12
q=180.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 22 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, 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:

World Giving Index Higher is better66
Pos.		2022 %66
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
64=	Turkey	40.0
64=	Hungary	40.0
64=	India	40.0
64=	Cyprus	40.0
68	Malawi	39.0
69=	Slovenia	39.0
69=	Burkina Faso	39.0
69=	Tajikistan	39.0
	The Mediterranean Avg	33.9
	World Avg	39.6
q=125.

Corruption Higher is better67
Pos.		2022 Points67
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
49	Fiji	53.0
50=	Slovakia	53.0
51	Grenada	52.0
52=	Cyprus	52.0
52=	Greece	52.0
54	Rwanda	51.0
55=	Malta	51.0
55=	Saudi Arabia	51.0
	The Mediterranean Avg	42.90
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Thoughout the 2010s, Cyprus's score on the Corruption Perception Index declined drastically; it was amongst the 10 countries with the worse rise in perceived corruption that decade.

Happiness Higher is better68
Pos.		2024 Score68
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
64	Malaysia	6.0
65	Peru	5.9
66	Russia	5.9
67	Cyprus	5.9
68	China	5.9
69	Hungary	5.9
70	Trinidad & Tobago	5.9
71	Montenegro	5.9
	The Mediterranean Avg	5.62
	World Avg	5.58
q=147.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better38
Pos.		2017 Rank38
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
41	Malaysia	41
42	Namibia	42
43	St Vincent & Grenadines	43
44	Cyprus	44
45	Japan	45
46	Moldova	46
47	Greece	47
48	Australia	48
	The Mediterranean Avg	70.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better38
Pos.		2017 Rank38
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
35	UK	35
36	Italy	36
37	Estonia	37
38	Cyprus	38
39	Bulgaria	39
40	Turkey	40
41	Marshall Islands	41
42	Malta	42
	The Mediterranean Avg	62.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability:

Global Peace Index Lower is better69
Pos.		2023 Score69
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
61	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.89
62	Jordan	1.90
63	Zambia	1.90
64	Cyprus	1.90
65	Serbia	1.92
66	Armenia	1.93
67	France	1.94
68	Panama	1.94
	The Mediterranean Avg	2.11
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better38
Pos.		2017 Rank38
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
70	Zimbabwe	70
71	Spain	71
72	USA	72
73	Cyprus	73
74	Jamaica	74
75	Guyana	75
76	Fiji	76
77	Iceland	77
	The Mediterranean Avg	91.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better38
Pos.		2017 Rank38
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
14	Italy	14
15	Spain	15
16	France	16
17	Cyprus	17
18	Slovenia	18
19	New Zealand	19
20	Luxembourg	20
21	Ireland	21
	The Mediterranean Avg	59.9
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better70
Pos.		2019 Score70
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
38	Djibouti	0.32
39	Bulgaria	0.37
40=	Albania	0.42
40=	Cyprus	0.42
42	Lithuania	0.46
43=	Sierra Leone	0.46
44	Jamaica	0.47
45	Poland	0.48
	The Mediterranean Avg	3.48
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

Economic Inequality and Poverty:

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better71
Pos.		201971
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
20	Belgium	3.60
21=	Estonia	3.60
21=	Montenegro	3.60
21=	Cyprus	3.60
21=	Denmark	3.60
25	Australia	3.70
26=	Austria	3.70
27	France	3.80
	The Mediterranean Avg	6.98
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better72
Pos.		2023 %72
1	Slovakia	24.1%73
2	Slovenia	24.3%73
3	Belarus	24.4%74
	...
37=	Myanmar (Burma)	30.7%75
37=	Austria	30.7%73
39	Uzbekistan	31.2%76
40	Cyprus	31.3%73
41=	Mongolia	31.4%76
41=	Malta	31.4%74
43	France	31.5%73
44	Taiwan	31.6%73
	The Mediterranean Avg	32.6%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

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 below₇₇:

Christian	73.2%
Muslim	25.3%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.2%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	1.2%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, other (includes Maronite and Armenian Apostolic) 4%₇₈.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems