Dominica (Commonwealth of Dominica)

Dominica Commonwealth of Dominica
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	120th best
Capital	Roseau
Land Area	750km21
Location	North America, The Americas, The Caribbean
Groupings	Small Islands
Population	71 6252
Life Expectancy	72.81yrs (2017)3
GNI	$11 488 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	DM, DMA, 2125
Internet Domain	.dm6
Currency	Dollar (XCD)7
Telephone	+8

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

---

1. Overview

#france

“Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“With waterfalls, jungle, sulfur springs, secret swimming holes, rivers, reefs and coastline, this untamed and mass-tourism-free `nature island´ promises unusual experiences and adventures. On Dominica, nature has been as creative and prolific as Picasso in his prime. Much of this volcanic island is blanketed by untamed rainforest that embraces you with the loft and grandeur of a Gothic cathedral. Experiences await that will forever etch themselves into your memory: an intense trek to a bubbling lake, soothing your muscles in hot sulfur springs, getting pummeled by a waterfall, snorkeling in a glass of `champagne,´ swimming up a narrow gorge -the list of possible ecoadventures goes on.

In many ways, Dominica is the `anti-Caribbean´ island. It has been spared the mass tourism, in large part because there are very few sandy beaches, no flashy resorts and no direct international flights. The locals are so friendly that they often stop visitors just to wish them a good visit. Just as uniquely, Dominica is also home to about 2200 Caribs, the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Dominica 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
	...
100	Suriname	0.730
101	Uzbekistan	0.727
102	Jordan	0.720
103	Dominica	0.720
104	Libya	0.718
105	Paraguay	0.717
	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
4	Luxembourg	$84 649
5	Ireland	$76 169
	...
100	St Lucia	$12 048
101	St Vincent & Grenadines	$11 961
102	Egypt	$11 732
103	Dominica	$11 488
104	Indonesia	$11 466
105	Algeria	$10 800
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	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
	...
117	Grenada	94.2
118	Egypt	94.3
119	St Lucia	95.6
120	Dominica	95.7
121	Guyana	96.8
122	Algeria	97.2
	The Americas Avg	81.6
	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. Dominica's Demographics and Migration

#health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #population

Population:

Dominica's population is predicted to fall to 69 000 by 2030.

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
	...
184	Seychelles	97 096
185	Antigua & Barbuda	96 286
186	Andorra	77 006
187	Dominica	71 625
188	Marshall Islands	58 413
189	St Kitts & Nevis	52 441
	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
	...
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
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

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

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)14
Pos.		%14
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
4	Liechtenstein	65.1%
5	Monaco	54.9%
	...
58	Malta	10.6%
59	Italy	10.0%
60	Gambia	9.8%
61	Dominica	9.2%
62	Serbia	9.1%
63	Ivory Coast	9.0%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)15
Pos.		%15
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
4	Grenada	65.5%
5	St Kitts & Nevis	61.1%
6	Guyana	56.9%
7	Monaco	56.3%
8	Antigua & Barbuda	47.6%
9	Tonga	45.4%
10	Albania	45.4%
11	Barbados	41.0%
12	Suriname	39.0%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Dominica's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freethought #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #tolerance #women

Compared to The Americas (2020)16,17
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank16,17
1	Canada	21.2
2	Uruguay	26.7
3	Costa Rica	36.7
4	Chile	40.1
5	Argentina	43.8
	...
29	Guyana	102.9
30	Bahamas	105.3
31	Antigua & Barbuda	105.4
32	Dominica	105.6
33	St Lucia	116.3
34	St Kitts & Nevis	123.4
35	Grenada	128.6
	The Americas Avg	74.2
q=35.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)16,17
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank16,17
1	Sweden	9.2
2	Norway	14.7
3	Denmark	14.7
4	Netherlands	15.8
5	New Zealand	17.5
	...
128	Rwanda	104.3
129	Bahamas	105.3
130	Antigua & Barbuda	105.4
131	Dominica	105.6
132	Kuwait	106.7
133	Nigeria	107.1
134	Togo	107.8
	World Avg	87.7
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark₁₆. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are The Solomon Islands, Somalia and Tuvalu₁₆.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, 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 Europe₁₆, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Micronesia and Australasia₁₆.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Human Rights & Tolerance:

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)18
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties18
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
4	Ecuador	23
5	Germany	23
	...
136	Djibouti	13
137	Ethiopia	12
138	Haiti	12
139	Dominica	12
140	Central African Rep.	12
141	Bahrain	12
	The Americas Avg	16.5
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag (2019)19
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Yrs/Treaty19
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
4	Colombia	3.68
5	Costa Rica	4.05
	...
111	Tajikistan	11.08
112	Ethiopia	11.13
113	Slovenia	11.13
114	Dominica	11.14
115	Benin	11.15
116	Chad	11.23
	The Americas Avg	8.45
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Gender Equality:

The 1950s saw a late rush of 43 countries, including Dominica and many developing nations, move to cease preventing women from voting.

See:

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

Year Women Can Vote
Pos.		Lower is better Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
4	Norway	1913
5	Denmark	1915
	...
85	Antigua & Barbuda	1951
86	Grenada	1951
87	Nepal	1951
88	Dominica	1951
89	St Kitts & Nevis	1951
90	St Vincent & Grenadines	1951
	The Americas Avg	1947
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Prejudice:

LGBT Equality (2017)20
Pos.		Higher is better Score20
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
4	Brazil	81
5	Spain	79
	...
123	Bahrain	-2
124	Sierra Leone	-3
125	Grenada	-5
126	Dominica	-5
127	Namibia	-5
128	Kiribati	-5
	The Americas Avg	26.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Freedom of Thought (2021)21
Pos.		Lower is better21
1	Belgium	1.0
2	Netherlands	1.0
3	Taiwan	1.0
4	Sao Tome & Principe	1.3
5	Ecuador	1.3
	...
64	Austria	2.7
65	Kyrgyzstan	2.8
66	Denmark	2.8
67	Dominica	2.8
68	Latvia	2.8
69	Peru	2.8
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Dominica's Health

#alcohol #Dominica #health #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #vaccines

Compared to The Americas (2020)22,23
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank22,23
1	Antigua & Barbuda	75.6
2	Brazil	82.1
3	Cuba	82.4
4	Canada	83.5
5	Barbados	85.1
	...
16	Costa Rica	93.8
17	Peru	96.5
18	St Vincent & Grenadines	96.8
19	Dominica	98.0
20	Panama	98.1
21	Paraguay	98.4
22	Chile	99.1
	The Americas Avg	96.2
q=35.

Health (2020)22,23
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank22,23
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Hong Kong	18.3
3	Maldives	41.0
4	Singapore	42.6
5	Japan	51.0
	...
110	Cape Verde	97.3
111	Seychelles	97.3
112	Andorra	97.8
113	Dominica	98.0
114	Panama	98.1
115	Kazakhstan	98.1
116	Paraguay	98.4
	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 Maldives₂₂. 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 Palau₂₂.

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 Mediterranean₂₂, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa₂₂.

For more, see:

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

Health:

Dominica does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Dominica does better than average for its immunizations take-up₂₄ and in its average life expectancy₁₁. And finally, it does worse than average for its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₂₅ and in its alcohol consumption rate₂₆. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years.

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
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)26
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita26
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
4	Mauritania	0.0
5	Somalia	0.0
	...
121	Macedonia	8.1
122	Burkina Faso	8.2
123	St Vincent & Grenadines	8.2
124	Dominica	8.2
125	Thailand	8.3
126	Ivory Coast	8.4
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)25
Pos.		Lower is better Rank25
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
4	UK	4
5	Norway	5
	...
108	Central African Rep.	108
109	Benin	109
110	Costa Rica	110
111	Dominica	111
112	Romania	112
113	Peru	113
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)27
Pos.		Lower is better %27
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
4	Ethiopia	20.9
5	Nepal	21.0
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	57.4
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)24
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %24
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
4	Niue	98.8
5	Mongolia	98.7
	...
27	Greece	97.3
28	Turkmenistan	97.2
29	St Vincent & Grenadines	97.2
30	Dominica	97.1
31	Kazakhstan	97.1
32	Albania	97.1
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Dominica's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #technology #the_internet

Compared to The Americas (2020)17
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank17
1	Canada	21.6
2	USA	29.3
3	Argentina	43.8
4	Chile	51.6
5	Barbados	54.2
	...
19	Cuba	80.3
20	Cayman Islands	82.0
21	Dominican Rep.	83.4
22	Dominica	83.8
23	Ecuador	83.9
24	Antigua & Barbuda	84.0
25	US Virgin Islands	86.0
	The Americas Avg	81.7
q=41.

Modernity and Learning (2020)17
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank17
1	Finland	8.4
2	Taiwan	10.0
3	Switzerland	15.1
4	Estonia	15.8
5	Denmark	16.0
	...
103	Philippines	81.8
104	Cayman Islands	82.0
105	Dominican Rep.	83.4
106	Dominica	83.8
107	Ecuador	83.9
108	Antigua & Barbuda	84.0
109	Lebanon	85.7
	World Avg	83.2
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Length of Schooling (2021)28
Pos.		Higher is better Years28
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
4	Belgium	19.6
5	Sweden	19.4
	...
97	Sao Tome & Principe	13.4
98	Palestine	13.4
99	Malaysia	13.3
100	Dominica	13.3
101	Andorra	13.3
102	Bhutan	13.2
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)25
Pos.		Lower is better Rank25
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
4	Denmark	4
5	UK	5
	...
48	Montenegro	48
49	Norway	49
50	Fiji	50
51	Dominica	51
52	Malaysia	52
53	Russia	53
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)29
Pos.		Higher is better29
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
4	Bermuda	97%
5	Andorra	97%
	...
63	Portugal	67%
64	Brazil	66%
65	St Kitts & Nevis	66%
66	Dominica	66%
67	Italy	66%
68	Uruguay	65%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)30
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio30
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
4	USA	35.0
5	Greece	33.5
	...
165	Gabon	0.0
166	Lebanon	0.0
167	St Lucia	0.0
168	Dominica	0.0
169	Cuba	0.0
170	St Vincent & Grenadines	0.0
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#corruption #politics

Dominica has an adequate long-term record on corruption.

Corruption (2022)31
Pos.		Higher is better Points31
1	Denmark	90.0
2	Finland	87.0
3	New Zealand	87.0
4	Norway	84.0
5	Singapore	83.0
	...
42	Georgia	56.0
43	Italy	56.0
44	Slovenia	56.0
45	Dominica	55.0
46	Poland	55.0
47	St Lucia	55.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Creativity and Culture (2017)25
Pos.		Lower is better Rank25
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
4	Switzerland	4
5	Sweden	5
	...
70	Tonga	70
71	Trinidad & Tobago	71
72	Botswana	72
73	Dominica	73
74	Antigua & Barbuda	74
75	Turkey	75
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)25
Pos.		Lower is better Rank25
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
4	Netherlands	4
5	Switzerland	5
	...
101	Seychelles	101
102	Australia	102
103	Madagascar	103
104	Dominica	104
105	Iceland	105
106	Bolivia	106
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)25
Pos.		Lower is better Rank25
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
4	Egypt	4
5	Nigeria	5
	...
134	El Salvador	134
135	Macedonia	135
136	Armenia	136
137	Dominica	137
138	Cape Verde	138
139	St Lucia	139
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)25
Pos.		Lower is better Rank25
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
4	Sweden	4
5	Malta	5
	...
113	Belize	113
114	Morocco	114
115	Iraq	115
116	Dominica	116
117	Saudi Arabia	117
118	Lesotho	118
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

9. The Natural Environment

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

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)32
Pos.		Higher is better %32
1	Iceland	+205.6
2	Bahrain	+144.4
3	Uruguay	+131.3
4	Kuwait	+81.2
5	Dominican Rep.	+79.5
	...
144	Guinea	-12.4
145	Mozambique	-12.5
146	Bolivia	-12.8
147	Dominica	-13.3
148	Liberia	-15.2
149	Belize	-15.5
	The Americas Avg	-00.2
	World Avg	+02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)33
Pos.		Higher is better33
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
4	Malta	80.9
5	Sweden	80.5
	...
70	Sri Lanka	60.6
71	Equatorial Guinea	60.4
72	Mexico	59.7
73	Dominica	59.4
74	Argentina	59.3
75	Malaysia	59.2
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

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
	...
52	Namibia	1997 Aug 14
53	Sri Lanka	1994 Jun 21
54	Ethiopia	1994 Jul 04
55	Dominica	1994 Jul 05
56	Italy	1994 Jul 14
57	Bangladesh	1994 Aug 01
	The Americas Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

10. 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 below₃₄:

Christian	94.4%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	3%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	0.5%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 61.4%, Protestant 20.6% (Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Pentecostal 5.6%, Baptist 4.1%, Methodist 3.7%, Church of God 1.2%), Jehovah's Witnesses 1.2%, other Christian 7.7%, Rastafarian 1.3%, other or unspecified 1.6%, none 6.1% (2001 census)₃₅.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems