Equatorial Guinea Republic of Equatorial Guinea
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	190th best
Capital	Malabo
Land Area	28 050km²₁
Location	Africa
Population	1.3m₂
Life Expectancy	57.91yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$21 517 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	GQ, GNQ, 226₅
Internet Domain	.gq₆
Currency	Franc (XAF)₇
Telephone	+240₈

1. Overview

#spain

“Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996, 2002, and 2009 presidential elections - as well as the 1999, 2004, and 2008 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production, resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, improvements in the population's living standards have been slow to develop.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“A country of two distinct halves, Equatorial Guinea is a nation divided not only by the sea but also by oil wealth and its attendant issues. Equatorial Guinea´s large reserves of black gold were discovered beneath the ocean´s floor off the coast of Bioko Island in the mid-1990s, and the subsequent industrial development forever changed the island´s landscape, economy and culture. The country´s mainland (Rio Muni), however, is much the same as it has been for centuries.With oil wealth came problems: failed coups, danger money, bushmeat and buckets of oil - you could say Equatorial Guinea has something of a reputation. However, this is also the land of primates with painted faces, soft clouds of butterflies and insects so colourful they belong in the realm of fiction. On the mainland, white beaches, forest paths and junglescapes await. And if the excited beats of Equatorial-Guinea hip hop don´t get you dancing, the architecture will - Gothic cathedrals, ancient wooden churches and butter-coloured homes.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Equatorial Guinea 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
	...
133	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	133
134	Vanuatu	134
135	Congo, (Brazzaville)	135
136	Equatorial Guinea	135
137	Kiribati	137
138	Laos	138
139	Zambia	139
140	Bangladesh	139
	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
	...
53	Kazakhstan	$22 093
54	Chile	$21 665
55	Bahamas	$21 565
56	Equatorial Guinea	$21 517
57	Argentina	$20 945
58	Antigua & Barbuda	$20 907
59	Croatia	$20 291
60	Panama	$19 470
	World Avg	$17 240
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₃_,₁₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₃_,₁₄
1	Taiwan	30.2
2	Denmark	30.5
3	Norway	30.9
	...
187	Palau	125.9
188	Chad	127.0
189	Afghanistan	128.1
190	Equatorial Guinea	128.1
191	Central African Rep.	128.3
192	Angola	128.9
193	S. Sudan	133.4
194	Tuvalu	134.0
	World Avg	86.4
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. Equatorial Guinea's Demographics

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

Population:

Equatorial Guinea's population is predicted to fall to 1 102 000 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 5.02. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Population (2018)₂
Pos.		Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
150	Bahrain	1.6m
151	Trinidad & Tobago	1.4m
152	Estonia	1.3m
153	Equatorial Guinea	1.3m
154	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	1.3m
155	Mauritius	1.3m
156	Cyprus	1.2m
157	Swaziland	1.1m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
172	Congo, DR	59.06
173	Burkina Faso	59.01
174	Mali	58.47
175	Equatorial Guinea	57.91
176	S. Africa	57.66
177	Burundi	57.12
178	S. Sudan	56.13
179	Cameroon	55.96
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₅
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₅
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
159	Sierra Leone	4.78
160	Guinea-Bissau	4.92
161	Yemen	4.98
162	Equatorial Guinea	5.02
163	Guinea	5.08
164	Liberia	5.08
165	Benin	5.12
166	Angola	5.19
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₆
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₆
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
60	Syria	09.0
61	Djibouti	09.1
62	Tajikistan	09.1
63	Equatorial Guinea	09.4
64	Kiribati	09.5
65	Guatemala	09.5
66	Saudi Arabia	09.5
67	Haiti	09.6
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₇
Pos.		%₁₇
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
24	Kazakhstan	20.0%
25	Austria	19.0%
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%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
40	Azerbaijan	16.0%
41	Bulgaria	16.0%
42	Lebanon	15.6%
43	Equatorial Guinea	14.9%
44	Seychelles	14.6%
45	New Zealand	14.5%
46	Ukraine	14.4%
47	Israel	14.0%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #Equatorial_Guinea #freedom #human_rights #politics #tolerance

Equatorial Guinea is amongst the worst places in the world at ensuring human rights and freedom, and it has severe cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Equatorial Guinea does worse than average when it comes to commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₁₉, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₀ and in speed of uptake of HR treaties₂₁. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 when it comes to supporting press freedom₂₂. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has gripped power since 1979, ruling over a government rife with corruption and a people whose human rights are thoroughly desecrated₂₃.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Equatorial Guinea

5. Equatorial Guinea's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #Equatorial_Guinea #health #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #vaccines

Health (2020)₂₄_,₂₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₄_,₂₅
1	Hong Kong	18.0
2	Singapore	41.5
3	Maldives	43.3
	...
179	Papua New Guinea	122.0
180	Congo, (Brazzaville)	123.1
181	Gabon	131.4
182	Iraq	132.0
183	Ivory Coast	132.4
184	Angola	135.0
185	Equatorial Guinea	136.4
186	Nigeria	140.8
187	S. Sudan	143.3
	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 Maldives₂₄. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea₂₄.

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 Europe₂₄, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Polynesia₂₄.

Health:

Equatorial Guinea is amongst the unhealthiest places in the world, causing serious issues for most of its citizens. Equatorial Guinea does worse than average in terms of its smoking rate₂₆, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₂₇ (still low for Africa) and in its alcohol consumption rate₂₈ (amongst the highest in Africa). It falls into the worst-performing 20 in its fertility rate₁₅, its adolescent birth rate₂₉ and in its average life expectancy₁₂. And finally, it is the worst in its immunizations take-up₃₀. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
172	Congo, DR	59.06
173	Burkina Faso	59.01
174	Mali	58.47
175	Equatorial Guinea	57.91
176	S. Africa	57.66
177	Burundi	57.12
178	S. Sudan	56.13
179	Cameroon	55.96
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₂₈
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₂₈
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
162	Serbia	11.1
163	Belarus	11.2
164	Andorra	11.3
165	Equatorial Guinea	11.3
166	Hungary	11.4
167	UK	11.5
168	Gabon	11.5
169	Slovakia	11.5
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₅
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₅
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
159	Sierra Leone	4.78
160	Guinea-Bissau	4.92
161	Yemen	4.98
162	Equatorial Guinea	5.02
163	Guinea	5.08
164	Liberia	5.08
165	Benin	5.12
166	Angola	5.19
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₂₆
Pos.		Higher is worse₂₆
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
	...
103	Morocco	671
102	Bangladesh	665
101	Singapore	652
100	Equatorial Guinea	649
99	Cambodia	645
98	Fiji	618
97	N. Korea	610
96	Jamaica	593
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₂₇
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₇
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
99	Vietnam	99
100	Lesotho	100
101	Tanzania	101
102	Equatorial Guinea	102
103	Barbados	103
104	Venezuela	104
105	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	105
106	Serbia	106
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₃₁
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₁
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
23	Central African Rep.	26.2
24	Mozambique	26.4
25	Guinea	26.6
26	Equatorial Guinea	26.7
27	Comoros	27.1
28	Bhutan	27.1
29	Japan	27.2
30	Angola	27.5
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₉
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
164	Somalia	103.9
165	Cameroon	104.6
166	Burkina Faso	108.5
167	Equatorial Guinea	108.7
168	Liberia	108.8
169	Zimbabwe	109.7
170	Nigeria	110.6
171	Uganda	111.9
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₃₀
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₃₀
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
187	Syria	62.4
188	Ukraine	55.2
189	Chad	52.5
190	Nigeria	50.0
191	Central African Rep.	49.4
192	Somalia	46.0
193	S. Sudan	45.7
194	Equatorial Guinea	36.8
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Equatorial Guinea's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #technology #the_internet

Modernity and Learning (2020)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₂
1	Finland	8.0
2	Belgium	9.1
3	Denmark	10.0
	...
172	Chad	118.6
173	Papua New Guinea	119.2
174	Haiti	119.5
175	Niger	124.0
176	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	127.8
177	Sierra Leone	128.3
178	Djibouti	129.2
179	Madagascar	141.0
180	Equatorial Guinea	150.0
	World Avg	69.0
q=180.

Modernity and Education:

Length of Schooling (2018)₃₃
Pos.		Higher is better Years₃₃
1	Australia	22.1
2	Belgium	19.7
3	Finland	19.3
	...
173	Liberia	9.6
174	Haiti	9.5
175	Gambia	9.5
176	Equatorial Guinea	9.2
177	Guinea	9.0
178	Senegal	9.0
179	Burkina Faso	8.9
180	Syria	8.9
	World Avg	13.2
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₂₇
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₇
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
154	Zambia	154
155	Paraguay	155
156	Tanzania	156
157	Equatorial Guinea	157
158	Guyana	158
159	Afghanistan	159
160	Indonesia	160
161	Bolivia	161
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)₃₄
Pos.		Higher is better₃₄
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
146	Botswana	21%
147	Libya	21%
148	Zimbabwe	21%
149	Equatorial Guinea	21%
150	Lesotho	21%
151	Indonesia	20%
152	Marshall Islands	20%
153	Algeria	20%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₃₅
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
158	Aruba	0.0
159	Bahrain	0.0
160	Palau	0.0
161	Equatorial Guinea	0.0
162	Belize	0.0
163	Suriname	0.0
164	Grenada	0.0
165	Gabon	0.0
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

Creativity and Culture (2017)₂₇
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₇
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
144	Cameroon	144
145	Laos	145
146	Nigeria	146
147	Equatorial Guinea	147
148	Angola	148
149	Zambia	149
150	Pakistan	150
151	Guinea-Bissau	151
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₂₇
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₇
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
156	Venezuela	156
157	Bahrain	157
158	Mauritania	158
159	Brunei	159
160	Algeria	160
161	Papua New Guinea	161
162	Brazil	162
163	Equatorial Guinea	163
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

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

Global Peace Index (2012)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better₃₆
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
84	Bolivia	2.02
85	Ecuador	2.03
86	Swaziland	2.03
87	Equatorial Guinea	2.04
88	USA	2.06
89	China	2.06
90	Dominican Rep.	2.07
91	Bangladesh	2.07
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₂₇
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₇
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
108	Ukraine	108
109	Belgium	109
110	Panama	110
111	Equatorial Guinea	111
112	Botswana	112
113	Slovakia	113
114	Suriname	114
115	Greece	115
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)₂₇
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₇
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
156	Ivory Coast	156
157	St Lucia	157
158	Vietnam	158
159	Laos	159
160	Equatorial Guinea	160
161	Fiji	161
162	Tonga	162
163	Brunei	163
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₃₇
Pos.		Lower is better Score₃₇
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)₃₈
Pos.		Higher is better %₃₈
1	Iceland	205.6
2	Bahrain	144.4
3	Uruguay	131.3
	...
147	Dominica	-13.3
148	Liberia	-15.2
149	Belize	-15.5
150	Equatorial Guinea	-15.7
151	Haiti	-16.4
152	Tanzania	-17.6
153	Ethiopia	-17.8
154	Malawi	-19.2
	World Avg	02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₃₉
Pos.		Higher is better₃₉
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
68	Macedonia	61.1
69	Brazil	60.7
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
	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
	...
103	Colombia	1995 Feb 26
104	Ivory Coast	1995 Feb 27
105	Congo, DR	1995 Mar 03
106	Equatorial Guinea	1995 Mar 06
107	Sierra Leone	1995 Mar 12
108	Lebanon	1995 Mar 15
109	Jamaica	1995 Apr 06
110	Lesotho	1995 Apr 10
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#health #inequality #life_expectancy

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₄₀
Pos.		Higher is worse₄₀
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
	...
178	S. Sudan	36.20
177	Congo, DR	36.10
176	Benin	34.90
175	Equatorial Guinea	34.60
174	Cameroon	33.50
173	Ivory Coast	33.30
172	Lesotho	33.10
171	Guinea-Bissau	32.30
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

11. 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 below₄₁:

Christian	88.7%
Muslim	4%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	1.7%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	5%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices₄₂.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union produced a report in 2012 entitled "Freedom of Thought" (2012)₄₃, in which they document bias and prejudice at the national level that is based on religion, belief and/or lack of belief. Their entry for Equatorial Guinea states:

“While the constitution and other laws and policies protect freedom of religion or belief, a 1992 presidential decree regulates the exercise of freedom of religion or belief. This decree provides official preference for the Roman Catholic Church and the Reformed Church of Equatorial Guinea. While the decree does not hinder the practice of other religions or beliefs, its preferential effects can be observed in some circumstances; for example, Catholic masses are a normal part of any major ceremonial function₄₄, such as the October 12 National Day and June 5 President's Birthday. In addition, Catholic and Reform church officials are exempt from airport entry and exit taxes.”
"Freedom of Thought" by IHEU (2012)₄₅

Links:

A List of All Religions and Belief Systems