Which are the Best Countries in Europe?

Human rights, equality and the rule of law define Europe, and European countries thusly make up most of the top countries on the Social and Moral Index. In "Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice" by Jack Donnelly₂ Europe is described as the leading practical example of the implementation of human rights, where they really are seen as intrinsic rights and not merely liberties₃. The European Court of Human Rights is heavily over-subscribed and influential: it answers to the call of the citizens themselves, and only very rarely do governments ignore its rulings₄.

There are 57 locations that fall within this category. By adding up all the known populations that fall within these locations, and summing their physical land areas, we can calculate population densities. Some islands and territories can end up being counted twice depending on how they are classified and divided up politically, but, mostly such errors involve only small populations. So, some data on this collection of countries in total:

• Population: 689.6m
• Land Area: 6 665 788km²
• Independent States: 48
• Other Territories: 9
• Compare to other regions of the world

1. Basic Stats and Demographics
2. Emigration and Immigration
3. The Environment
4. Health
5. Human Rights, Tolerance and Equality
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The European Union (EU)
8. Links

1. Basic Stats and Demographics

#economics #human_development #population

Not showing due to lack of data: the Vatican City. This page only shows places where the database has enough data to be able to come to reasonable conclusions about each place. The main focus is on nation states, but, some distinct external territories may be listed if the database has enough information about them. Averages are calculated from as many valid data points as possible, meaning, that some territories and locations that are not listed above may still be used to calculate some of the average values. Some calculations only use Independent State data - hover the cursor over values to see hints.

Links:

• Compare to other regions of the world
• What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life
• The Population of the Earth
• Homosexuality in Animals and Humans

2. Emigration and Immigration

#emigration #europe #immigration #migration

Some tiny countries in Europe are mostly comprised of immigrants. The countries in Europe with the highest percent of immigrants in their populations are Monaco (71.6%), Andorra (64.4%) and San Marino (37.0%), although the average for Europe is 13%. Of the large countries with more than 10 million in their population, the highest proportion of immigrants can be found in Spain (15%), Belgium (14%) and Germany (13%). And emigration: Monaco (56.3%), Albania (45.4%) and Bosnia & Herzegovina (38.9%), whilst the continental average of emigrants for a country is 13%.

For full stats and comparisons, see: Which Country in Europe Has the Most Immigrants Or Emigrants?.

3. The Environment

#biodiversity #birth_control #climate_change #demographics #health #human_development #over-exploitation #overpopulation #the_environment

4. Health ₁₄

#alcohol #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

And Children's Health:

5. Human Rights, Tolerance and Equality

#equality #human_development #human_rights #morals #politics #tolerance

Europe has an excellent record on women's rights and gender equality. The biases of the male-dominated past have largely come to an end. The battle isn't over, but, there is nowhere else in the world where the spurious prejudices of human culture have been so diminished in the realm of gender.

“There is indeed a broad consensus throughout Europe to ensure men and women can access contraception, safe abortion services and reproductive healthcare and information on sexuality. This is the basis upon which people can make free and fair choices about their family life and composition.”

NSS (2015)₂₂

Europe also has the best press freedom in the world; according to the Press Freedom Index in 2013, "the same three European countries that headed the index last year hold the top three positions again this year. For the third year running, Finland has distinguished itself as the country that most respects media freedom. It is followed by the Netherlands and Norway".

6. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #folk_religion #god #hinduism #human_development #islam #judaism #no_religion #religion

Over the last 60 years, religion in Europe has seen a strong decline. On average throughout the 27 EU countries, only half of its people believe in God₂₃ and 25.4% directly say that they have no religion₂₄. There is much variation from country to country. Only 16% of the populace of Estonia believe in God and the Scandinavian countries are highly atheist. But 95% believe in Malta. Two main social groups are particularly prone to belief in God; those over 55 years old and those whose education did not proceed beyond the 15-year-old stage.₂₃. For a discussion on secularisation in general, see: "Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?" by Vexen Crabtree

Despite the low rate of belief in God, many Europeans still claim to belong to theistic religions. 49.5% of the population of Europe say they are Catholic Christian, 15.7% say they're Muslim, 12.7% say they're Protestant Christian, 8.6% say they're Orthodox Christian and 0.4% say they are Jewish₂₄. These numbers mean that at least 30% of Europeans are putting down a religion despite not believing in the very basic first principal of the religion they put down. In some places, this percent is higher. In France only 52% of Catholic believe in God and "only 18 percent define God according to the teachings of the Catholic Church"₂₅. This is all because most people in Europe confuse religion and cultural heritage, and for many the actual beliefs of a religion don't really matter. For a discussion of this, see: "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree.

Links:

• Compare to other regions of the world
• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?
• Human Religions

More on religion in Europe:

1. Country by Country Comparison
2. Religion and Belief in God in Europe as a Whole
3. European Law and Values on Religion
4. The Banning of Face Coverings such as the Niqab and Burqa in Europe
5. Case Studies
   1. Religion in Scandinavia
   2. The United Kingdom
   3. France
   4. Eastern Europe

7. The European Union (EU)₂₉

1. European Democratic and Social Values, and Fundamental Rights
2. The State of the EU Constitution
3. Forms of European Unity
   1. Multispeed Europe
   2. The United States of Europe
   3. 200 Years of Ideas
4. The Benefits of the European Union
5. Supporting Human Rights
6. The EU is in Crises
   1. The EU is Always in Crises
   2. Popular Disillusionment with the EU
7. EU Immigration and Internal Migration
   1. Free Migration is Beneficial and Increasingly Essential
   2. A Combined European Border
8. The Benefits of the Future
   1. Standardization of Corporate Tax
9. About Europe