Finland

Finland Republic of Finland
Status	Independent State
Capital	Helsinki
Land Area	303 890km21
Location	Europe, Scandinavia
Population	5.4m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	81.01yrs (2017)3
GNI	$38 868 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	FI, FIN, 2465
Internet Domain	.fi6
Currency	Euro (EUR)7
Telephone	+3588

1. Overview
2. Finland National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom
5. Peace Versus Instability
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. Children's Health
10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
11. Links

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1. Overview

#russia #sweden

“Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999. In the 21st century, the key features of Finland's modern welfare state are a high standard of education, equality promotion, and national social security system - currently challenged by an aging population and the fluctuations of an export-driven economy.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Finland is the deep north, with forests and lakes as far as the eye can see, and revitalising crisp air. Choose between summer´s endless light or winter´s eerie frozen magic. There´s something pure in the Finnish air and a spirit that´s incredibly vital and exciting. It´s an invitation to get out and active year-round. A post-sauna dip in an ice hole under the majestic aurora borealis (Northern Lights), after whooshing across the snow behind a team of huskies, isn´t a typical winter´s day just anywhere. And canoeing or hiking under the midnight sun through pine forests populated by wolves and bears isn´t your typical tanning-oil summer either.

Although socially and economically in the vanguard of nations, large parts of Finland remain gloriously remote; trendsetting modern Helsinki is counterbalanced by vast forested wildernesses elsewhere.

Nordic peace in lakeside cottages, summer sunshine on beer terraces, avant-garde design, and cafes warm with baking aromas are other facets of Suomi (Finnish) seduction. As are the independent, loyal, warm and welcoming Finns, who tend to do their own thing and are much the better for it.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Finland National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
20	Luxembourg	20
21	France	21
22	Belgium	22
23	Finland	23
24	Austria	24
25	Slovenia	25
26	Italy	26
27	Spain	27
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	83.6
2	Finland	83.1
3	Sweden	82.6
4	Netherlands	82.0
5	Norway	81.9
6	Switzerland	81.4
7	Germany	80.6
8	New Zealand	80.4
9	Iceland	80.3
10	Belgium	80.3
11	Ireland	79.4
12	Canada	79.2
	World Avg	55.4
q=198.

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: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

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

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
177	Spain	41.4
178	Netherlands	41.9
179	Slovenia	42.7
180	Finland	43.3
181	Hong Kong	43.7
182	Portugal	44.7
183	Germany	47.7
184	Italy	48.6
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
91	Kiribati	6.5%
92	Bhutan	6.3%
93	Tunisia	6.3%
94	Finland	6.2%
95	Singapore	6.1%
96	Guatemala	6.1%
97	Brunei	6.0%
98	Netherlands	6.0%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
16	Iceland	2.10
17	Denmark	1.88
18	Bahamas	1.88
19	Finland	1.87
20	UK	1.87
21	New Zealand	2.15
22	Azerbaijan	2.16
23	Chile	1.84
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

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.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
80	Czechia	4.4%
81	Dominican Rep.	4.2%
82	Uzbekistan	4.2%
83	Finland	4.2%
84	Tajikistan	4.0%
85	Kyrgyzstan	4.0%
86	Turkmenistan	4.0%
87	Georgia	4.0%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
22	Germany	81.09
23	Greece	81.07
24	Ireland	81.05
25	Finland	81.01
26	Belgium	80.98
27	UK	80.85
28	Malta	80.73
29	Slovenia	80.58
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		Population17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
111	Eritrea	5.6m
112	Slovakia	5.5m
113	Kyrgyzstan	5.4m
114	Finland	5.4m
115	Singapore	5.3m
116	Turkmenistan	5.2m
117	Norway	5.0m
118	Costa Rica	4.8m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Finland's population is predicted to rise to 5.619 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 1.87. 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.

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

4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom

#equality #Finland #freedom #human_rights #politics #tolerance

When it comes to ensuring human rights and freedom, Finland leads the world, setting excellent examples. Finland does the best in terms of supporting press freedom₁₈. It comes in the best 20 for fighting corruption₁₉ (one of the best in Europe), the year from which women could participate in democracy₂₀ (one of the lowest in Europe), commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₁, opposing gender inequality₂₂, its Global Peace Index rating₂₃, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₄, fighting anti-semitic opinions₂₅ and in eliminating modern slavery₂₆. And finally, it does better than average for LGBT equality₂₇ and in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₈ (but low for Europe). Human Rights Watch's 2018 report states that Finland's support of women's rights at home and internationally has been notable₂₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Finland

5. Peace Versus Instability

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

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
49	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	49
50	Ireland	50
51	Norway	51
52	Finland	52
53	France	53
54	Australia	54
55	Italy	55
56	Mauritius	56
	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
4	Sweden	4
5	Malta	5
6	Australia	6
7	Norway	7
8	Finland	8
9	Denmark	9
10	Switzerland	10
11	Canada	11
12	UK	12
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Global Peace Index (2012)23
Pos.		Lower is better23
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
4	Canada	1.32
5	Japan	1.33
6	Austria	1.33
7	Ireland	1.33
8	Slovenia	1.33
9	Finland	1.35
10	Switzerland	1.35
11	Belgium	1.38
12	Qatar	1.40
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

"The 2012 Global Peace Index is the sixth edition of the world's leading study on global levels of peacefulness. The GPI ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. By generating new information on the state of peace at the national and global level, the Institute for Economics and Peace hopes to make a valuable contribution to better understanding how civil society, researchers, policymakers, and government can create a more peaceful society"₂₃. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₂₃ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₂₃.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)31
Pos.		Lower is better Score31
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
67	Austria	1.66
68	Argentina	1.68
69	Madagascar	1.96
70	Finland	2.03
71	Haiti	2.18
72	Kosovo	2.26
73	Japan	2.29
74	Netherlands	2.35
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

6. Religion and Beliefs

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

Disbelief In God (2007)32
Pos.		Higher is better %32
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
15	Hungary	32
16	Norway	31
17	S. Korea	30
18	Finland	28
19	Russia	27
20	Australia	25
21	Taiwan	24
22	New Zealand	22
	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 below₃₃:

Christian	81.6%
Muslim	0.8%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	17.6%

By adding up the Pew Forum data for the major monotheistic religions we can see that these make up 82.5% of the population. Yet there are simply too many who disbelieve in God for this to be true (28%). 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!).

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Lutheran Church of Finland 82.5%, Orthodox Church 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 15.1% (2006)₃₄.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

7. The Internet

#Finland #internet #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)35
Pos.		Higher is better35
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
10	Sweden	93%
11	Monaco	93%
12	UK	93%
13	Finland	93%
14	Qatar	92%
15	UAE	92%
16	Bahrain	92%
17	Estonia	91%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)36
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio36
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
18	Norway	14.7
19	Australia	14.6
20	Trinidad & Tobago	14.5
21	Finland	14.1
22	Brazil	13.9
23	Netherlands	10.5
24	Czechia	10.1
25	New Zealand	9.7
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #Finland #genetics #health #mental_health #obesity #organ_donation #public_health #smoking #sociology #suicide #UK

Finland does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Finland comes in the best 20 when it comes to its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₀, its immunizations take-up₃₇ (amongst the best in Europe), number of organ donors₃₈ and in its adolescent birth rate₂₂. Finland does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in the prevalence of overweight adults₃₉, its smoking rate₄₀ (still good for Europe) and in its alcohol consumption rate₄₁. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 in its suicide rate₄₂. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the last 40 years.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)41
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita41
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
156	Cook Islands	10.6
157	Australia	10.6
158	New Zealand	10.7
159	Finland	10.7
160	Uruguay	10.8
161	Cyprus	10.8
162	Serbia	11.1
163	Belarus	11.2
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₄₃ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₄₄ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₄₅ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₄₆. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₄₇. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

Organ Donors (At Death) (2017)38
Pos.		Higher is better pmp38
1	Spain	46.9048
2	Portugal	34.0148
3	Belgium	33.6248
	...
12	Belarus	22.10
13	Norway	22.06
14	Canada	21.91
15	Finland	21.41
16	Slovenia	20.87
17	Ireland	20.80
18	Australia	20.7049
19	Uruguay	20.43
	World Avg	13.03
q=70.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
9	Netherlands	9
10	USA	10
11	Luxembourg	11
12	Finland	12
13	Australia	13
14	UAE	14
15	Saudi Arabia	15
16	Belgium	16
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)39
Pos.		Lower is better %39
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
117	Romania	57.7
118	Netherlands	57.8
119	Latvia	57.8
120	Finland	57.9
121	Macedonia	58.1
122	Nicaragua	58.2
123	Norway	58.3
124	Poland	58.3
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₅₀. Most Western countries are facing an obesity epidemic. Our cultures are having to change to compensate for widespread ill-health. It is costing our health systems a massive amount of money, and is having negative effects on national economies. The situation has persisted for a suitable length of time for our very perceptions to change; opinions on "normal weights" for people and "average sizes" for clothes has shot up₅₁. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₅₁ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₅₂ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₅₃. We are forgetting how to be healthy.

The causes are not genetic. Most people who say obesity "runs in their family" are wrong. The rate of increase in obesity is many, many times too fast to be accounted for by a change in inherited genes₅₄. Our culture and lifestyle choices are to blame. The causes of the modern obesity epidemic are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products, poor knowledge of nutrition. Most of this is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheaper mass-produced food. Even some so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₅₅.

Smoking Rates (2014)40
Pos.		Lower is better40
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
123	Algeria	1 024
124	Latvia	1 041
125	USA	1 083
126	Finland	1 083
127	Portugal	1 113
128	Moldova	1 114
129	Lithuania	1 124
130	Uruguay	1 135
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)42
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k42
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
76	Croatia	36.4
77	Estonia	37.9
78	Serbia	38.1
79	Finland	39
80	Belgium	39.1
81	Slovenia	44
82	Ukraine	44.8
83	Latvia	48.2
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

9. Children's Health

#Finland #health #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)22
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100022
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
14	Italy	6.0
15	Iceland	6.1
16	Libya	6.2
17	Finland	6.5
18	Germany	6.7
19	Maldives	6.7
20	Tunisia	6.8
21	Austria	7.1
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)37
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %37
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
10	St Lucia	98.2
11	Bahrain	98.2
12	Iran	98.1
13	Finland	98.1
14	Saudi Arabia	98.0
15	Luxembourg	98.0
16	Oman	98.0
17	Antigua & Barbuda	98.0
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries