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. Politics and Freedom
5. Gender Equality
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
10. 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	84.2
2	Sweden	83.7
3	Finland	83.5
4	Norway	82.7
5	Netherlands	82.6
6	Belgium	82.2
7	Switzerland	82.0
8	Germany	81.7
9	Ireland	80.5
10	UK	80.5
11	New Zealand	80.4
12	Iceland	80.3
	World Avg	54.1
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

#demographics #Finland #health #immigration #life_expectancy #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	Korea, N.	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.

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.		The Overpopulation of the Earth17
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 Overpopulation of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Politics and Freedom

#antisemitism #burundi #corruption #eritrea #Finland #france #freedom #human_development #human_rights #indonesia #mass_media #peace #politics #slavery

Anti-Semite Opinions (2014)18
Pos.		Lower is better %18
1	Laos	0
2	Philippines	3
3	Sweden	4
	...
14	Australia	14
15	Norway	15
16	Ghana	15
17	Finland	15
18	Brazil	16
19	Singapore	16
20	Nigeria	16
21	Iceland	16
	World Avg	36.8
q=101.

Corruption (2012-2016)19
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score19
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
4	Sweden	88.2
5	Norway	86.0
6	Switzerland	85.8
7	Singapore	85.2
8	Netherlands	83.4
9	Canada	82.2
10	Luxembourg	81.6
11	Australia	80.8
12	Germany	79.6
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Global Peace Index (2012)20
Pos.		Lower is better20
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.

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)21
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties21
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
55	Venezuela	19
56	Lesotho	19
57	Rwanda	19
58	Finland	19
59	Netherlands	19
60	Nicaragua	19
61	Canada	19
62	Kazakhstan	19
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014)22
Pos.		Lower is better Rank22
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
4	Ireland	4
5	Denmark	5
6	UK	6
7	Canada	6
8	Australia	6
9	Finland	9
10	Netherlands	10
11	Luxembourg	11
12	Austria	11
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Press Freedom (2013)23
Pos.		Lower is better23
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
4	Luxembourg	668
5	Andorra	682
6	Denmark	708
7	Liechtenstein	735
8	New Zealand	838
9	Iceland	849
10	Sweden	923
11	Estonia	926
12	Austria	940
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

Slavery (2018)24
Pos.		Lower is better % Victims24
1	Japan	0.03
2	Canada	0.05
3	Taiwan	0.05
	...
19	Ireland	0.17
20	Lebanon	0.17
21	UAE	0.17
22	Finland	0.17
23	Austria	0.17
24	Switzerland	0.17
25	Brazil	0.18
26	Jordan	0.18
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₂₅. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₂₆. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₂₇. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₈.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₉. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₃₀. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₃₁. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₄, Eritrea₂₄, Indonesia₃₂) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₃₃.

5. Gender Equality

#Finland #gender #misogyny #politics #women

Gender Inequality (2015)34
Pos.		Lower is better34
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
4	Sweden	0.05
5	Iceland	0.05
6	Norway	0.05
7	Slovenia	0.05
8	Finland	0.06
9	Germany	0.07
10	Korea, S.	0.07
11	Singapore	0.07
12	Belgium	0.07
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

Year Women Can Vote35
Pos.		Lower is better Year35
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
4	Norway	1913
5	Denmark	1915
6	Iceland	1915
7	Russia	1917
8	Latvia	1918
9	Estonia	1918
10	Kyrgyzstan	1918
11	Austria	1919
12	Slovakia	1919
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchialism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

Finland is notable for its equality between the sexes and this has been a feature of the country's culture for quite some time.

See:

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

6. Religion and Beliefs

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

Disbelief In God (2007)36
Pos.		Higher is better36
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
15	Hungary	32
16	Norway	31
17	Korea, S.	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 below₃₇:

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)₃₈.

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)39
Pos.		Higher is better39
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)40
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio40
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 #health #mental_health #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)34
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100034
1	Korea, N.	0.5
2	Korea, S.	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.

Alcohol Consumption (2010)41
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita41
1	Libya	0.1
2	Pakistan	0.1
3	Kuwait	0.1
	...
174	Croatia	12.2
175	Korea, S.	12.3
176	Latvia	12.3
177	Finland	12.3
178	Poland	12.5
179	Grenada	12.5
180	Serbia	12.6
181	Portugal	12.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=191.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)42
Pos.		Lower is better Rank42
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.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)43
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %43
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.

Smoking Rates (2014)44
Pos.		Lower is better44
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)45
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k45
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. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries