Haiti (Republic of Haiti)

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

#africa #benin #ghana #haiti #monotheism #nigeria #togo

Haiti Republic of Haiti
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	162nd best
Capital	Port-au-Prince
Land Area	27 560km²₁
Location	North America, The Americas, The Caribbean
Groupings	Small Islands
Population	11.1m₂
Life Expectancy	63.12yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$1 657 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	HT, HTI, 332₅
Internet Domain	.ht₆
Currency	Gourde (HTG)₇
Telephone	+509₈

1. Overview

#france #spain

“The native Taino - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first post-colonial black-led nation in the world, declaring its independence in 1804. Currently the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has experienced political instability for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations. Continued instability and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti inaugurated a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006. This was followed by contested elections in 2010 that resulted in the election of Haiti's current President, Michel MARTELLY. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 with an epicenter about 25 km (15 mi) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Estimates are that over 300,000 people were killed and some 1.5 million left homeless. The earthquake was assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Haiti is still struggling with the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake. But this is a proud country, born of revolution, and its people are determined to rebuild for a better future. Forget for a moment the rubble that still clogs parts of the capital. In actual fact, Haiti was once at the forefront of Caribbean tourism. In the 1950s, Port-au-Prince was rivaled only by Havana as a destination for the rich and famous; its jazz clubs and casinos a favored getaway for the Hollywood elite.
With a modicum of stability, Haiti could yet become the Caribbean´s alternative travel destination par excellence: it has palm-fringed beaches to rival any of its neighbors. But lazing on the sand isn´t really the point of Haiti (although you can do that, too). The richness of the country lies in its history and culture, closer to its African roots than any other Caribbean nation and ever present in its vibrant art and music scenes.
Haiti isn´t the easiest country to travel in. You frequently need to keep an ear out for the news, and it can be more expensive than you´d expect. However, once you´re there, travel is not only possible, but also incredibly rewarding. It´s an addictive country to visit.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. The Aftermath of Hurricane Matthew₁₁

Here is the summary from Human Rights Watch's report on the year 2017:

“Political instability in 2017 hindered the Haitian government´s ability to meet the basic needs of its people, resolve long-standing human rights problems, or address continuing humanitarian crises. The United Nations peacekeeping mission operating in Haiti for the past 13 years ended in October. A smaller mission replaced it.
More than 175,000 individuals remained displaced in the aftermath of October 2016´s Hurricane Matthew, and many more faced food insecurity due to widespread damage to crops and livestock. As of September 2017, authorities had failed to assist many of the nearly 38,000 individuals still living in displacement camps since the 2010 earthquake in resettling or returning to their places of origin. The country´s most vulnerable communities continue to face environmental risks, such as widespread deforestation, pollution from industry, and limited access to safe water and sanitation. Almost one-third of people live with food insecurity due to the ongoing drought affecting much of the country.
Since its introduction by UN peacekeepers in 2010, cholera has claimed more than 9,500 lives and infected more than 800,000 people. Cholera cases surged in October 2016 in communities most impacted by Hurricane Matthew. There were more than 41,000 suspected cases and 440 deaths in 2016. The number of cases has since declined significantly due to intensified cholera control efforts, including an ambitious campaign in which more than 800,000 people were vaccinated. Only 11,916 suspected cases of cholera and 118 deaths had been reported from January to October 2017.”
"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₁₂

3. Haiti National and Social Development

#economics #human_development

UN HDI (2016)₁₃
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₁₃
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
161	Lesotho	160
162	Senegal	162
163	Uganda	163
164	Haiti	163
165	Sudan	165
166	Togo	166
167	Benin	167
168	Yemen	168
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2011)₁₄
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₄
1	Qatar	$129 916
2	Singapore	$78 162
3	Kuwait	$76 075
	...
169	S. Sudan	$1 882
170	Afghanistan	$1 871
171	Uganda	$1 670
172	Haiti	$1 657
173	Rwanda	$1 617
174	Zimbabwe	$1 588
175	Solomon Islands	$1 561
176	Gambia	$1 541
	World Avg	$17 240
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₅_,₁₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₅_,₁₆
1	Taiwan	30.2
2	Denmark	30.5
3	Norway	30.9
	...
159	Gambia	111.4
160	Sierra Leone	111.6
161	Nigeria	111.6
162	Haiti	112.9
163	Myanmar (Burma)	113.2
164	Mozambique	113.4
165	Liberia	115.9
166	Kiribati	116.2
	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.

4. Haiti's Demographics

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

Population:

Haiti's population is predicted to rise to 12.53 million by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 3.19. 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
	...
79	Bolivia	11.4m
80	Cuba	11.3m
81	Burundi	11.2m
82	Haiti	11.1m
83	S. Sudan	11.0m
84	Czechia	10.7m
85	Dominican Rep.	10.6m
86	Greece	10.5m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₄
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₄
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
153	Sudan	63.73
154	Comoros	63.57
155	Mauritania	63.24
156	Haiti	63.12
157	Congo, (Brazzaville)	62.89
158	Papua New Guinea	62.77
159	Djibouti	62.30
160	Kenya	62.16
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₇
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₇
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
124	Namibia	3.08
125	Zimbabwe	3.15
126	Tajikistan	3.19
127	Haiti	3.19
128	Gabon	3.20
129	Swaziland	3.21
130	Bolivia	3.25
131	Pakistan	3.25
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₈
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₈
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
64	Kiribati	09.5
65	Guatemala	09.5
66	Saudi Arabia	09.5
67	Haiti	09.6
68	Vanuatu	09.9
69	Cape Verde	10.0
70	Philippines	10.3
71	Cambodia	10.4
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₉
Pos.		%₁₉
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
176	Papua New Guinea	0.4%
177	India	0.4%
178	Afghanistan	0.4%
179	Haiti	0.4%
180	Brazil	0.4%
181	Eritrea	0.3%
182	Somalia	0.3%
183	Lesotho	0.3%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₂₀
Pos.		%₂₀
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
67	Hong Kong	10.2%
68	Dominican Rep.	10.1%
69	Zimbabwe	9.9%
70	Haiti	9.9%
71	San Marino	9.9%
72	Burkina Faso	9.7%
73	Slovakia	9.6%
74	Morocco	9.3%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

5. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #haiti #human_rights #politics #tolerance

Haiti is generally poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world. Haiti does better than average for its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₁, supporting press freedom₂₂, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₃ (but low for The Americas), supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₄ and in LGBT equality₂₅ (but bad for The Americas). Haiti does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in terms of its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₆ and in speed of uptake of HR treaties₂₇. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in opposing gender inequality₂₈ (the worst in The Americas). There is a widespread problem with violence against women and poor legal protections for the vulnerable. Prisons are inhumanely overcrowded: detainees have less than one metre of space and are confined for 23 hours a day: the main cause is that 71% of them have been imprisoned before trials have been held₁₂.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Haiti

6. Haiti's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #Haiti #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Health (2020)₂₉_,₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₉_,₃₀
1	Hong Kong	18.0
2	Singapore	41.5
3	Maldives	43.3
	...
152	Dominican Rep.	109.8
153	Benin	109.9
154	Madagascar	110.3
155	Haiti	110.8
156	Yemen	111.4
157	Congo, DR	111.5
158	Somalia	111.7
159	Niger	111.9
160	Sierra Leone	112.1
	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 Maldives₂₉. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea₂₉.

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 Europe₂₉, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Polynesia₂₉.

Health:

Haiti has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Haiti performs the best in its suicide rate₃₁. It does better than average in its smoking rate₃₂ and in its alcohol consumption rate₃₃. Haiti does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in terms of its adolescent birth rate₂₈ (still low for The Americas), its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₄, its fertility rate₁₇ (one of the highest in The Americas) and in its average life expectancy₁₄ (the worst in The Americas). And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in its immunizations take-up₃₅ (the lowest in The Americas). The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₄
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₄
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
153	Sudan	63.73
154	Comoros	63.57
155	Mauritania	63.24
156	Haiti	63.12
157	Congo, (Brazzaville)	62.89
158	Papua New Guinea	62.77
159	Djibouti	62.30
160	Kenya	62.16
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₃
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₃
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
87	India	5.7
88	Cape Verde	5.7
89	Liberia	5.8
90	Haiti	5.8
91	Colombia	5.8
92	Nauru	6.0
93	Cuba	6.1
94	Kyrgyzstan	6.2
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₇
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₇
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
124	Namibia	3.08
125	Zimbabwe	3.15
126	Tajikistan	3.19
127	Haiti	3.19
128	Gabon	3.20
129	Swaziland	3.21
130	Bolivia	3.25
131	Pakistan	3.25
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₂
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₂
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
	...
29	Ghana	121
28	Somalia	117
27	Peru	116
26	Haiti	114
25	Eritrea	114
24	India	111
23	Sao Tome & Principe	111
22	Niger	105
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₃₁
Pos.		Per 100k₃₁
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
4	Jordan	0.2
5	Maldives	0.7
6	Azerbaijan	1.3
7	S. Africa	1.8
8	Bahamas	2.5
9	Peru	2.9
10	Kuwait	3.6
11	Armenia	3.9
12	Dominican Rep.	4.6
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
112	Romania	112
113	Peru	113
114	Kenya	114
115	Haiti	115
116	Malawi	116
117	Swaziland	117
118	Iran	118
119	Yemen	119
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₆
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
92	Austria	54.3
93	Armenia	54.4
94	Belize	54.8
95	Haiti	54.9
96	St Vincent & Grenadines	55.0
97	Solomon Islands	55.0
98	Denmark	55.4
99	Jamaica	55.5
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₈
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₈
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
90	Tajikistan	38.1
91	Vietnam	38.6
92	Pakistan	38.7
93	Haiti	39.3
94	Syria	39.4
95	Kyrgyzstan	39.6
96	Georgia	39.7
97	Barbados	40.7
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₃₅
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₃₅
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
181	Samoa	68.1
182	Yemen	67.4
183	Papua New Guinea	66.3
184	Haiti	65.7
185	Vanuatu	65.5
186	Guinea	63.3
187	Syria	62.4
188	Ukraine	55.2
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

7. Haiti's Modernity and Learning

#education #intelligence #modernity #technology #the_internet

Modernity and Learning (2020)₃₇
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₇
1	Finland	8.0
2	Belgium	9.1
3	Denmark	10.0
	...
171	Guinea	117.5
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
	World Avg	69.0
q=180.

Modernity and Education:

Secondary Education (2018)₃₈
Pos.		Higher is better₃₈
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
	...
134	Nepal	35.9%
135	Kenya	35.2%
136	Honduras	33.5%
137	Haiti	33.2%
138	S. Sudan	33.2%
139	Swaziland	32.6%
140	Morocco	32.2%
141	Uganda	32.1%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2018)₃₉
Pos.		Higher is better Years₃₉
1	Australia	22.1
2	Belgium	19.7
3	Finland	19.3
	...
171	Congo, DR	9.7
172	Ivory Coast	9.6
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
	World Avg	13.2
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
129	Azerbaijan	129
130	Bangladesh	130
131	Mongolia	131
132	Haiti	132
133	Botswana	133
134	Suriname	134
135	Uruguay	135
136	Honduras	136
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

IQ (2006)₄₀
Pos.		Higher is better₄₀
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
126	Angola	68
127	Guinea	67
128	Liberia	67
129	Haiti	67
130	Gambia	66
131	Zimbabwe	66
132	Senegal	66
133	Sierra Leone	64
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)₄₁
Pos.		Higher is better₄₁
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
169	Kiribati	13%
170	Rwanda	12%
171	Mali	12%
172	Haiti	12%
173	Papua New Guinea	12%
174	Djibouti	12%
175	Cambodia	11%
176	Gabon	10%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

8. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

Personal Charitability (World Position, 2013-2016)₄₂
Pos.		Lower is better₄₂
1	Myanmar (Burma)	1.25
2	USA	1.5
3	New Zealand	3.5
	...
50	Syria	43.67
51	Luxembourg	43.75
52	Panama	45
53	Haiti	45
54	Malawi	45.25
55	Israel	45.25
56	Taiwan	46
57	Belgium	47.25
	World Avg	68.1185897435897
q=156.

Corruption (2012-2016)₄₃
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score₄₃
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
162	Angola	19.4
163	Guinea-Bissau	19.2
164	Syria	18.8
165	Haiti	18.8
166	Yemen	18.4
167	Venezuela	18.4
168	Uzbekistan	18.4
169	Turkmenistan	18.2
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Happiness (2018)₄₄
Pos.		Higher is better₄₄
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
	...
145	Afghanistan	3.6
146	Botswana	3.6
147	Malawi	3.6
148	Haiti	3.6
149	Liberia	3.5
150	Syria	3.5
151	Rwanda	3.4
152	Yemen	3.4
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity and Culture (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
89	Cambodia	89
90	Peru	90
91	Jordan	91
92	Haiti	92
93	Tunisia	93
94	Papua New Guinea	94
95	Belarus	95
96	Mongolia	96
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
50	Greece	50
51	Niger	51
52	Sri Lanka	52
53	Haiti	53
54	Rwanda	54
55	Swaziland	55
56	Luxembourg	56
57	Mali	57
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

9. Peace Versus Instability

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

Global Peace Index (2012)₄₅
Pos.		Lower is better₄₅
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
103	Congo, (Brazzaville)	2.15
104	Kazakhstan	2.15
105	Saudi Arabia	2.18
106	Haiti	2.18
107	Cambodia	2.21
108	Belarus	2.21
109	Uzbekistan	2.22
110	El Salvador	2.22
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
141	Saudi Arabia	141
142	St Vincent & Grenadines	142
143	Belize	143
144	Haiti	144
145	Libya	145
146	Croatia	146
147	UAE	147
148	Central African Rep.	148
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
137	Nigeria	137
138	Cambodia	138
139	Mali	139
140	Haiti	140
141	Mongolia	141
142	Syria	142
143	Mauritania	143
144	Rwanda	144
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₄₆
Pos.		Lower is better Score₄₆
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
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
75	Ecuador	2.46
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

10. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₄₇
Pos.		Higher is better %₄₇
1	Iceland	205.6
2	Bahrain	144.4
3	Uruguay	131.3
	...
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
155	Botswana	-21.0
	World Avg	02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₄₈
Pos.		Higher is better₄₈
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
171	Central African Rep.	36.4
172	Niger	35.7
173	Lesotho	33.8
174	Haiti	33.7
175	Madagascar	33.7
176	Nepal	31.4
177	India	30.6
178	Congo, DR	30.4
	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
	...
160	Bahrain	1996 Nov 28
161	Turkmenistan	1996 Dec 17
162	Laos	1996 Dec 19
163	Haiti	1996 Dec 24
164	Croatia	1997 Jan 05
165	Belgium	1997 Feb 20
166	Dominican Rep.	1997 Feb 23
167	Turkey	1997 May 15
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment (2011)₄₉
Pos.		Higher is better %₄₉
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
138	Denmark	14.9%
139	Libya	14.6%
140	Iceland	13.1%
141	Uzbekistan	11.3%
142	Tajikistan	11.1%
143	Haiti	10.0%
144	Albania	9.4%
145	Turkmenistan	8.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

11. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #poverty #social_development

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₅₀
Pos.		Higher is worse₅₀
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
	...
173	Ivory Coast	33.30
172	Lesotho	33.10
171	Guinea-Bissau	32.30
170	Haiti	32.20
169	Burkina Faso	32.00
168	Angola	32.00
167	Guinea	31.30
166	Niger	30.90
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) (2017)₅₁
Pos.		Lower is better %₅₁
1	Ukraine	25.0
2	Belarus	25.4
3	Slovenia	25.4
	...
102	Argentina	40.6
103	Kenya	40.8
104	Malaysia	41.0
105	Haiti	41.1
106	USA	41.5
107	Ivory Coast	41.5
108	Djibouti	41.6
109	Papua New Guinea	41.9
	World Avg	38.1
q=152.

Multidimensional Poverty (2018)₅₂
Pos.		Lower is better Severity₅₂
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
65	Comoros	.181
66	Bangladesh	.198
67	Pakistan	.198
68	Haiti	.200
69	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	.210
70	Ivory Coast	.236
71	Yemen	.241
72	Cameroon	.243
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

12. Religion and Beliefs

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

Disbelief In God (2007)₅₃
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₃
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
105	Zambia	0
106	Tanzania	0
107	Malaysia	0
108	Haiti	0
109	Iraq	0
110	Guinea	0
111	Ghana	0
112	Jordan	0
	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 below₅₄:

Christian	86.9%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	2.2%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	10.6%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3%. Note: Despite what they put on official forms, roughly half of the population practices Voodoo.₅₅.

An introduction to Vodun, or Voodoo:

“A traditional religion from Western Africa with an ethical focus on combating greed and promoting honour. It is based on the worship of spirits that are loyal to a monotheistic₅₆ deistic (non-interventionist) creator god. It is more correctly known as Vodun, although other titles include Vodoun, Voudou, and Sevi Lwa. "The name is traceable to an African word for 'spirit'. Vodun's roots go back to the West African Yoruba people who lived in 18th and 19th century Dahomey. That country occupied parts of today's Togo, Benin and Nigeria"₅₇. When West Africans were forcibly taken to Haiti and other islands in the West Indies as slaves, their beliefs spread with them₅₆_,₅₇, and also to South America and the Caribbean region in general₅₈. Voodoo was suppressed and its followers persecuted₅₆ by Christian powermongers, and it was forced underground, with many believers merely pretending to be Christian, and practicing Voodoo in secret₅₆_,₅₉_,₆₀. As a result of this, Voodoo priests were well-placed to orchestrate and inspire slave revolts. It is now acknowledged that Voodoo merged African beliefs with re-interpreted Christian saints and symbols₅₈_,₅₆, but also that Christianity abused and mis-represented Voodoo, causing long term damage to its reputation. There are up to 60 million Voodoo practitioners worldwide, with about 16 million in Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria₅₆.”
"An introduction to Vodun, or Voodoo" by Vexen Crabtree (2016)

Vodun is still practiced by the majority of Haiti even though the majority also call themselves Christian. "It was given official status as a national religion in 2003 by Jean-Bertrand Aristide, then Haitian president"₅₆. Haitian Voodoo is has some features that distinguishing it from African Voodoo. The success of the hope-inspiring slave revolts was directly related to the secretive and suppressed nature of the Vodun religion within the slave culture. The underground religion naturally expanded to include underground abolitionist activism and played an inspirational and functional role, directly facilitating underground societies and powerful leaders, something which no other anti-slave movement did. This series of revolts led to Toussaint L'Ouverture and his successes in the region, which inspired and fuelled abolitionist movements worldwide.

“Some historians say that voodoo's bad image in the world is because Haitian slaves used it as a form of protest; it gave them a secret place where they could foment revolt against their masters.”
The Economist (2006)₆₁

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