Italy (Italian Republic)

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Italy Italian Republic
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	22nd best
Capital	Rome
Land Area	294 140km²₁
Location	Europe, The Mediterranean
Population	60.6m₂
Life Expectancy	83.34yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$33 573 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	IT, ITA, 380₅
Internet Domain	.it₆
Currency	Euro (EUR)₇
Telephone	+39₈

1. Overview

#germany

“Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Italy is the ultimate dream date: impossibly good-looking, impeccably cultured and obscenely good in the kitchen. Endlessly inspiring and naturally flirtatious, it will leave you swooning. Italians really do know how to live well. Ever since the Etruscans came, liked what they saw and decided to stay and party, the locals have embraced the finer things in life. Here, family, faith, friendship, food and wine reign supreme, contributing to the famous Italian dolce vita (sweet life).
Travellers have been falling under Italy´s spell ever since the days of the 18th-century Grand Tour, enticed by its sun-kissed landscape, delectable cuisine and extraordinary art. This is the home of gently rolling Tuscan hills and postcard-perfect coastlines; the place where simple dishes such as pizza and pasta attain culinary perfection. It´s where Michelangelo shocked the establishment with his humanist sculptures and Caravaggio shocked everyone else with his criminal highjinks and darkly atmospheric paintings.
So make like Julius Caesar. Come and see - you´re sure to be conquered. If you get it right, travelling in the bel paese (beautiful country) is one of those rare experiences than cannot be overrated.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Italy 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
	...
23	Finland	23
24	Austria	24
25	Slovenia	25
26	Italy	26
27	Spain	27
28	Czechia	28
29	Greece	29
30	Brunei	30
	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
	...
29	Iceland	$37 065
30	S. Korea	$34 541
31	Oman	$34 402
32	Italy	$33 573
33	New Zealand	$32 870
34	Spain	$32 779
35	Israel	$31 215
36	Malta	$29 500
	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
	...
19	Belgium	43.5
20	France	44.0
21	S. Korea	45.0
22	Italy	45.1
23	Slovenia	47.2
24	Hungary	48.0
25	Czechia	49.0
26	Portugal	50.7
	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. Italy's Demographics

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

Population:

Italy's population is predicted to rise to 60.85 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 1.47. 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
	...
20	Thailand	69.4m
21	UK	67.1m
22	France	65.0m
23	Italy	60.6m
24	S. Africa	57.8m
25	Tanzania	56.3m
26	Myanmar (Burma)	53.7m
27	Kenya	51.4m
	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
4	Singapore	83.21
5	Switzerland	83.13
6	Spain	82.77
7	Iceland	82.72
8	Israel	82.56
9	Australia	82.54
10	France	82.36
11	Sweden	82.35
12	Canada	82.22
	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
	...
86	Nicaragua	2.52
87	Belarus	1.47
88	Slovenia	1.47
89	Italy	1.47
90	Cyprus	1.46
91	Moldova	1.46
92	Cuba	1.45
93	India	2.55
	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
	...
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
185	Japan	53.1
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₇
Pos.		%₁₇
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
56	Belgium	11.1%
57	Greece	10.9%
58	Malta	10.6%
59	Italy	10.0%
60	Gambia	9.8%
61	Dominica	9.2%
62	Serbia	9.1%
63	Ivory Coast	9.0%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
96	Guatemala	6.1%
97	Brunei	6.0%
98	Netherlands	6.0%
99	Italy	5.8%
100	Benin	5.8%
101	Laos	5.7%
102	Turkey	5.6%
103	Comoros	5.6%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #human_rights #Italy #politics #tolerance

Italy performs very well in ensuring human rights and freedom compared to most other countries. Italy comes in the best 20 in commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₁₉, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₀ and in opposing gender inequality₂₁. And finally, it does better than average in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₂, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₃, speed of uptake of HR treaties₂₄, LGBT equality₂₅ and in supporting press freedom₂₆ (but high for Europe). In 2017, "parliament adopted a law finally making torture a crime, but with a definition and statute of limitations that do not meet international standards"₂₇. The United Nations made specific recommendations in 2017 that Italy creates "stronger measures against gender-based violence [and stronger] anti-trafficking mechanisms"₂₇.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Italy

5. Italy's Health

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

Health (2020)₂₈_,₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₈_,₂₉
1	Hong Kong	18.0
2	Singapore	41.5
3	Maldives	43.3
	...
13	Mauritius	64.5
14	Switzerland	65.6
15	Finland	65.9
16	Italy	66.4
17	Bangladesh	68.5
18	Spain	69.1
19	N. Korea	69.6
20	Thailand	70.4
21	Qatar	71.1
	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 Maldives₂₈. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea₂₈.

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 Europe₂₈, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Polynesia₂₈.

Health:

Italy does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Italy comes in the best 20 for its average life expectancy₁₂ (the highest in Europe), its adolescent birth rate₂₁ and in its fertility rate₁₅. It does better than average in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₀, its suicide rate₃₁ and in its immunizations take-up₃₂. Italy does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in its alcohol consumption rate₃₃ (still good for Europe) and in its smoking rate₃₄. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over 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
4	Singapore	83.21
5	Switzerland	83.13
6	Spain	82.77
7	Iceland	82.72
8	Israel	82.56
9	Australia	82.54
10	France	82.36
11	Sweden	82.35
12	Canada	82.22
	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
	...
109	Mongolia	7.4
110	Albania	7.5
111	Burundi	7.5
112	Italy	7.5
113	Norway	7.5
114	Kazakhstan	7.7
115	Congo, (Brazzaville)	7.8
116	Brazil	7.8
	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
	...
86	Nicaragua	2.52
87	Belarus	1.47
88	Slovenia	1.47
89	Italy	1.47
90	Cyprus	1.46
91	Moldova	1.46
92	Cuba	1.45
93	India	2.55
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₄
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₄
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
	...
152	Kuwait	1 517
151	Bulgaria	1 505
150	Germany	1 480
149	Italy	1 443
148	Poland	1 396
147	Netherlands	1 396
146	Saudi Arabia	1 395
145	Cuba	1 392
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₃₁
Pos.		Per 100k₃₁
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
33	Panama	10.9
34	Nicaragua	11.6
35	Costa Rica	12.1
36	Italy	12.8
37	Macedonia	13.5
38	Mauritius	13.7
39	UK	13.9
40	Ecuador	14.1
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
21	Japan	21
22	Spain	22
23	France	23
24	Italy	24
25	Qatar	25
26	Oman	26
27	Estonia	27
28	Austria	28
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₅
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
124	Poland	58.3
125	Ukraine	58.4
126	Cuba	58.5
127	Italy	58.5
128	Luxembourg	58.7
129	Panama	58.8
130	Suriname	58.9
131	Colombia	59.0
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₁
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₁
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
11	Sweden	5.7
12	Norway	5.9
13	Luxembourg	5.9
14	Italy	6.0
15	Iceland	6.1
16	Libya	6.2
17	Finland	6.5
18	Germany	6.7
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₃₂
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₃₂
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
83	Lithuania	93.9
84	Estonia	93.9
85	N. Korea	93.8
86	Italy	93.8
87	Austria	93.8
88	Argentina	93.7
89	Bulgaria	93.7
90	Serbia	93.5
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Italy's Modernity and Learning

#education #english #intelligence #it_security #maths #modernity #politics #religion #research #science #technology #the_internet

Modernity and Learning (2020)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₆
1	Finland	8.0
2	Belgium	9.1
3	Denmark	10.0
	...
31	Spain	28.8
32	Greece	29.3
33	Lithuania	30.5
34	Italy	33.5
35	Argentina	33.7
36	Russia	37.1
37	Slovakia	38.9
38	Turkey	40.0
39	Croatia	40.0
	World Avg	69.0
q=180.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₃₇
2	Israel	4.11₃₇
3	Japan	3.58₃₇
	...
23	Ireland	1.52₃₇
24	Estonia	1.43₃₇
25	Hungary	1.37₃₇
26	Italy	1.29₃₇
27	Portugal	1.28₃₇
28	Luxembourg	1.26₃₇
29	Spain	1.22₃₇
30	Russia	1.19₃₇
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₃₈
Pos.		Higher is better₃₈
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
	...
58	Malaysia	80.8%
59	Cyprus	80.3%
60	Singapore	79.6%
61	Italy	79.6%
62	Hong Kong	79.4%
63	Chile	79.3%
64	China	78.6%
65	Belize	78.6%
	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
	...
28	Portugal	16.3
29	Austria	16.3
30	USA	16.3
31	Italy	16.2
32	Switzerland	16.2
33	Canada	16.1
34	Estonia	16.1
35	Israel	16.0
	World Avg	13.2
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
38	USA	38
39	Portugal	39
40	Spain	40
41	Italy	41
42	Slovakia	42
43	Marshall Islands	43
44	S. Korea	44
45	Morocco	45
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading (2015)₄₀
Pos.		Higher is better Score₄₀
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
	...
30	Czechia	1472
31	USA	1463
32	Latvia	1460
33	Italy	1456
34	Luxembourg	1450
35	Iceland	1443
36	Croatia	1426
37	Lithuania	1425
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity (2009)₄₁
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₁
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
34	Singapore	70
35	Montenegro	71
36	Greece	71
37	Italy	72
38	Moldova	72
39	Kyrgyzstan	72
40	Armenia	73
41	Mexico	73
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

IQ (2006)₄₂
Pos.		Higher is better₄₂
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
4	Japan	105
5	Taiwan	105
6	China	105
7	Italy	102
8	Iceland	101
9	Switzerland	101
10	Mongolia	101
11	Netherlands	100
12	Norway	100
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)₄₃
Pos.		Higher is better₄₃
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
64	Brazil	66%
65	St Kitts & Nevis	66%
66	Dominica	66%
67	Italy	66%
68	Uruguay	65%
69	Antigua & Barbuda	65%
70	Greece	65%
71	Saudi Arabia	65%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

Freedom On The Internet (2012)₄₄
Pos.		Lower is better₄₄
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
4	Australia	18
5	Hungary	19
6	Philippines	23
7	Italy	23
8	UK	25
9	S. Africa	26
10	Argentina	26
11	Ukraine	27
12	Brazil	27
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

IT Security (2013)₄₅
Pos.		Lower is better₄₅
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
	...
47	British Virgin Islands	1.08
48	Mali	1.12
49	France	1.13
50	Italy	1.15
51	Vietnam	1.15
52	Nigeria	1.18
53	Mauritania	1.19
54	Azerbaijan	1.21
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₄₆
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₄₆
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
41	Sri Lanka	2.9
42	Latvia	2.2
43	Israel	1.8
44	Italy	1.7
45	Argentina	1.4
46	Faroe Islands	1.4
47	Russia	1.3
48	Bulgaria	1.3
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

Personal Charitability (World Position, 2013-2016)₄₇
Pos.		Lower is better₄₇
1	Myanmar (Burma)	1.25
2	USA	1.5
3	New Zealand	3.5
	...
69	Namibia	61
70	Bolivia	61.5
71	Honduras	61.75
72	Italy	63.5
73	Botswana	63.75
74	Ghana	63.75
75	Spain	64
76	Sudan	64
	World Avg	68.1185897435897
q=156.

Corruption (2012-2016)₄₈
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score₄₈
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
65	Lesotho	45.2
66	Romania	44.8
67	Kuwait	44.2
68	Italy	43.8
69	S. Africa	43.6
70	Montenegro	43.2
71	Sao Tome & Principe	42.8
72	Macedonia	42.2
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Happiness (2018)₄₉
Pos.		Higher is better₄₉
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
	...
44	Uzbekistan	6.1
45	Kuwait	6.1
46	Thailand	6.1
47	Italy	6.0
48	Ecuador	6.0
49	Belize	6.0
50	Lithuania	6.0
51	Slovenia	5.9
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity and Culture (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
23	Lithuania	23
24	St Lucia	24
25	Canada	25
26	Italy	26
27	Mauritius	27
28	Malta	28
29	Singapore	29
30	Spain	30
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
33	Mongolia	33
34	Spain	34
35	UK	35
36	Italy	36
37	Estonia	37
38	Cyprus	38
39	Bulgaria	39
40	Turkey	40
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

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

Global Peace Index (2012)₅₀
Pos.		Lower is better₅₀
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
35	Croatia	1.65
36	Costa Rica	1.66
37	Laos	1.66
38	Italy	1.69
39	Bulgaria	1.70
40	France	1.71
41	Estonia	1.72
42	S. Korea	1.73
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
52	Finland	52
53	France	53
54	Australia	54
55	Italy	55
56	Mauritius	56
57	Zambia	57
58	Romania	58
59	Vietnam	59
	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
	...
11	Canada	11
12	UK	12
13	Belgium	13
14	Italy	14
15	Spain	15
16	France	16
17	Cyprus	17
18	Slovenia	18
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₅₁
Pos.		Lower is better Score₅₁
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
85	Rwanda	2.95
86	Nicaragua	2.95
87	Jordan	3.09
88	Italy	3.11
89	Paraguay	3.12
90	Bahrain	3.20
91	Tanzania	3.27
92	Spain	3.35
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₅₂
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₂
1	Iceland	205.6
2	Bahrain	144.4
3	Uruguay	131.3
	...
24	Greece	22.9
25	Philippines	22.7
26	Lesotho	22.5
27	Italy	22.5
28	Turkey	21.8
29	Iran	17.8
30	France	17.7
31	Algeria	17.3
	World Avg	02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₅₃
Pos.		Higher is better₅₃
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
13	Germany	78.4
14	Norway	77.5
15	Belgium	77.4
16	Italy	77.0
17	New Zealand	76.0
18	Netherlands	75.5
19	Israel	75.0
20	Japan	74.7
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency (2014)₅₄
Pos.		Higher is better₅₄
1	Hong Kong	26.32
2	Sri Lanka	20.00
3	Panama	17.86
	...
16	Philippines	13.51
17	Luxembourg	13.33
18	Bangladesh	13.16
19	Italy	13.16
20	Cyprus	12.99
21	Morocco	12.66
22	Albania	12.50
23	Spain	12.50
	World Avg	09.29
q=119.

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
	...
53	Sri Lanka	1994 Jun 21
54	Ethiopia	1994 Jul 04
55	Dominica	1994 Jul 05
56	Italy	1994 Jul 14
57	Bangladesh	1994 Aug 01
58	Luxembourg	1994 Aug 07
59	Georgia	1994 Aug 31
60	Egypt	1994 Aug 31
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment (2011)₅₅
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₅
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
39	Burkina Faso	50.5%
40	Dominican Rep.	50.2%
41	Thailand	49.9%
42	Italy	49.6%
43	Vietnam	49.1%
44	Honduras	48.1%
45	Iran	47.9%
46	Turkey	47.4%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

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

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₅₆
Pos.		Higher is worse₅₆
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
	...
16	Ireland	3.40
15	Luxembourg	3.40
14	Israel	3.30
13	Italy	3.10
12	Netherlands	3.10
11	Spain	3.00
10	S. Korea	3.00
9	Norway	3.00
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) (2017)₅₇
Pos.		Lower is better %₅₇
1	Ukraine	25.0
2	Belarus	25.4
3	Slovenia	25.4
	...
58	Burkina Faso	35.3
59	Liberia	35.3
60	Sudan	35.4
61	Italy	35.4
62	Portugal	35.5
63	Macedonia	35.6
64	India	35.7
65	Australia	35.8
	World Avg	38.1
q=152.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#afterlife #belief #buddhism #christianity #god #heaven #hell #hinduism #islam #italy #judaism #religion #religion_in_italy #universalism

Religiosity (2009)₄₁
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₁
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
34	Singapore	70
35	Montenegro	71
36	Greece	71
37	Italy	72
38	Moldova	72
39	Kyrgyzstan	72
40	Armenia	73
41	Mexico	73
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)₅₈
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₈
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
46	Kyrgyzstan	7
47	Cambodia	7
48	Moldova	6
49	Italy	6
50	Laos	5
51	Ireland	5
52	Mozambique	5
53	Zimbabwe	4
	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 below₅₉:

Christian	83.3%
Muslim	3.7%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.2%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	12.4%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 87.5% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 72% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

"Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Christian 80% (overwhelming Roman Catholic with very small groups of Jehova Witnesses and Protestants), Muslims NEGL (about 700,000 but growing), Atheists and Agnostics 20%₆₀.

The Afterlife: Ipsos-NA in 2011 gathered some statistics on Italy₆₁. Despite the large numbers of Christians, not many have traditional beliefs in the afterlife - just 21%. More people don't know what to believe (25%). Some believe that upon death, you simply cease to exist (24%). Also, 2% specifically believe in heaven but not in hell (which is nice - making them possible "universalists"). 4% believe in reincarnation.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: Italian law has a definite bias towards Catholic Christianity₆₂. Although the constitution protects freedom of religion and belief, blasphemy laws are specifically used to the favour of Christians, and the education system is somewhat biased - all classrooms in state schools must display crucifixes, for example₆₂, which can only ever entrench prejudice and discrimination at the social level.

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