Kuwait (State of Kuwait)

http://www.humantruth.info/kuwait.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Kuwait State of Kuwait
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	91st best
Capital	Kuwait
Land Area	17 820km²₁
Location	Asia, The Middle East
Population	4.1m₂
Life Expectancy	78.67yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$52 920 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	KW, KWT, 414₅
Internet Domain	.kw₆
Currency	Dinar (KWD)₇
Telephone	+965₈

1. Overview

#iraq #islam #UK

“Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for the ruling Kuwaiti AL-SABAH dynasty from 1899 until independence in 1961. Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led, UN coalition began a ground assault on 23 February 1991 that liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91. The AL-SABAH family has ruled since returning to power in 1991 and reestablished an elected legislature that in recent years has become increasingly assertive. The country witnessed the historic election in May 2009 of four women to its National Assembly. Amid the 2010-11 uprisings and protests across the Arab world, stateless Arabs, known as bidoon, staged small protests in February and March 2011 demanding citizenship, jobs, and other benefits available to Kuwaiti nationals. Youth activist groups - supported by opposition legislators and the prime minister's rivals within the ruling family - rallied repeatedly in 2011 for an end to corruption and the ouster of the prime minister and his cabinet. Opposition legislators forced the prime minister to resign in late 2011. In October-December 2012, Kuwait witnessed unprecedented protests in response to the Amir's changes to the electoral law by decree reducing the number of votes per person from four to one. The opposition, led by a coalition of Sunni Islamists, tribalists, some liberals, and myriad youth groups, boycotted the December 2012 legislative election, resulting in a historic number of Shia candidates winning seats. Since 2006, the Amir has dissolved the National Assembly on five occasions (the Constitutional Court annulled the Assembly once in June 2012) and reshuffled the cabinet 12 times, usually citing political stagnation and gridlock between the legislature and the government.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Long an oasis in the parched desert, Kuwait is now at the vanguard of political change and cultural development in the Gulf. Kuwait, in the cradle of one of the most ancient and most contested corners of the world, is best described as a city state. For centuries Kuwait City has been like a magnet, attracting Bedouin people from the interior in search of a sea breeze and escape from recurring drought. Today the metropolis is still an oasis in a land of desert plains, but rather more of the cultural and culinary kind. Excellent museums, a corniche of combed beaches and lively restaurants, malls and souqs mark the Kuwait City experience.
Outside the capital there are few attractions other than coastal resorts. Oil excavation dominates the flat desert plains and there are few distinctive geographical features. That said, there is always something to see in a desert, with a bit of patience and an eye for detail; when it comes to the ritual camping expedition, Kuwaitis have plenty of both.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Kuwait National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Value₁₁
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
4	Hong Kong	0.952
5	Australia	0.951
	...
47	Argentina	0.842
48	Turkey	0.838
49	Montenegro	0.832
50	Kuwait	0.831
51	Brunei	0.829
52	Russia	0.822
	Asia Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₁
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
4	Luxembourg	$84 649
5	Ireland	$76 169
	...
15	Germany	$54 534
16	Sweden	$54 489
17	Austria	$53 619
18	Kuwait	$52 920
19	San Marino	$52 654
20	Belgium	$52 293
	Asia Avg	$22 215
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₂_,₁₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂_,₁₃
1	Taiwan	28.6
2	Norway	29.4
3	Denmark	31.2
4	Sweden	32.2
5	Finland	32.6
	...
88	Morocco	84.3
89	Uzbekistan	84.5
90	Kazakhstan	85.3
91	Kuwait	85.3
92	Guatemala	85.8
93	Dominican Rep.	86.0
	Asia Avg	87.1
	World Avg	86.1
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. Kuwait's Demographics and Migration

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

Population:

Kuwait's population is predicted to fall to 4 012 000 by 2030. Developed countries with falling populations face a pension's crises, whereby an increasingly ageing population must be cared for by fewer and fewer workers. Economic stability can be maintained by increasing foreign workers from younger countries. This country has a fertility rate of 2.27. 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
4	Indonesia	267.7m
5	Pakistan	212.2m
	...
126	Mauritania	4.4m
127	Panama	4.2m
128	Croatia	4.2m
129	Kuwait	4.1m
130	Moldova	4.1m
131	Georgia	4.0m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
4	Australia	84.5
5	Switzerland	84.0
	...
37	Bahrain	78.8
38	Thailand	78.7
39	UAE	78.7
40	Kuwait	78.7
41	Antigua & Barbuda	78.5
42	China	78.2
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₄
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
	...
39	Mexico	2.25
40	Sri Lanka	2.26
41	Armenia	1.74
42	Kuwait	2.27
43	Bhutan	2.27
44	Jamaica	2.28
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₅
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₅
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
4	Burkina Faso	04.7
5	Sierra Leone	04.8
	...
42	Central African Rep.	06.8
43	Sudan	06.8
44	Mauritania	06.8
45	Kuwait	06.8
46	Congo, (Brazzaville)	07.0
47	Solomon Islands	07.0
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₆
Pos.		%₁₆
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
4	Liechtenstein	65.1%
5	Monaco	54.9%
6	Andorra	53.3%
7	Bahrain	48.4%
8	Singapore	46.0%
9	Luxembourg	45.3%
10	Oman	44.7%
11	Hong Kong	39.1%
12	Saudi Arabia	37.0%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₇
Pos.		%₁₇
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
4	Grenada	65.5%
5	St Kitts & Nevis	61.1%
	...
74	Morocco	9.3%
75	Sri Lanka	9.1%
76	Somalia	8.7%
77	Kuwait	8.5%
78	Ecuador	8.3%
79	Poland	8.3%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #kuwait #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₈_,₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈_,₁₉
1	Sweden	9.2
2	Norway	14.7
3	Denmark	14.7
4	Netherlands	15.8
5	New Zealand	17.5
	...
129	Bahamas	105.3
130	Antigua & Barbuda	105.4
131	Dominica	105.6
132	Kuwait	106.7
133	Nigeria	107.1
134	Togo	107.8
	Asia Avg	99.8
	World Avg	87.7
q=199.

Kuwait is very poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world, and it has cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Kuwait does better than average in opposing gender inequality₂₀ and in supporting press freedom₂₁. It is one of the few Gulf states that constructively allows Human Rights Watch to engage directly in making observations. But unfortunately Kuwait gets most other things wrong. It does worse than average when it comes to the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₂₂, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₃ (still good for Asia), speed of uptake of HR treaties₂₄, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₅, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₆ and in freethought₂₇. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₈ (amongst the highest in Asia) and in LGBT equality₂₉ (one of the worst in Asia). Native Bidun peoples are oppressed and abused₃₀. Free speech is overly restricted and dissenters and political opponents are frequently harassed and persecuted, often in the name of national security₃₀. Despite making some positive reforms, more needs to be done to protect migrant workers (who make up 2/3 of the population) against abuse and forced labour₃₀. Kuwait does not accept the concept of freedom of belief and religious persecution is rife₃₁; anyone convicted of insulting Islam cannot run for office nor vote₃₀. Male homosexuality is punishable by up to seven years in prison or expulsion₃₀. Kuwait has participated in coalition battles in Yemen, and has possibly been involved in some attacks which constituted serious war crimes there₃₀.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Kuwait

5. Kuwait's Health

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

Compared to Asia (2020)₃₂_,₃₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₂_,₃₃
1	Hong Kong	18.3
2	Maldives	41.0
3	Singapore	42.6
4	Japan	51.0
5	S. Korea	51.3
	...
12	N. Korea	65.0
13	Thailand	65.3
14	Bangladesh	66.8
15	Kuwait	67.1
16	Uzbekistan	68.4
17	Saudi Arabia	69.3
18	Qatar	70.6
	Asia Avg	80.1
q=50.

Health (2020)₃₂_,₃₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₂_,₃₃
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Hong Kong	18.3
3	Maldives	41.0
4	Singapore	42.6
5	Japan	51.0
	...
17	Finland	65.3
18	Switzerland	65.6
19	Bangladesh	66.8
20	Kuwait	67.1
21	Italy	67.5
22	Uzbekistan	68.4
23	Saudi Arabia	69.3
	World Avg	93.5
q=196.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Hong Kong and The Maldives₃₂. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, S. Sudan and Palau₃₂.

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 The Mediterranean₃₂, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa₃₂.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

Public health in Kuwait is very good. Kuwait performs the best for its alcohol consumption rate₃₄. It comes in the best 20 when it comes to its suicide rate₃₅. It does better than average in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₆, its immunizations take-up₃₇, its adolescent birth rate₂₀, its average life expectancy₁₁ and in its fertility rate₁₄. But, things could still be better. Kuwait does worse than average in terms of its smoking rate₃₈. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the last 40 years.

Life Expectancy (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
4	Australia	84.5
5	Switzerland	84.0
	...
37	Bahrain	78.8
38	Thailand	78.7
39	UAE	78.7
40	Kuwait	78.7
41	Antigua & Barbuda	78.5
42	China	78.2
	Asia Avg	73.48
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₄
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
4	Mauritania	0.0
5	Somalia	0.0
6	Yemen	0.1
7	Afghanistan	0.2
8	Saudi Arabia	0.2
9	Syria	0.3
10	Pakistan	0.3
11	Kiribati	0.4
12	Iraq	0.4
	Asia Avg	3.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₄
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
	...
39	Mexico	2.25
40	Sri Lanka	2.26
41	Armenia	1.74
42	Kuwait	2.27
43	Bhutan	2.27
44	Jamaica	2.28
	Asia Avg	2.46
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₈
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₈
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
179	Macedonia	2 732
178	Russia	2 690
	...
155	Slovakia	1 618
154	Turkey	1 581
153	Armenia	1 545
152	Kuwait	1 517
151	Bulgaria	1 505
150	Germany	1 480
	Asia Avg	1 035
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₃₅
Pos.		Per 100k₃₅
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
	Asia Avg	19.50
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₆
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
4	UK	4
5	Norway	5
	...
17	New Zealand	17
18	Jordan	18
19	S. Korea	19
20	Kuwait	20
21	Japan	21
22	Spain	22
	Asia Avg	64.4
	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
4	Ethiopia	20.9
5	Nepal	21.0
	...
178	Jordan	69.6
179	Saudi Arabia	69.7
180	Qatar	71.7
181	Kuwait	73.4
182	Micronesia	75.9
183	Samoa	77.6
	Asia Avg	44.3
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₀
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₀
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
4	Hong Kong	3.2
5	Slovenia	3.8
	...
30	Croatia	9.5
31	Israel	9.7
32	Canada	9.8
33	Kuwait	9.8
34	Portugal	9.9
35	Czechia	9.9
	Asia Avg	29.9
	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
4	Niue	98.8
5	Mongolia	98.7
	...
20	Thailand	97.8
21	Mauritius	97.6
22	Fiji	97.6
23	Kuwait	97.5
24	Morocco	97.5
25	Monaco	97.3
	Asia Avg	90.5
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Kuwait's Modernity and Learning

#education #intelligence #it_security #modernity #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to Asia (2020)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Taiwan	10.0
2	Japan	21.9
3	S. Korea	24.0
4	Singapore	27.9
5	Israel	32.2
	...
24	India	73.8
25	Qatar	75.5
26	Bahrain	75.6
27	Kuwait	77.6
28	Sri Lanka	79.6
29	Jordan	81.1
30	Philippines	81.8
	Asia Avg	79.0
q=51.

Modernity and Learning (2020)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Finland	8.4
2	Taiwan	10.0
3	Switzerland	15.1
4	Estonia	15.8
5	Denmark	16.0
	...
92	Qatar	75.5
93	Bahrain	75.6
94	Colombia	77.1
95	Kuwait	77.6
96	Sri Lanka	79.6
97	Kenya	79.8
98	Bahamas	80.0
	World Avg	83.2
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₄₀
2	Israel	4.11₄₀
3	Japan	3.58₄₀
4	Finland	3.17₄₀
5	Sweden	3.16₄₀
	...
77	Bosnia & Herzegovina	0.33₄₁
78	Iran	0.31₄₂
79	Nepal	0.30₄₂
80	Kuwait	0.30₄₁
81	Pakistan	0.29₄₁
82	Zambia	0.28₄₃
	Asia Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₄₄
Pos.		Higher is better₄₄
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
4	Canada	100.0%
5	Finland	100.0%
	...
107	Ecuador	51.9%
108	Tunisia	51.8%
109	India	51.6%
110	Kuwait	51.5%
111	Congo, DR	50.7%
112	Macedonia	49.8%
	Asia Avg	66.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2021)₄₅
Pos.		Higher is better Years₄₅
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
4	Belgium	19.6
5	Sweden	19.4
	...
51	St Kitts & Nevis	15.4
52	Tunisia	15.4
53	Peru	15.4
54	Kuwait	15.3
55	Japan	15.2
56	Liechtenstein	15.2
	Asia Avg	13.5
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₆
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
4	Denmark	4
5	UK	5
	...
124	Chad	124
125	Brunei	125
126	Ivory Coast	126
127	Kuwait	127
128	Vietnam	128
129	Azerbaijan	129
	Asia Avg	97.1
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Religiosity (2018)₄₆
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₆
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
4	Switzerland	9
5	Denmark	9
6	Germany	10
7	UK	10
8	Sweden	10
9	Japan	10
10	Finland	10
11	Latvia	11
12	France	11
	Asia Avg	55.8
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ (2006)₄₇
Pos.		Higher is better₄₇
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
4	Japan	105
5	Taiwan	105
	...
67	Indonesia	87
68	Turkmenistan	87
69	Uzbekistan	87
70	Kuwait	86
71	Philippines	86
72	Yemen	85
	Asia Avg	90.4
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

“The Cybercrime Law, which went into effect in 2016, includes far-reaching restrictions on internet-based speech, such as prison sentences, and fines for insulting religion, religious figures, and the emir.”
"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₃₀

Internet Users (2016)₄₈
Pos.		Higher is better₄₈
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
4	Bermuda	97%
5	Andorra	97%
	...
36	Ireland	81%
37	Barbados	80%
38	Hungary	80%
39	Kuwait	80%
40	Malta	80%
41	Chile	78%
	Asia Avg	48.7%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IT Security (2013)₄₉
Pos.		Lower is better₄₉
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
4	Hong Kong	0.12
5	Mexico	0.16
	...
37	Iran	0.85
38	Laos	0.86
39	Spain	0.88
40	Kuwait	0.93
41	Saudi Arabia	0.93
42	Malaysia	0.96
	Asia Avg	1.08
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₅₀
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₅₀
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
4	USA	35.0
5	Greece	33.5
	...
107	Turkmenistan	0.0
108	Bangladesh	0.0
109	Qatar	0.0
110	Kuwait	0.0
111	Guernsey	0.0
112	Bahamas	0.0
	Asia Avg	2.11
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

World Giving Index (2013-2021)₅₁
Pos.		Lower is better₅₁
1	Myanmar (Burma)	2.7
2	New Zealand	4.0
3	USA	4.7
4	Australia	4.9
5	Indonesia	9.0
	...
19	Malta	23.4
20	Denmark	26.7
21	Nigeria	26.7
22	Kuwait	26.8
23	Malaysia	27.8
24	Thailand	28.9
	Asia Avg	62.5
	World Avg	67.9
q=160.

Corruption (2022)₅₂
Pos.		Higher is better Points₅₂
1	Denmark	90.0
2	Finland	87.0
3	New Zealand	87.0
4	Norway	84.0
5	Singapore	83.0
	...
79	Trinidad & Tobago	42.0
80	Burkina Faso	42.0
81	Solomon Islands	42.0
82	Kuwait	42.0
83	Hungary	42.0
84	Kosovo	41.0
	Asia Avg	39.98
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness (2018)₅₃
Pos.		Higher is better₅₃
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
4	Iceland	7.5
5	Switzerland	7.5
	...
42	Poland	6.1
43	Bahrain	6.1
44	Uzbekistan	6.1
45	Kuwait	6.1
46	Thailand	6.1
47	Italy	6.0
	Asia Avg	5.29
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity and Culture (2017)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₆
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
4	Switzerland	4
5	Sweden	5
	...
107	Uganda	107
108	Lesotho	108
109	Georgia	109
110	Kuwait	110
111	China	111
112	Swaziland	112
	Asia Avg	99.0
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₆
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
4	Netherlands	4
5	Switzerland	5
	...
80	Latvia	80
81	Romania	81
82	Costa Rica	82
83	Kuwait	83
84	Belarus	84
85	Saudi Arabia	85
	Asia Avg	86.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

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

Global Peace Index (2021)₅₄
Pos.		Lower is better₅₄
1	Iceland	1.10
2	New Zealand	1.25
3	Denmark	1.26
4	Portugal	1.27
5	Slovenia	1.32
	...
33	UK	1.66
34	Taiwan	1.66
35	Latvia	1.69
36	Kuwait	1.69
37	Lithuania	1.69
38	Ghana	1.72
	Asia Avg	2.22
	World Avg	2.08
q=163.

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₆
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
4	Egypt	4
5	Nigeria	5
	...
137	Dominica	137
138	Cape Verde	138
139	St Lucia	139
140	Kuwait	140
141	Saudi Arabia	141
142	St Vincent & Grenadines	142
	Asia Avg	76.0
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₆
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
4	Sweden	4
5	Malta	5
	...
78	Sri Lanka	78
79	Algeria	79
80	Ecuador	80
81	Kuwait	81
82	Paraguay	82
83	Sierra Leone	83
	Asia Avg	92.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₅₅
Pos.		Lower is better Score₅₅
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
4	Equatorial Guinea	0.00
5	Cambodia	0.00
	...
73	Japan	2.29
74	Netherlands	2.35
75	Ecuador	2.46
76	Kuwait	2.49
77	Malaysia	2.50
78	Brazil	2.53
	Asia Avg	3.60
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₅₆
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₆
1	Iceland	+205.6
2	Bahrain	+144.4
3	Uruguay	+131.3
4	Kuwait	+81.2
5	Dominican Rep.	+79.5
6	Egypt	+65.9
7	Vietnam	+65.6
8	Ireland	+62.2
9	Tunisia	+61.9
10	Cuba	+56.9
11	Cape Verde	+55.7
12	Rwanda	+50.9
	Asia Avg	+07.0
	World Avg	+02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₅₇
Pos.		Higher is better₅₇
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
4	Malta	80.9
5	Sweden	80.5
	...
58	Tunisia	62.4
59	Azerbaijan	62.3
60	S. Korea	62.3
61	Kuwait	62.3
62	Jordan	62.2
63	Armenia	62.1
	Asia Avg	54.5
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency (2014)₅₈
Pos.		Higher is better₅₈
1	Hong Kong	26.32
2	Sri Lanka	20.00
3	Panama	17.86
4	Colombia	17.54
5	Ireland	17.54
	...
73	Brunei	07.81
74	Armenia	07.69
75	New Zealand	07.63
76	Kuwait	07.58
77	USA	07.58
78	Czechia	07.46
	Asia Avg	09.14
	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
4	Vanuatu	1993 Dec 29
5	Papua New Guinea	1993 Dec 29
	...
181	Libya	2001 Oct 10
182	Saudi Arabia	2002 Jan 01
183	Serbia	2002 May 30
184	Kuwait	2002 Oct 31
185	Bosnia & Herzegovina	2002 Nov 24
186	Afghanistan	2002 Dec 18
	Asia Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment (2011)₅₉
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₉
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
4	Trinidad & Tobago	74.5%
5	Costa Rica	74.2%
	...
128	Norway	20.5%
129	Botswana	20.4%
130	USA	19.7%
131	Kuwait	19.6%
132	Zimbabwe	19.6%
133	Latvia	19.5%
	Asia Avg	37.9%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#health #inequality #life_expectancy

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₆₀
Pos.		Higher is worse₆₀
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
181	Somalia	38.90
180	Nigeria	37.10
	...
49	Bulgaria	6.10
48	Malaysia	6.10
47	Maldives	6.00
46	Kuwait	5.90
45	Qatar	5.70
44	Bahrain	5.50
	Asia Avg	11.80
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #kuwait #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)₄₆
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₆
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
4	Switzerland	9
5	Denmark	9
6	Germany	10
7	UK	10
8	Sweden	10
9	Japan	10
10	Finland	10
11	Latvia	11
12	France	11
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)₆₁
Pos.		Higher is better %₆₁
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
4	Czechia	61
5	Estonia	49
	...
124	Rwanda	0
125	Cameroon	0
126	Philippines	0
127	Kuwait	0
128	Madagascar	0
129	Nigeria	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 below₆₂:

Christian	14.3%
Muslim	74.1%
Hindu	8.5%
Buddhist	2.8%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	0.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Muslim (official) 85% (Sunni 70%, Shia 30%), other (includes Christian, Hindu, Parsi) 15%₆₃.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: Kuwait does not accept the concept of freedom of belief and sociologists Grim & Finke place Kuwait into the worst category for religious persecution, along with just 13 other countries₃₁. Since 2016 anyone convicted of blasphemy against Islam cannot run for office, nor vote₃₀, therefore routinely discriminating against people based on their beliefs.

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