Liechtenstein (Principality of Liechtenstein)

Liechtenstein Principality of Liechtenstein
Status	Independent State
Capital	Vaduz
Land Area	160km21
Location	Europe
Population	36 584 (2011)2
Life Expectancy	80.16yrs (2017)3
GNI	$75 065 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	LI, LIE, 4385
Internet Domain	.li6
Currency	Franc (CHF)7
Telephone	+4238

1. Overview
2. Liechtenstein National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom
5. Religion and Beliefs
6. The Internet
7. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
8. Links

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1. Overview

#switzerland

“The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719. Occupied by both French and Russian troops during the Napoleonic Wars, it became a sovereign state in 1806 and joined the Germanic Confederation in 1815. Liechtenstein became fully independent in 1866 when the Confederation dissolved. Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to enter into a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral), the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. In 2000, shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight resulted in concerns about the use of financial institutions for money laundering. However, Liechtenstein implemented anti-money laundering legislation and a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US that went into effect in 2003.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“With a history and monarchy as story-book as its melodious mountain scenery, rich old Liechtenstein puts a whole new perspective on `doing a country´. If Liechtenstein didn´t exist, someone would have invented it. A tiny mountain principality governed by an iron-willed monarch in the heart of 21st-century Europe, it certainly has novelty value. Only 25km long by 12km wide (at its broadest point) - just larger than Manhattan - Liechtenstein doesn´t have an international airport, and access from Switzerland is by local bus. However, the country is a rich banking state and, we are told, the world´s largest exporter of false teeth.

Most blaze through Liechtenstein en route to Switzerland, stopping only for snapshots of the castle and a souvenir passport stamp. That´s a shame, as the country has an overwhelming amount of natural beauty for its size. Strike out into the Alpine wilderness beyond Vaduz and, suddenly, this landlocked sliver of a micro-nation no longer seems quite so small.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Liechtenstein National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
12	Hong Kong	12
13	New Zealand	13
14	Sweden	14
15	Liechtenstein	15
16	UK	16
17	Japan	17
18	Korea, S.	18
19	Israel	19
	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
	...
50	Andorra	60.0
51	Monaco	59.9
52	Argentina	59.7
53	Liechtenstein	59.1
54	S. Africa	59.0
55	Bhutan	58.6
56	UAE	58.5
57	Brazil	58.5
	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

#health #immigration #Liechtenstein #life_expectancy #population

Emigrants (2010)13
Pos.		%13
1	Dominica	104.8
2	Palestine	68.4
3	Samoa	67.3
	...
32	Belarus	18.4
33	Eritrea	18.0
34	Croatia	17.1
35	Liechtenstein	17.1
36	Cyprus	17.0
37	Marshall Islands	16.6
38	Ireland	16.1
39	Belize	16.1
	World Avg	11.5
q=192.

Immigrants (2010)13
Pos.		%13
1	Qatar	86.5
2	Monaco	71.6
3	UAE	70.0
	...
12	San Marino	37.0
13	Brunei	36.4
14	Luxembourg	35.2
15	Liechtenstein	34.6
16	Oman	28.4
17	Palau	28.1
18	Saudi Arabia	27.8
19	Australia	25.7
	World Avg	9.2
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)14
Pos.		Higher is better Years14
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
29	Slovenia	80.58
30	Denmark	80.41
31	Cyprus	80.33
32	Liechtenstein	80.16
33	Costa Rica	79.61
34	Cuba	79.57
35	Lebanon	79.54
36	USA	79.22
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)15
Pos.		The Overpopulation of the Earth15
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
187	Dominica	67 665
188	Marshall Islands	55 717
189	St Kitts & Nevis	53 697
190	Liechtenstein	36 584
191	Monaco	35 444
192	San Marino	31 945
193	Palau	20 758
194	Nauru	10 370
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Liechtenstein's population is predicted to rise to 41 553 by 2030.

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

4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom

#china #equality #freedom #human_rights #Liechtenstein #politics #russia #tolerance

Liechtenstein does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Liechtenstein comes in the top 20 in supporting press freedom₁₆. It does better than average in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₇ and in LGBT equality₁₈. Human Rights Watch has declared that Liechtenstein "has worked incredibly hard, beyond all expectations given its size and resources, to establish routes to combat mass genocide at the United Nations in circumstances where investigations are being blocked by countries such as Russia and China"₁₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Liechtenstein

5. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

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 below₂₀:

Christian	91.9%
Muslim	5%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	2.9%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic (official) 76.2%, Protestant 7%, unknown 10.6%, other 6.2% (June 2002)₂₁.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union produced a report in 2012 entitled "Freedom of Thought" (2012)₂₂, in which they document bias and prejudice at the national level that is based on religion, belief and/or lack of belief. Their entry for Liechtenstein states:

“The constitution and other laws and policies protect freedom of religion or belief. However, the constitution makes the Catholic Church the "National Church" of the country, and as such it enjoys the full protection of the state. The government gives money not only to the Catholic Church, but also to other denominations. Catholic and Protestant churches receive regular annual contributions from the government in proportion to membership as determined in the 2000 census; smaller religious groups are eligible to apply for grants for associations of foreigners or specific projects. Religious education is part of the curriculum at public schools. Catholic or Protestant religious education is compulsory in all primary schools. The curriculum for Catholic confessional education is determined by the Roman Catholic Church with only a minor complementary supervisory role by the municipalities. At the secondary school level, parents and pupils choose between traditional confessional education organized by their religious community and the nonconfessional (secular) subject "Religion and Culture." Since its introduction in 2003, 90 percent of Catholic pupils have chosen the non-confessional subject.”

"Freedom of Thought" by IHEU (2012)₂₃

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems

6. The Internet

#internet #Liechtenstein #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)24
Pos.		Higher is better24
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
4	Bermuda	97%
5	Andorra	97%
6	Denmark	96%
7	Liechtenstein	96%
8	Luxembourg	95%
9	Netherlands	94%
10	Sweden	93%
11	Monaco	93%
12	UK	93%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)25
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio25
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
77	Croatia	0.1
78	Costa Rica	0.1
79	Serbia	0.1
80	Liechtenstein	0.0
81	Cyprus	0.0
82	Philippines	0.0
83	Macedonia	0.0
84	Pakistan	0.0
	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.

7. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries

There isn't much information in the database for Liechtenstein, most likely because it is either a part of another country (i.e., a territory or posession) and therefore most international statistics are counted for the country as a whole, or, this is such an exotic place that little data exists about it.