https://www.humantruth.info/middle_east.html
By Vexen Crabtree 2025
#cyprus #human_development #israel #middle_east #morality #qatar #religious_intolerance #syria #the_middle_east #united_arab_emirates #yemen
Social & Moral Development Index1 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better Avg Rank1 | ||
1 | Cyprus | 53.9 | |
2 | Israel | 69.1 | |
3 | Turkey | 79.2 | |
4 | UAE | 81.0 | |
5 | Qatar | 85.3 | |
6 | Kuwait | 86.0 | |
7 | Jordan | 88.8 | |
8 | Bahrain | 91.1 | |
9 | Lebanon | 95.0 | |
10 | Oman | 99.4 | |
... | |||
14 | Syria | 119.1 | |
15 | Iraq | 125.6 | |
16 | Yemen | 126.2 | |
The Middle East Avg | 94.1 | ||
World Avg | 88.6 | ||
q=16. |
Dominated by Muslim countries, the Middle East has severe problems with human rights, gender equality, cultural misogyny, religious tolerance64 and its treatment of LGBT folk.65. The non-Islamic country of Cyprus treats its people the best; but others such as Israel are caught up in long-term conflicts and misbehaviours.
There are 17 locations that fall within this category. By adding up all the known populations that fall within these locations, and summing their physical land areas, we can calculate population densities. Some islands and territories can end up being counted twice depending on how they are classified and divided up politically, but, mostly such errors involve only small populations. So, some data on this collection of countries in total:
#economics #human_development #population #wealth
Pos. | Population (2018) Population2 | Social & Moral Lower is better Avg Rank1 | Gross National Income (2021) Higher is better PPP $3 | UN HDI (2021) Higher is better Value3 | Land Area (2011) km24 | People Per km2 Lower is better | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bahrain | 1.6m | 91.1 | $39 497 | 0.875 | 760 | 2 065 |
2 | Cyprus | 1.2m | 53.9 | $38 188 | 0.896 | 9 240 | 129 |
3 | Egypt | 98.4m | 100.3 | $11 732 | 0.731 | 995 450 | 99 |
4 | Iran | 81.8m | 100.3 | $13 001 | 0.774 | 1 628 550 | 50 |
5 | Iraq | 38.4m | 125.6 | $9 977 | 0.686 | 434 320 | 88 |
6 | Israel | 8.4m | 69.1 | $41 524 | 0.919 | 21 640 | 387 |
7 | Jordan | 10.0m | 88.8 | $9 924 | 0.720 | 88 780 | 112 |
8 | Kuwait | 4.1m | 86.0 | $52 920 | 0.831 | 17 820 | 232 |
9 | Lebanon | 6.9m | 95.0 | $9 526 | 0.706 | 10 230 | 671 |
10 | Oman | 4.8m | 99.4 | $27 054 | 0.816 | 309 500 | 16 |
11 | Qatar | 2.8m | 85.3 | $87 134 | 0.855 | 11 610 | 240 |
12 | Saudi Arabia | 33.7m | 101.6 | $46 112 | 0.875 | 2 149 690 | 16 |
13 | Syria | 16.9m | 119.1 | $4 192 | 0.577 | 183 630 | 92 |
14 | Turkey | 82.3m | 79.2 | $31 033 | 0.838 | 769 630 | 107 |
15 | UAE | 9.6m | 81.0 | $62 574 | 0.911 | 83 600 | 115 |
16 | Yemen | 28.5m | 126.2 | $1 314 | 0.455 | 527 970 | 54 |
17 | Palestine | 4.9m | $6 583 | 0.715 | |||
The Middle East Avg | 25.6m | 94.1 | $28 958 | 0.78 | 452 651 | 56 | |
World Avg | 39.0m | 88.6 | $20 136 | 0.72 | 620 450 | 63 | |
q=17. |
Not showing due to lack of data: Palestine.
This page only shows places where the database has enough data to be able to come to reasonable conclusions about each place. The main focus is on nation states, but, some distinct external territories may be listed if the database has enough information about them. Averages are calculated from as many valid data points as possible, meaning, that some territories and locations that are not listed above may still be used to calculate some of the average values. Some calculations only use Independent State data - hover the cursor over values to see hints.
Links:
#charitability #climate_change #culture #education #equality #freedom #gender_equality #health #human_development #human_rights #modernity #morals #peace #politics #prejudice #technology #the_environment #the_internet #tolerance
Here are each country's overall scores across the categories that make up the Social and Moral Development Index. This is followed by lists of how each country scores in each individual data set.
Pos. | Social & Moral Lower is better Avg Rank1 | Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025) Lower is better Avg Rank5 | Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020) Lower is better Avg Rank6 | Modernity & Learning (2020) Lower is better Avg Rank7 | Health (2025) Lower is better Avg Rank8 | Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025) Lower is better Avg Rank9 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cyprus | 53.9 | 64.8 | 47.4 | 55.6 | 63.1 | 40.5 |
2 | Israel | 69.1 | 95.8 | 68.6 | 29.5 | 70.2 | 65.7 |
3 | Turkey | 79.2 | 75.0 | 86.8 | 55.9 | 78.6 | 87.4 |
4 | UAE | 81.0 | 81.8 | 41.1 | 64.3 | 76.7 | 122.3 |
5 | Qatar | 85.3 | 94.1 | 44.8 | 74.8 | 70.7 | 121.7 |
6 | Kuwait | 86.0 | 100.5 | 66.3 | 74.7 | 66.8 | 108.4 |
7 | Jordan | 88.8 | 63.1 | 65.4 | 86.1 | 109.8 | 111.1 |
8 | Bahrain | 91.1 | 107.9 | 82.3 | 66.2 | 69.3 | 115.4 |
9 | Lebanon | 95.0 | 103.9 | 105.4 | 82.1 | 76.8 | 104.4 |
10 | Oman | 99.4 | 101.8 | 61.8 | 89.8 | 97.7 | 122.9 |
11 | Iran | 100.3 | 79.0 | 103.4 | 78.0 | 88.6 | 136.5 |
12 | Egypt | 100.3 | 78.0 | 93.6 | 80.5 | 117.0 | 118.4 |
13 | Saudi Arabia | 101.6 | 94.9 | 88.4 | 62.0 | 94.9 | 143.6 |
14 | Syria | 119.1 | 77.4 | 124.9 | 126.9 | 122.2 | 137.3 |
15 | Iraq | 125.6 | 102.8 | 116.6 | 124.6 | 139.7 | 138.0 |
16 | Yemen | 126.2 | 71.9 | 130.3 | 141.2 | 148.2 | 134.5 |
The Middle East Avg | 94.1 | 87.62 | 83.93 | 81.41 | 85.97 | 114.30 | |
World Avg | 88.6 | 84.93 | 78.12 | 86.31 | 96.74 | 86.55 | |
q=16. |
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.
For more, see:
#birth_control #demographics #emigration #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #the_middle_east
Population:
Pos. | Population (2018) Population2 | Life Expectancy (2021) Higher is better Years3 | Fertility Rate (2022) 2.0 is best10 | Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016) Lower is better Per 10011 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bahrain | 1.6m | 78.8 | 1.80 | 08.7 |
2 | Cyprus | 1.2m | 81.2 | 1.31 | 26.9 |
3 | Egypt | 98.4m | 70.2 | 2.88 | 10.5 |
4 | Iran | 81.8m | 73.9 | 1.68 | 13.4 |
5 | Iraq | 38.4m | 70.4 | 3.45 | 06.0 |
6 | Israel | 8.4m | 82.3 | 2.89 | 22.9 |
7 | Jordan | 10.0m | 74.3 | 2.79 | 08.0 |
8 | Kuwait | 4.1m | 78.7 | 2.09 | 06.8 |
9 | Lebanon | 6.9m | 75.0 | 2.08 | 21.1 |
10 | Oman | 4.8m | 72.5 | 2.57 | 07.8 |
11 | Qatar | 2.8m | 79.3 | 1.78 | 05.1 |
12 | Saudi Arabia | 33.7m | 76.9 | 2.39 | 09.5 |
13 | Syria | 16.9m | 72.1 | 2.70 | 09.0 |
14 | Turkey | 82.3m | 76.0 | 1.88 | 18.0 |
15 | UAE | 9.6m | 78.7 | 1.44 | 07.7 |
16 | Yemen | 28.5m | 63.8 | 3.72 | 05.7 |
17 | Palestine | 4.9m | 73.5 | 06.5 | |
The Middle East Avg | 25.6m | 75.14 | 2.34 | 11.4 | |
World Avg | 39.0m | 71.28 | 2.47 | 18.3 | |
q=17. |
Migration:
The countries in The Middle East with the highest percent of immigrants in their populations are UAE (88.4%), Kuwait (75.5%) and Qatar (65.2%), although the average for The Middle East is 29%. When it comes to emigration the highest rates are Palestine (68.4%), Cyprus (17.0%) and Lebanon (15.6%). The average regional emigration rate is 10%.
For full commentary and data, see:
#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #energy #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #sustainability #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism
All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.
The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.
For more, see:
Pos. | Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better12 | Environmental Performance (2018) Higher is better13 | Energy to GDP Efficiency (2022) Lower is better Avg14 | International Accords on the Environment Higher is better Avg Rate | Rational Beliefs on the Environment (2011) Higher is better %15 | Meat Consumption (2021) Lower is better kg16 | Green Future Index (2023) Higher is better Score17 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bahrain | 75.2% | 55.2 | 4.19 | 50% | 26.3% | 82.8 | |
2 | Cyprus | 0.5% | 72.6 | 0.92 | 71% | 71.0% | 75.8 | |
3 | Egypt | -20.6% | 61.2 | 0.76 | 63% | 30.1% | 29.1 | 4.0 |
4 | Iran | 15.2% | 58.2 | 2.24 | 64% | 47.9% | 31.6 | 2.6 |
5 | Iraq | 0.9% | 43.2 | 1.24 | 28% | 24.9% | 18.3 | |
6 | Israel | -8.4% | 75.0 | 0.94 | 55% | 27.6% | 107.7 | 4.6 |
7 | Jordan | 0.0% | 62.2 | 1.10 | 69% | 41.4% | 36.0 | |
8 | Kuwait | 28.9% | 62.3 | 2.02 | 49% | 19.6% | 81.3 | 4.1 |
9 | Lebanon | 3.8% | 61.1 | 2.06 | 49% | 54.3% | 36.3 | |
10 | Oman | -16.7% | 51.3 | 2.28 | 48% | 48.0 | ||
11 | Qatar | 0.0% | 67.8 | 1.46 | 51% | 26.5% | 83.0 | 3.4 |
12 | Saudi Arabia | 0.0% | 57.5 | 1.76 | 52% | 27.2% | 55.1 | 4.1 |
13 | Syria | 20.0% | 2.12 | 54% | 26.6% | 17.8 | ||
14 | Turkey | 10.0% | 53.0 | 0.86 | 47% | 47.4% | 43.0 | 3.8 |
15 | UAE | 2.5% | 58.9 | 1.73 | 57% | 20.8% | 84.3 | 4.8 |
16 | Yemen | 0.0% | 0.59 | 48% | 43.2% | 17.8 | ||
17 | Palestine | 11.5% | 0.91 | 19% | 27.5% | |||
The Middle East Avg | 7.2% | 60.0 | 1.60 | 51.5% | 35.1% | 53.0 | 3.9 | |
World Avg | -0.1% | 56.4 | 1.23 | 57.5% | 39.9% | 52.5 | 4.8 | |
q=17. |
#capitalism #charity #corruption #culture #economics #equality #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #life_expectancy #morals #peace #politics #poverty #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism
This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 22 datasets, including multiple decades of data on World Giving Index, resisting corruption, overall happiness, Creativity and Culture, Open Trading, Aid and Development, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, Inequality in Life Expectancy, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.
For more, see:
National Culture:
The Middle East does poorly on fighting corruption compared to the other regions of the world. Syria and Yemen are two of the five most corrupt countries in the world according to Transparency International's 2022 data66. The countries in the region doing the best are the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Qatar.
Pos. | World Giving Index (2022) Higher is better %18 | Corruption (2022) Higher is better Points19 | Happiness (2024) Higher is better Score20 | Creativity & Culture (2017) Lower is better Rank21 | Open Trading, Aid & Development (2017) Lower is better Rank21 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bahrain | 45.0 | 44.0 | 6.0 | 105 | 157 |
2 | Cyprus | 40.0 | 52.0 | 5.9 | 44 | 38 |
3 | Egypt | 23.0 | 30.0 | 3.8 | 123 | 134 |
4 | Iran | 43.0 | 25.0 | 5.1 | 157 | 148 |
5 | Iraq | 37.0 | 23.0 | 5.0 | 156 | 153 |
6 | Israel | 37.0 | 63.0 | 7.2 | 63 | 99 |
7 | Jordan | 32.0 | 47.0 | 4.3 | 91 | 24 |
8 | Kuwait | 42.0 | 6.6 | 110 | 83 | |
9 | Lebanon | 24.0 | 24.0 | 3.2 | 66 | 31 |
10 | Oman | 44.0 | 6.2 | 126 | 75 | |
11 | Qatar | 58.0 | 114 | 61 | ||
12 | Saudi Arabia | 36.0 | 51.0 | 6.6 | 136 | 85 |
13 | Syria | 13.0 | 152 | 147 | ||
14 | Turkey | 40.0 | 36.0 | 5.3 | 75 | 40 |
15 | UAE | 47.0 | 67.0 | 6.8 | 53 | 49 |
16 | Yemen | 16.0 | 3.6 | 155 | 137 | |
17 | Palestine | 4.8 | ||||
The Middle East Avg | 36.7 | 39.69 | 5.36 | 107.9 | 91.3 | |
World Avg | 39.6 | 42.98 | 5.58 | 82.0 | 82.0 | |
q=17. |
Peace Versus Instability:
Pos. | Global Peace Index (2023) Lower is better Score22 | Peacekeeping & Security (2017) Lower is better Rank21 | Refugees & UN Treaties (2017) Lower is better Rank21 | Impact of Terrorism (2019) Lower is better Score23 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bahrain | 2.15 | 159 | 77 | 3.20 |
2 | Cyprus | 1.90 | 73 | 17 | 0.42 |
3 | Egypt | 2.27 | 4 | 120 | 6.79 |
4 | Iran | 2.80 | 83 | 68 | 4.72 |
5 | Iraq | 3.01 | 158 | 115 | 9.24 |
6 | Israel | 2.71 | 123 | 84 | 4.53 |
7 | Jordan | 1.90 | 31 | 111 | 3.09 |
8 | Kuwait | 1.67 | 140 | 81 | 2.49 |
9 | Lebanon | 2.58 | 153 | 76 | 4.40 |
10 | Oman | 1.79 | 11 | 119 | |
11 | Qatar | 1.52 | 36 | 94 | 0.03 |
12 | Saudi Arabia | 2.26 | 141 | 117 | 5.24 |
13 | Syria | 3.29 | 131 | 142 | 8.01 |
14 | Turkey | 2.80 | 78 | 39 | 6.53 |
15 | UAE | 1.98 | 147 | 53 | 0.05 |
16 | Yemen | 3.35 | 157 | 128 | 7.26 |
17 | Palestine | 2.54 | 5.18 | ||
The Middle East Avg | 2.38 | 101.6 | 90.1 | 4.45 | |
World Avg | 2.07 | 82.0 | 82.0 | 2.78 | |
q=17. |
#borders #colonialism #human_development #iran #iraq #religion #sectarianism #south_sudan #sudan #violence #war
Although it improved, Middle East and North Africa remains the least peaceful region in the world for the sixth consecutive year68 according to the Global Peace Index's compendium of statistics. Despite ongoing comments by some leaders and the occasional political theorist that the Middle East's conflicts today are a result of historical colonial empires drawing arbitrary borders, it is in general not true. Europe´s own post-independence borders have just the same arbitrariness, as do many in the world, and yet exist in a settled and peaceful manner69. Many borders, such as in the Balkans, were never set by colonial powers and yet have enduring conflicts. Religious groups and some ethnic groups are simply determined to fight; if there´s a border, they fight over the border. If there is no border, they fight within a single country. The borders themselves are rarely the actual cause of the conflict, nor the solution to it. Also, borders that were set by indigenous processes suffer violence too - for example, the new (2011) border between Sudan and South Sudan remains the most problematic and dangerously violent region in the world70,71, despite the fact that it was defined locally.69. Many borders in the Middle East do follow sensible lines, according to historical precedent and local customs.
“Present-day [borders have] key similarities with the local Ottoman boundaries in place before the French and British arrived. The three separate provinces - Mosul, Baghdad and Basra - that were joined to make Iraq, for example, were often treated as a coherent economic and military area by the Ottoman government [and] going back to the origins of human civilization, had long been recognized in the term Mesopotamia.
Meanwhile, the fact that Iraq's eastern border with Iran followed a line set by the 16th-century conquests of Suleiman the Magnificent didn't prevent the countries from fighting a decade-long conflict over it that killed ten times more people than all the Arab-Israeli wars combined. [...] The only country in the area for which no ancient borders existed was Jordan - it was formed in 1922 from some not-too-desirable bits of arid land as something for Britain's ally, Abdullah, to be king of [and] Jordan has been spared much of the turmoil endured by its less artificial neighbors.”
"Stop Blaming Colonial Borders for the Middle East's Problems"
Nick Danforth (2013)69
Economic Inequality and Poverty:
Pos. | Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019) Lower is better24 | Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) (2023) Lower is better %25 | Multidimensional Poverty (2018) Lower is better Severity26 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bahrain | 5.50 | ||
2 | Cyprus | 3.60 | 31.3%27 | |
3 | Egypt | 11.60 | 31.9%28 | .019 |
4 | Iran | 9.20 | 34.8%29 | |
5 | Iraq | 15.90 | 29.5%30 | .033 |
6 | Israel | 3.30 | 37.9%27 | |
7 | Jordan | 10.60 | 33.7%31 | .002 |
8 | Kuwait | 5.90 | ||
9 | Lebanon | 7.40 | 31.8%32 | |
10 | Oman | 6.70 | ||
11 | Qatar | 5.70 | 35.1%33 | |
12 | Saudi Arabia | 6.40 | ||
13 | Syria | 13.00 | 26.6%29 | .029 |
14 | Turkey | 9.00 | 44.4%27 | |
15 | UAE | 5.20 | 26.4%34 | |
16 | Yemen | 24.70 | 36.7%35 | .241 |
17 | Palestine | 12.00 | 33.7%36 | .004 |
The Middle East Avg | 9.16 | 33.4% | .054 | |
World Avg | 14.59 | 36.5% | .154 | |
q=17. |
#education #english #intelligence #it_security #maths #modernity #politics #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet
The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark37. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone37. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots38.
“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”
Bill Emmott (2017)39
15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe37, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia37.
For more, see:
Modernity and Education:
Pos. | Research & Development (2016) Higher is better % RDP PPP | Secondary Education (2018) Higher is better40 | Length of Schooling (2021) Higher is better Years41 | Intellectual Endeavours (2017) Lower is better Rank21 | Maths, Science & Reading (2015) Higher is better Score42 | Religiosity (2018) Lower is better %43 | IQ (2006) Higher is better44 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bahrain | 0.0445 | 59.6% | 16.3 | 115 | |||
2 | Cyprus | 0.4845 | 80.3% | 15.6 | 31 | 1313 | ||
3 | Egypt | 0.6845 | 65.3% | 13.8 | 60 | 72 | 81 | |
4 | Iran | 0.3146 | 69.8% | 14.6 | 90 | 78 | 84 | |
5 | Iraq | 0.0347 | 48.0% | 12.1 | 162 | 82 | 87 | |
6 | Israel | 4.1148 | 89.1% | 16.1 | 34 | 1416 | 36 | 95 |
7 | Jordan | 0.4349 | 84.0% | 10.6 | 65 | 1197 | 85 | 84 |
8 | Kuwait | 0.3045 | 51.5% | 15.3 | 127 | 86 | ||
9 | Lebanon | 54.9% | 11.3 | 68 | 1129 | 57 | 82 | |
10 | Oman | 0.1745 | 66.4% | 14.6 | 123 | 83 | ||
11 | Qatar | 0.4750 | 67.5% | 12.6 | 145 | 1222 | ||
12 | Saudi Arabia | 0.0751 | 72.8% | 16.1 | 81 | 84 | ||
13 | Syria | 41.0% | 9.2 | 140 | 83 | |||
14 | Turkey | 1.0148 | 53.1% | 18.3 | 55 | 1273 | 68 | |
15 | UAE | 0.4947 | 70.7% | 15.7 | 84 | 1298 | 84 | |
16 | Yemen | 28.0% | 9.1 | 108 | 85 | |||
17 | Palestine | 61.1% | 13.4 | 86 | ||||
The Middle East Avg | 0.66 | 62.5% | 13.8 | 93.0 | 1264 | 70.5 | 84.8 | |
World Avg | 0.84 | 63.0% | 13.5 | 82.0 | 1389 | 54.3 | 85.6 | |
q=17. |
Technology and Information:
Pos. | Internet Users (2016) Higher is better52 | Internet Freedom (2012) Lower is better53 | IT Security (2013) Lower is better54 | IPv6 Uptake (2017) Higher is better Ratio55 | Digital Quality of Life (2024) Higher is better56 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bahrain | 92% | 71 | 0.0 | 51.1% | |
2 | Cyprus | 72% | 0.0 | 61.6% | ||
3 | Egypt | 33% | 59 | 0.4 | 42.5% | |
4 | Iran | 49% | 90 | 0.85 | 0.1 | 32.5% |
5 | Iraq | 13% | 1.84 | 0.0 | ||
6 | Israel | 73% | 0.20 | 1.8 | 65.4% | |
7 | Jordan | 46% | 45 | 0.0 | 42.6% | |
8 | Kuwait | 80% | 0.93 | 0.0 | 44.9% | |
9 | Lebanon | 76% | 0.0 | |||
10 | Oman | 71% | 1.72 | 0.0 | 47.9% | |
11 | Qatar | 92% | 0.65 | 0.0 | 58.6% | |
12 | Saudi Arabia | 65% | 71 | 0.93 | 6.8 | 57.5% |
13 | Syria | 30% | 83 | 0.0 | ||
14 | Turkey | 58% | 46 | 0.52 | 0.3 | 52.2% |
15 | UAE | 92% | 0.3 | 55.8% | ||
16 | Yemen | 25% | 0.0 | 14.9% | ||
17 | Palestine | 63% | 0.0 | |||
The Middle East Avg | 60.4% | 66.4 | 0.96 | 0.57 | 48.3% | |
World Avg | 48.1% | 46.7 | 0.98 | 3.82 | 48.4% | |
q=17. |
#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines
The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man57. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Angola and Nigeria57.
21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on 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, Europe and The Balkans57, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Melanesia57.
For more, see:
Health:
Pos. | Life Expectancy (2021) Higher is better Years3 | Alcohol Consumption (2016) Lower is better Per Capita58 | Fertility Rate (2022) 2.0 is best10 | Smoking Rates (2014) Lower is better59 | Suicide Rate (2013) Per 100k60 | Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017) Lower is better Rank21 | Overweight Adults (2016) Lower is better %61 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bahrain | 78.8 | 1.9 | 1.80 | 969 | 7.5 | 93 | 65.8 |
2 | Cyprus | 81.2 | 10.8 | 1.31 | 1 688 | 9.1 | 59 | 59.1 |
3 | Egypt | 70.2 | 0.4 | 2.88 | 1 188 | 0.1 | 73 | 63.5 |
4 | Iran | 73.9 | 1.0 | 1.68 | 869 | 118 | 61.6 | |
5 | Iraq | 70.4 | 0.4 | 3.45 | 1 227 | 135 | 64.6 | |
6 | Israel | 82.3 | 3.8 | 2.89 | 1 346 | 8.5 | 51 | 64.3 |
7 | Jordan | 74.3 | 0.7 | 2.79 | 1 855 | 0.2 | 18 | 69.6 |
8 | Kuwait | 78.7 | 0.0 | 2.09 | 1 517 | 3.6 | 20 | 73.4 |
9 | Lebanon | 75.0 | 1.5 | 2.08 | 3 023 | 63 | 67.9 | |
10 | Oman | 72.5 | 0.8 | 2.57 | 577 | 26 | 62.6 | |
11 | Qatar | 79.3 | 2.0 | 1.78 | 698 | 25 | 71.7 | |
12 | Saudi Arabia | 76.9 | 0.2 | 2.39 | 1 395 | 15 | 69.7 | |
13 | Syria | 72.1 | 0.3 | 2.70 | 459 | 88 | 61.4 | |
14 | Turkey | 76.0 | 2.0 | 1.88 | 1 581 | 44 | 66.8 | |
15 | UAE | 78.7 | 3.8 | 1.44 | 715 | 14 | 67.8 | |
16 | Yemen | 63.8 | 0.1 | 3.72 | 388 | 119 | 48.8 | |
17 | Palestine | 73.5 | ||||||
The Middle East Avg | 75.14 | 1.9 | 2.34 | 1 218 | 4.83 | 60.1 | 64.9 | |
World Avg | 71.28 | 6.2 | 2.47 | 819 | 20.93 | 82.0 | 49.0 | |
q=17. |
Children's Health:
Pos. | Adolescent Birth Rate (2022) Lower is better Per 100062 | Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015) Higher is better Avg %63 | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Bahrain | 8.7 | 98.2 |
2 | Cyprus | 6.8 | 95.3 |
3 | Egypt | 43.6 | 93.4 |
4 | Iran | 29.7 | 98.1 |
5 | Iraq | 61.2 | 70.7 |
6 | Israel | 7.4 | 95.2 |
7 | Jordan | 24.9 | 96.6 |
8 | Kuwait | 5.3 | 97.5 |
9 | Lebanon | 20.0 | 79.4 |
10 | Oman | 9.7 | 98.0 |
11 | Qatar | 6.9 | 95.6 |
12 | Saudi Arabia | 11.6 | 98.0 |
13 | Syria | 38.1 | 62.4 |
14 | Turkey | 15.7 | 95.5 |
15 | UAE | 2.8 | 94.0 |
16 | Yemen | 52.5 | 67.4 |
17 | Palestine | 42.9 | |
The Middle East Avg | 22.8 | 89.7 | |
World Avg | 43.8 | 88.3 | |
q=17. |
#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #The_Middle_East #tolerance
Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)9 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better Avg Rank9 | ||
1 | Cyprus | 40.5 | |
2 | Israel | 65.7 | |
3 | Turkey | 87.4 | |
4 | Lebanon | 104.4 | |
5 | Kuwait | 108.4 | |
6 | Jordan | 111.1 | |
7 | Bahrain | 115.4 | |
8 | Egypt | 118.4 | |
9 | Qatar | 121.7 | |
10 | UAE | 122.3 | |
... | |||
15 | Iraq | 138.0 | |
16 | Saudi Arabia | 143.6 | |
17 | Palestine | 145.3 | |
The Middle East Avg | 114.30 | ||
World Avg | 86.55 | ||
q=17. |
The best countries in The Middle East at protecting human rights, engendering tolerance and supporting equality, are Cyprus, Israel and Turkey but the bloc as a whole does poorly compared to the global average. The worst countries are Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. In short, The Middle East has severe problems with human rights, gender equality, misogyny, religious tolerance64 and LGBT equality. Acceptance of human-rights principles is largely impossible given the prominence of Islamic theocracy which is sternly opposed to human rights. This is the worst region in the world for religion-based persecution64.
“The Arab World [is] a region where the mean and median levels of performance [at ensuring human rights and freedom] are probably most charitably labeled poor.”
"Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice"
Jack Donnelly (2013)65
For full commentary and data, see:
#belief #buddhism #christianity #folk_religion #god #hinduism #human_development #islam #judaism #no_religion #religion #religiosity #secularisation
Pos. | Religiosity (2018) Lower is better %43 | Disbelief In God (2007) Higher is better %72 | Jews (2010) %73 | Christians (2010) %73 | Muslims (2010) %73 | Hindus (2010) %73 | Buddhists (2010) %73 | Folk Religion (2010) %73 | Unaffiliated (2010) %73 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bahrain | 0.6 | 14.5 | 70.3 | 9.8 | 2.5 | 0.1 | 1.9 | ||
2 | Cyprus | 0.1 | 73.2 | 25.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.2 | ||
3 | Egypt | 72 | 0 | 0.1 | 5.1 | 94.9 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
4 | Iran | 78 | 4 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 99.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
5 | Iraq | 82 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 99.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
6 | Israel | 36 | 15 | 75.6 | 2.0 | 18.6 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 3.1 |
7 | Jordan | 85 | 0 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 97.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
8 | Kuwait | 0 | 0.1 | 14.3 | 74.1 | 8.5 | 2.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
9 | Lebanon | 57 | 3 | 0.1 | 38.3 | 61.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
10 | Oman | 0 | 0.1 | 6.5 | 85.9 | 5.5 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.2 | |
11 | Qatar | 0.1 | 13.8 | 67.7 | 13.8 | 3.1 | 0.1 | 0.9 | ||
12 | Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0.1 | 4.4 | 93.0 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | |
13 | Syria | 0 | 0.1 | 5.2 | 92.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2.0 | |
14 | Turkey | 68 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 98.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.2 | |
15 | UAE | 0 | 0.1 | 12.6 | 76.9 | 6.6 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | |
16 | Yemen | 0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 99.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
17 | Palestine | 86 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 97.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
The Middle East Avg | 70.5 | 1.8 | 4.6 | 11.5 | 79.4 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.8 | |
World Avg | 54.3 | 9.9 | 0.5 | 60.6 | 22.4 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 7.9 | |
q=17. |
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