Moldova (Republic of Moldova)

Moldova Republic of Moldova
Status	Independent State
Capital	Chisinau
Land Area	32 854km21
Location	Europe
Population	3.5m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	71.73yrs (2017)3
GNI	$5 026 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	MD, MDA, 4985
Internet Domain	.md6
Currency	Leu (MDL)7
Telephone	+3738

1. Overview
2. Moldova National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Politics and Freedom
5. Gender Equality
6. Peace Versus Instability
7. Religion and Beliefs
8. The Internet
9. Public Health Issues
10. Children's Health
11. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
12. Links

---

1. Overview

#romania #russia #ukraine

“Part of Romania during the interwar period, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although the country has been independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Nistru River supporting a Transnistrian separatist region composed of a Slavic majority population (mostly Ukrainians and Russians), but with a sizeable ethnic Moldovan minority. One of the poorest nations in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist, Vladimir VORONIN, as its president in 2001. VORONIN served as Moldova's president until he resigned in September 2009, following the opposition's gain of a narrow majority in July parliamentary elections and the Communist Party's (PCRM) subsequent inability to attract the three-fifths of parliamentary votes required to elect a president. Four Moldovan opposition parties formed a new coalition, the Alliance for European Integration (AEI), which has acted as Moldova's governing coalition since. Moldova experienced significant political uncertainty between 2009 and early 2012, holding three general elections and numerous presidential ballots in parliament, all of which failed to secure a president. Following November 2010 parliamentary elections, a reconstituted AEI-coalition consisting of three of the four original AEI parties formed a government, and in March 2012 was finally able to elect an independent as president.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Long-forgotten and little-known, Moldova struggles to throw off its post-communist trappings and reputation as one of the poorest nations in Europe. Only vaguely known in Europe and all but anonymous to the rest of the world, Moldova remains a mysterious and misunderstood land: part Romanian, part Russian, all Soviet. Once at the very edge of the USSR, Moldova has gone it alone since the early ´90s. Independence has been economically painful and Moldova has been racked by civil war between the central government and the secessionist Russian-speaking region known as Transdniestr, which continues to exist as a state within a state today.Moldova gets a tiny number of tourists and isn´t particularly well set up for travellers, but this is one of its greatest charms. Its out-of-the-way aspect makes travel in Moldova a challenge and an adventure, but the unhurried and timeless way of life, where there is always time to chat in the shade of summer´s fruit trees, are part of its appeal.

Sights may be few and far between in the gently undulating landscape, but look no further for adventure: this is Eastern Europe´s last unknown land.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Moldova National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
104	Samoa	104
105	Maldives	105
106	Uzbekistan	105
107	Moldova	107
108	Botswana	108
109	Gabon	109
110	Paraguay	110
111	Egypt	111
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	83.6
2	Finland	83.1
3	Sweden	82.6
	...
54	Uzbekistan	60.0
55	Bhutan	59.9
56	Mongolia	59.6
57	Moldova	59.4
58	S. Africa	59.2
59	Jamaica	59.1
60	Brazil	59.1
61	Trinidad & Tobago	58.7
	World Avg	55.4
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

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

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
126	Costa Rica	22.6
127	Israel	22.9
128	Sri Lanka	23.7
129	Moldova	24.7
130	China	25.3
131	Mauritius	25.9
132	Uruguay	26.8
133	Cyprus	26.9
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
23	St Lucia	23.3%
24	Macedonia	21.9%
25	Sao Tome & Principe	21.9%
26	Moldova	21.5%
27	Fiji	21.3%
28	Portugal	20.8%
29	Lesotho	20.5%
30	El Salvador	20.5%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
88	Slovenia	1.47
89	Italy	1.47
90	Cyprus	1.46
91	Moldova	1.46
92	Cuba	1.45
93	India	2.55
94	Germany	1.44
95	Laos	2.58
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

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.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
41	Seychelles	12.8%
42	Grenada	12.1%
43	Ukraine	11.6%
44	Moldova	11.4%
45	Belarus	11.4%
46	Iceland	11.3%
47	UK	11.2%
48	Ivory Coast	11.2%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
104	Guatemala	72.06
105	Bangladesh	71.99
106	Libya	71.76
107	Moldova	71.73
108	Belarus	71.46
109	Egypt	71.33
110	Suriname	71.28
111	Ukraine	71.13
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		Population17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
128	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3.7m
129	Panama	3.6m
130	Mauritania	3.6m
131	Moldova	3.5m
132	Uruguay	3.4m
133	Lithuania	3.3m
134	Albania	3.2m
135	Armenia	3.1m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Moldova's population is predicted to fall to 3 147 000 by 2030. Developed countries with falling populations face a pension's crises, whereby an incresingly 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 1.46. 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.

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

4. Politics and Freedom

#antisemitism #burundi #christianity #corruption #democracy #eritrea #france #freedom #germany #human_development #human_rights #indonesia #israel #jordan #judaism #laos #mass_media #Moldova #morocco #netherlands #pakistan #peace #philippines #politics #religion #religious_violence #saudi_arabia #slavery #spain #sweden #turkey #UK #vietnam

Anti-Semite Opinions (2014)18
Pos.		Lower is better %18
1	Laos	0
2	Philippines	3
3	Sweden	4
	...
43	Montenegro	29
44	Spain	29
45	Venezuela	30
46	Moldova	30
47	Russia	30
48	Bolivia	30
49	Georgia	32
50	Kazakhstan	32
	World Avg	36.8
q=101.

Anti-Semitism is the world given to irrational racism against Jews. It is not the same as anti-Judaism (involving arguments against the religion) nor the same as anti-Zionism (arguments against Israel). In history, influential Christian theologians concocted the arguments against Jews that led, very early on, to widespread Christian action against Jews_19,20,21,22. As Christianity rose to power in the West and presided over the Dark Ages, there were widespread violent outbursts against Jews of the most persistent and horrible kind. The Crusades were frequently aimed at them and the feared Spanish Inquisition paid Jews particular attention. The horror of the holocaust instigated by German Nazis in the 1940s was followed (finally) by the era of European human rights and a movement against racism in general.

The places that are the least anti-Semitical are a few countries of south-east Asia (Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam) and some of the secular liberal democracies of Europe (Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK). The worst countries for antisemitism are Islamic states of the Middle East₂₃, which are undergoing their own Dark Age. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey see the most oppressive and violent actions towards Jews_24,25. Jews in Muslim countries face a host of restrictions and "ceaseless humiliation and regular pogroms"₂₆. In 2004 the European Union Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia reported on violent anti-Jew crimes in the EU and found that that largest group of perpetrators were young Muslim males₂₇.

Corruption (2012-2016)28
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score28
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
109	Bolivia	34.0
110	Malawi	33.8
111	Kosovo	33.8
112	Moldova	33.8
113	Ethiopia	33.2
114	Mexico	32.8
115	Ecuador	32.6
116	Belarus	32.6
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Corruption is the abuse of public office for private gain₂₉. There are many forms of corruption. Politicians can sometimes (1) steal money (theft or embezzlement), (2) accept bribes (such as backhanders for awarding government contracts to companies), (3) give bribes (i.e., for electoral support or support in the mass media), (4) improperly coerce others (extortion), (5) give positions of power to friends and family without fairly seeking other applicants for those jobs (cronyism), or (6) grant favours to friends and family (nepotism) such as buying services from them at inflated prices (graft). The least corrupt countries between 2012-2016 were Denmark, New Zealand and Finland₂₈ and the worst were Somalia, N. Korea and Afghanistan₂₈.

Global Peace Index (2012)30
Pos.		Lower is better30
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
63	Indonesia	1.91
64	Serbia	1.92
65	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.92
66	Moldova	1.93
67	Albania	1.93
68	Macedonia	1.94
69	Guyana	1.94
70	Cuba	1.95
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

"The 2012 Global Peace Index is the sixth edition of the world's leading study on global levels of peacefulness. The GPI ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. By generating new information on the state of peace at the national and global level, the Institute for Economics and Peace hopes to make a valuable contribution to better understanding how civil society, researchers, policymakers, and government can create a more peaceful society"₃₀. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₃₀ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₃₀.

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)31
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties31
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
64	Greece	19
65	Ireland	19
66	Lithuania	18
67	Moldova	18
68	Kyrgyzstan	18
69	Philippines	18
70	Algeria	18
71	Malta	18
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

There are many international agreements on human rights, and, many mechanisms by which countries can be brought to account for their actions. Together, these have been the biggest historical movement in the fight against oppression and inhumanity. Or, putting it another way: these are rejected mostly by those who wish to oppress inhumanely. None of them are perfect and many people object to various components and wordings, but, no-one has come up with, and enforced, better methods of controlling the occasional desires that states and peoples have of causing angst for other states and peoples in a violent, unjust or inhumane way. Points are awarded for the number of human rights agreements ratified by the country, plus the acceptance of the petition mechanisms for disputes. The maximum possible score in 2009 was 24.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014)32
Pos.		Lower is better Rank32
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
66	Brunei	66
67	Serbia	67
68	Guatemala	68
69	Moldova	69
70	Namibia	69
71	Bolivia	71
72	Indonesia	72
73	Turkey	73
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

The Human Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute is...

“... a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. It uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom in the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. [...]

The highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States. The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. [...]

Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significant higher per capita income ($37,147) [compared with] the least-free quartile [at] $8,700). The HFI finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy.”

"The Human Freedom Index" by The Fraser Institute (2016)₃₃

Press Freedom (2013)34
Pos.		Lower is better34
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
51	S. Africa	2456
52	Japan	2517
53	Argentina	2567
54	Moldova	2601
55	Hungary	2609
56	Italy	2611
57	Hong Kong	2616
58	Senegal	2619
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted".

It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".

Slavery (2018)35
Pos.		Lower is better % Victims35
1	Japan	0.03
2	Canada	0.05
3	Taiwan	0.05
	...
100	Armenia	0.53
101	Mozambique	0.54
102	Russia	0.55
103	Moldova	0.55
104	Egypt	0.55
105	Benin	0.55
106	Venezuela	0.56
107	Haiti	0.56
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₃₆. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₃₇. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₃₈. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₃₉.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₄₀. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₄₁. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₄₂. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₃₅, Eritrea₃₅, Indonesia₄₃) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₄₄.

5. Gender Equality

#christianity #gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #Moldova #politics #women

Gender Inequality (2015)45
Pos.		Lower is better45
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
44	Malta	0.22
45	Bulgaria	0.22
46	UAE	0.23
47	Moldova	0.23
48	Bahrain	0.23
49	Hungary	0.25
50	Saudi Arabia	0.26
51	Albania	0.27
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

The UN Human Development Reports include statistics on gender equality which take into account things like maternal mortality, access to political power (seats in parliament) and differences between male and female education rates. Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchialism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

Year Women Can Vote46
Pos.		Lower is better Year46
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
181	Namibia	1989
182	Samoa	1990
183	Kazakhstan	1993
184	Moldova	1994
185	Oman	1994
186	Qatar	2003
187	Kuwait	2005
188	Saudi Arabia	0
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Women now have equal rights in the vast majority of countries across the world. Although academic literature oftens talks of when a country "grants women the right to vote", this enforces a backwards way of thinking. Women always had the right to vote, however, they were frequently denied that right. The opposition to women's ability to vote in equality with man was most consistently and powerfully opposed by the Catholic Church, other Christian organisations, Islamic authorities and some other religious and secular traditionalists.

Moldova is on the way towards ending gender inequality but women are still in an unfavourable position much of the time.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

6. Peace Versus Instability

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

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)47
Pos.		Lower is better Rank47
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
4	Egypt	4
5	Nigeria	5
6	Uruguay	6
7	Indonesia	7
8	Brunei	8
9	Moldova	9
10	Morocco	10
11	Oman	11
12	Tanzania	12
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)47
Pos.		Lower is better Rank47
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
61	Philippines	61
62	Indonesia	62
63	Uganda	63
64	Moldova	64
65	Mozambique	65
66	Burkina Faso	66
67	Kyrgyzstan	66
68	Iran	68
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Global Peace Index (2012)30
Pos.		Lower is better30
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
63	Indonesia	1.91
64	Serbia	1.92
65	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.92
66	Moldova	1.93
67	Albania	1.93
68	Macedonia	1.94
69	Guyana	1.94
70	Cuba	1.95
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

"The 2012 Global Peace Index is the sixth edition of the world's leading study on global levels of peacefulness. The GPI ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. By generating new information on the state of peace at the national and global level, the Institute for Economics and Peace hopes to make a valuable contribution to better understanding how civil society, researchers, policymakers, and government can create a more peaceful society"₃₀. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₃₀ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₃₀.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)48
Pos.		Lower is better Score48
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
23	Norway	0.08
24	Lesotho	0.10
25	Liberia	0.11
26	Moldova	0.12
27	Serbia	0.12
28	Estonia	0.12
29	New Zealand	0.14
30	Uruguay	0.17
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

7. Religion and Beliefs

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

Religiosity (2009)49
Pos.		Lower is better %49
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
35	Montenegro	71
36	Greece	71
37	Italy	72
38	Moldova	72
39	Kyrgyzstan	72
40	Armenia	73
41	Mexico	73
42	Poland	75
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)50
Pos.		Higher is better %50
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
45	Croatia	7
46	Kyrgyzstan	7
47	Cambodia	7
48	Moldova	6
49	Italy	6
50	Laos	5
51	Ireland	5
52	Mozambique	5
	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 below₅₁:

Christian	97.4%
Muslim	0.6%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.6%
Unaffiliated	1.4%

By adding up the Pew Forum data for the major monotheistic religions we can see that these make up 98.6% of the population. Yet there are simply too many who disbelieve in God for this to be true (6%). This is due to the so-called 'Census Effect', whereby many put down a religion for cultural reasons rather than because it reflects their beliefs. In highly Christian countries, as many as half of those who say they're a Christian lack any connection to a Church, and do not hold Christian beliefs (such as believing in God!).

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 98.9% 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: Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5% (2000)₅₂.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

8. The Internet

#internet #it_security #Moldova #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)53
Pos.		Higher is better53
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
99	Armenia	50%
100	Iran	49%
101	Tunisia	48%
102	Moldova	48%
103	Paraguay	47%
104	Fiji	47%
105	Tonga	47%
106	Nigeria	46%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)54
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio54
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
60	Iceland	0.3
61	Turkey	0.3
62	Uruguay	0.3
63	Moldova	0.3
64	UAE	0.3
65	Seychelles	0.2
66	Puerto Rico	0.2
67	Indonesia	0.2
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

IT Security (2013)55
Pos.		Lower is better55
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
	...
27	Chile	0.66
28	Guinea-Bissau	0.67
29	Uzbekistan	0.69
30	Moldova	0.71
31	Zambia	0.76
32	Kenya	0.77
33	Cameroon	0.77
34	Burkina Faso	0.79
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

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.

9. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #genetics #health #mental_health #Moldova #obesity #organ_donation #public_health #smoking #sociology #suicide #UK

Moldova is a pretty unhealthy country. Moldova does better than average in its adolescent birth rate₄₅ (but bad for Europe) and in the prevalence of overweight adults₅₆ (one of the best in Europe). However Moldova performs less well in most areas. It does worse than average when it comes to number of organ donors₅₇ (one of the worst in Europe), its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₄₇, its immunizations take-up₅₈ and in its smoking rate₅₉ (still low for Europe). And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 in terms of its suicide rate₆₀ and in its alcohol consumption rate₆₁ (the highest in Europe). The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)61
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita61
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
182	Latvia	12.9
183	Luxembourg	13.0
184	Ireland	13.0
185	Nigeria	13.4
186	Germany	13.4
187	Czechia	14.4
188	Lithuania	15.0
189	Moldova	15.2
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₆₂ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₆₃ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₆₄ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₆₅. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₆₆. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

Organ Donors (At Death) (2017)57
Pos.		Higher is better pmp57
1	Spain	46.9067
2	Portugal	34.0167
3	Belgium	33.6267
	...
47	Greece	5.9868
48	Kuwait	5.00
49	Ecuador	5.00
50	Moldova	4.50
51	Thailand	4.27
52	Panama	4.15
53	Mexico	3.96
54	Russia	3.90
	World Avg	13.03
q=70.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)47
Pos.		Lower is better Rank47
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
84	Indonesia	84
85	Bolivia	85
86	Kyrgyzstan	86
87	Moldova	87
88	Syria	88
89	Azerbaijan	89
90	Uganda	90
91	Chile	91
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)56
Pos.		Lower is better %56
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
78	Guyana	49.4
79	Grenada	51.4
80	Turkmenistan	51.8
81	Moldova	51.8
82	St Kitts & Nevis	52.3
83	Barbados	52.4
84	Papua New Guinea	52.9
85	Bosnia & Herzegovina	53.3
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₆₉. Most Western countries are facing an obesity epidemic. Our cultures are having to change to compensate for widespread ill-health. It is costing our health systems a massive amount of money, and is having negative effects on national economies. The situation has persisted for a suitable length of time for our very perceptions to change; opinions on "normal weights" for people and "average sizes" for clothes has shot up₇₀. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₇₀ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₇₁ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₇₂. We are forgetting how to be healthy.

The causes are not genetic. Most people who say obesity "runs in their family" are wrong. The rate of increase in obesity is many, many times too fast to be accounted for by a change in inherited genes₇₃. Our culture and lifestyle choices are to blame. The causes of the modern obesity epidemic are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products, poor knowledge of nutrition. Most of this is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheaper mass-produced food. Even some so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₇₄.

Smoking Rates (2014)59
Pos.		Lower is better59
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
125	USA	1 083
126	Finland	1 083
127	Portugal	1 113
128	Moldova	1 114
129	Lithuania	1 124
130	Uruguay	1 135
131	Canada	1 154
132	Albania	1 177
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)60
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k60
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
71	Austria	30.9
72	Uruguay	32.3
73	France	33.2
74	Moldova	35.7
75	Switzerland	36.2
76	Croatia	36.4
77	Estonia	37.9
78	Serbia	38.1
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

10. Children's Health

#health #Moldova #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)45
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100045
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
64	Bhutan	21.4
65	Djibouti	21.5
66	Albania	21.7
67	Moldova	22.6
68	USA	22.6
69	Armenia	23.0
70	Jordan	23.2
71	Russia	23.4
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)58
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %58
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
111	Lesotho	91.7
112	Malawi	91.7
113	Mexico	91.6
114	Moldova	91.5
115	Iceland	91.5
116	Trinidad & Tobago	91.4
117	Jamaica	90.9
118	Burkina Faso	90.6
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

11. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries