Netherlands Kingdom of the Netherlands
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	5th best
Capital	Amsterdam (administrative) and The Hague (legislative/judicial)
Land Area	33 730km²₁
Location	Europe
Population	17.1m₂
Life Expectancy	81.71yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$46 326 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	NL, NLD, 528₅
Internet Domain	.nl₆
Currency	Euro (EUR)₇
Telephone	+31₈

1. Overview

#netherlands

“The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU) and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Discover the many secrets of this gently beautiful country and its masterpieces, canal towns and windmills. Revel in the welcoming yet wry culture at a cafe, then bike past fields of tulips. Great Dutch artists Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh have spanned the centuries, and touring the Netherlands you´ll see why. Discover clichés such as tulips and windmills, or stroll canals in the midst of 17th-century splendour in beautiful small towns such as Leiden and Delft. Of course, enticing Amsterdam´s phenomenal and diverse nightlife is world-famous, from its throbbing clubs to quaint brown cafes.
The locals live on bicycles and you can too. Almost every train station has a shop to rent a bike - you´ll soon be off on the ubiquitous bike paths, wherever your mood takes you.
Finally there´s the Dutch themselves. Warm, friendly and funny, you´ll have a hard time being alone in a cafe as someone will soon strike up a conversation, and usually in English. Revel in Amsterdam, don´t miss exquisite Maastricht or pulsing Rotterdam, and pick a passel of small towns to add contrast. It´s a very big small country.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

Unfortunately, The Netherlands is quietly becoming infamous as a Tax Haven, wherein rich individuals, corporations, and criminals hide money from authorities₁₁.

2. Netherlands National and Social Development

#economics #human_development

UN HDI (2016)₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₁₂
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
4	Germany	4
5	Denmark	5
6	Singapore	5
7	Netherlands	7
8	Ireland	8
9	Iceland	9
10	Canada	10
11	USA	10
12	Hong Kong	12
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2011)₁₃
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₃
1	Qatar	$129 916
2	Singapore	$78 162
3	Kuwait	$76 075
	...
12	Saudi Arabia	$51 320
13	San Marino	$50 063
14	Andorra	$47 979
15	Netherlands	$46 326
16	Sweden	$46 251
17	Germany	$45 000
18	Denmark	$44 519
19	Ireland	$43 798
	World Avg	$17 240
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₄_,₁₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₄_,₁₅
1	Norway	30.8
2	Denmark	31.8
3	Sweden	33.9
4	Taiwan	34.0
5	Netherlands	35.0
6	Finland	35.0
7	Germany	36.9
8	Austria	37.3
9	New Zealand	37.4
10	Canada	38.0
11	Iceland	39.3
12	Switzerland	39.8
	World Avg	88.0
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. Netherlands's Demographics

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

Population:

The Netherlands's population is predicted to rise to 17.31 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.79. 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
	...
64	Zambia	17.4m
65	Guatemala	17.2m
66	Ecuador	17.1m
67	Netherlands	17.1m
68	Syria	16.9m
69	Cambodia	16.2m
70	Senegal	15.9m
71	Chad	15.5m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₃
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₃
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
15	Chile	81.96
16	Luxembourg	81.88
17	Norway	81.71
18	Netherlands	81.71
19	Austria	81.58
20	Andorra	81.46
21	Portugal	81.18
22	Germany	81.09
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₆
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₆
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
33	Morocco	2.20
34	Brazil	1.80
35	Guyana	2.21
36	Netherlands	1.79
37	Vietnam	1.77
38	Lebanon	1.77
39	Mexico	2.25
40	Sri Lanka	2.26
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₇
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₇
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
175	Austria	40.5
176	Greece	41.3
177	Spain	41.4
178	Netherlands	41.9
179	Slovenia	42.7
180	Finland	43.3
181	Hong Kong	43.7
182	Portugal	44.7
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
47	France	12.2%
48	Barbados	12.1%
49	Djibouti	12.1%
50	Netherlands	12.1%
51	Slovenia	11.8%
52	Denmark	11.5%
53	Belarus	11.4%
54	Montenegro	11.3%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₉
Pos.		%₁₉
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
95	Singapore	6.1%
96	Guatemala	6.1%
97	Brunei	6.0%
98	Netherlands	6.0%
99	Italy	5.8%
100	Benin	5.8%
101	Laos	5.7%
102	Turkey	5.6%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#christianity #equality #freedom #human_rights #islam #morals #Netherlands #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₂₀_,₂₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₀_,₂₁
1	Sweden	9.9
2	Denmark	14.7
3	Norway	15.5
4	Netherlands	16.5
5	New Zealand	19.0
6	Iceland	20.1
7	Austria	22.5
8	Canada	22.6
9	Hong Kong	23.3
10	Luxembourg	23.9
11	Finland	25.2
12	France	25.9
q=199.

When it comes to ensuring human rights and freedom, The Netherlands leads the world, setting excellent examples. The Netherlands performs the best when it comes to freethought₂₂ and in LGBT equality₂₃. It does the second-best for supporting press freedom₂₄. It comes in the best 20 in opposing gender inequality₂₅ (amongst the best in Europe), commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₆, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₇ (one of the best in Europe) and in supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₈. And finally, it does better than average when it comes to its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₉ (but bad for Europe) and in speed of uptake of HR treaties₃₀. The Netherlands became the first country in the world to remove restrictions on homosexual marriage, divorce and adoption rights, in the face of opposition from Christian and Muslim organisations₃₁. Human Rights Watch's 2017 report states that the Netherlands's support of women's rights at home and internationally has been notable₃₂.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Netherlands

5. Netherlands's Health

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

Health (2020)₃₃_,₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₃_,₃₄
1	Hong Kong	18.0
2	Singapore	41.5
3	Maldives	43.3
	...
33	Armenia	76.0
34	Iceland	76.0
35	Greece	76.1
36	Netherlands	76.4
37	Cuba	76.4
38	UAE	76.6
39	Antigua & Barbuda	77.7
40	Myanmar (Burma)	78.3
41	Belgium	78.4
	World Avg	92.3
q=187.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Hong Kong, Singapore and The Maldives₃₃. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea₃₃.

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 Europe₃₃, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Polynesia₃₃.

For more, see:

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

Health:

The Netherlands does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. The Netherlands comes in the best 20 when it comes to its adolescent birth rate₂₅ (one of the lowest in Europe), its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₅ and in its average life expectancy₁₃. It does better than average in terms of its fertility rate₁₆ (but bad for Europe). The Netherlands does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in its suicide rate₃₆ (still low for Europe), its immunizations take-up₃₇, its alcohol consumption rate₃₈ (still low for Europe) and in its smoking rate₃₉ (still low for Europe). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₃
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₃
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
15	Chile	81.96
16	Luxembourg	81.88
17	Norway	81.71
18	Netherlands	81.71
19	Austria	81.58
20	Andorra	81.46
21	Portugal	81.18
22	Germany	81.09
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₈
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₈
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
128	Trinidad & Tobago	8.4
129	Vietnam	8.4
130	Ukraine	8.6
131	Netherlands	8.7
132	Croatia	8.9
133	Cameroon	8.9
134	Canada	8.9
135	Rwanda	9.0
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₆
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₆
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
33	Morocco	2.20
34	Brazil	1.80
35	Guyana	2.21
36	Netherlands	1.79
37	Vietnam	1.77
38	Lebanon	1.77
39	Mexico	2.25
40	Sri Lanka	2.26
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₉
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₉
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
	...
150	Germany	1 480
149	Italy	1 443
148	Poland	1 396
147	Netherlands	1 396
146	Saudi Arabia	1 395
145	Cuba	1 392
144	Georgia	1 378
143	Denmark	1 378
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₃₆
Pos.		Per 100k₃₆
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
44	Australia	16.4
45	El Salvador	16.5
46	Kyrgyzstan	17.7
47	Netherlands	18.6
48	Luxembourg	19.3
49	Portugal	19.6
50	Singapore	20.6
51	India	20.8
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₅
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
4	UK	4
5	Norway	5
6	Switzerland	6
7	Germany	7
8	Canada	8
9	Netherlands	9
10	USA	10
11	Luxembourg	11
12	Finland	12
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₄₀
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₀
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
115	Peru	57.5
116	Albania	57.7
117	Romania	57.7
118	Netherlands	57.8
119	Latvia	57.8
120	Finland	57.9
121	Macedonia	58.1
122	Nicaragua	58.2
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₅
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₅
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
4	Hong Kong	3.2
5	Slovenia	3.8
6	Singapore	3.8
7	Netherlands	4.0
8	Denmark	4.0
9	Japan	4.1
10	Cyprus	5.0
11	Sweden	5.7
12	Norway	5.9
	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
	...
128	Costa Rica	88.5
129	Colombia	88.4
130	Kiribati	88.4
131	Netherlands	88.1
132	Paraguay	88.1
133	Bosnia & Herzegovina	88.0
134	Sierra Leone	87.7
135	Suriname	87.2
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Netherlands's Modernity and Learning

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

Despite the huge success of Dutch education, evidenced by the statistics compared to the rest of the world, there are issues with the education system that causes problems for overall societal cohesion.

“Under the Dutch system of "pillarization"... children are educated in separate Protestant, Catholic, Muslim and secular systems. Receiving an education in a state-sponsored school without ever having to deal with people outside one´s own religion is not likely to foster rapid assimilation.”
"Against Identity Politics" by Francis Fukuyama (2018 Sep/Oct)₄₁

A modern "depilliarisation" movement is in progress, although not moving very quickly.

Modernity and Learning (2020)₄₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₂
1	Finland	8.0
2	Belgium	9.1
3	Denmark	10.0
	...
12	Norway	16.6
13	Germany	17.1
14	Japan	17.3
15	Netherlands	18.6
16	Austria	18.9
17	Iceland	19.1
18	Slovenia	19.5
19	Canada	20.4
20	Singapore	21.1
	World Avg	69.0
q=180.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₄₃
2	Israel	4.11₄₃
3	Japan	3.58₄₃
	...
15	Australia	2.25₄₄
16	Singapore	2.00₄₅
17	Czechia	2.00₄₃
18	Netherlands	1.97₄₃
19	Iceland	1.89₄₃
20	Norway	1.70₄₃
21	UK	1.70₄₃
22	Canada	1.61₄₃
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₄₆
Pos.		Higher is better₄₆
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
	...
46	Mongolia	88.8%
47	Bahamas	88.4%
48	Ireland	88.3%
49	Netherlands	88.3%
50	Cuba	87.4%
51	Poland	85.3%
52	Belgium	84.8%
53	UK	84.5%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2018)₄₇
Pos.		Higher is better Years₄₇
1	Australia	22.1
2	Belgium	19.7
3	Finland	19.3
	...
7	Sweden	18.8
8	Ireland	18.8
9	Norway	18.1
10	Netherlands	18.0
11	Spain	17.9
12	Argentina	17.6
13	UK	17.4
14	Slovenia	17.4
	World Avg	13.2
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₅
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
4	Denmark	4
5	UK	5
6	Austria	6
7	Finland	7
8	Netherlands	8
9	Belgium	9
10	Slovenia	10
11	Switzerland	11
12	New Zealand	12
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading (2015)₄₈
Pos.		Higher is better Score₄₈
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
	...
11	Ireland	1528
12	Slovenia	1528
13	Germany	1524
14	Netherlands	1524
15	Switzerland	1519
16	New Zealand	1517
17	Norway	1513
18	Denmark	1513
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

IQ (2006)₄₉
Pos.		Higher is better₄₉
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
8	Iceland	101
9	Switzerland	101
10	Mongolia	101
11	Netherlands	100
12	Norway	100
13	Austria	100
14	UK	100
15	New Zealand	99
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)₅₀
Pos.		Higher is better₅₀
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.

IT Security (2013)₅₁
Pos.		Lower is better₅₁
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
	...
65	Nepal	1.45
66	Afghanistan	1.45
67	Germany	1.46
68	Netherlands	1.47
69	Rwanda	1.50
70	Tanzania	1.50
71	Maldives	1.57
72	China	1.59
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₅₂
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₅₂
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
20	Trinidad & Tobago	14.5
21	Finland	14.1
22	Brazil	13.9
23	Netherlands	10.5
24	Czechia	10.1
25	New Zealand	9.7
26	Romania	8.7
27	Austria	7.5
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

World Giving Index (2013-2021)₅₃
Pos.		Lower is better₅₃
1	Myanmar (Burma)	2.7
2	New Zealand	4.0
3	USA	4.7
	...
10	UAE	11.6
11	Bahrain	11.7
12	Kenya	12.0
13	Netherlands	14.3
14	Trinidad & Tobago	16.5
15	Bhutan	17.5
16	Norway	20.0
17	Sri Lanka	20.3
	World Avg	67.9
q=160.

Corruption (2012-2016)₅₄
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score₅₄
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
4	Sweden	88.2
5	Norway	86.0
6	Switzerland	85.8
7	Singapore	85.2
8	Netherlands	83.4
9	Canada	82.2
10	Luxembourg	81.6
11	Australia	80.8
12	Germany	79.6
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Happiness (2018)₅₅
Pos.		Higher is better₅₅
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
4	Iceland	7.5
5	Switzerland	7.5
6	Netherlands	7.4
7	Canada	7.3
8	New Zealand	7.3
9	Sweden	7.3
10	Australia	7.3
11	Israel	7.2
12	Austria	7.1
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity and Culture (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₅
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
4	Switzerland	4
5	Sweden	5
6	Denmark	6
7	Austria	7
8	Ireland	8
9	Czechia	9
10	Luxembourg	10
11	UK	11
12	Portugal	12
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₅
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
4	Netherlands	4
5	Switzerland	5
6	Serbia	6
7	Belgium	7
8	Norway	8
9	Finland	9
10	Croatia	10
11	Georgia	11
12	Philippines	12
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

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

Global Peace Index (2021)₅₆
Pos.		Lower is better₅₆
1	Iceland	1.10
2	New Zealand	1.25
3	Denmark	1.26
	...
18	Croatia	1.48
19	Hungary	1.49
20	Belgium	1.50
21	Netherlands	1.51
22	Bhutan	1.51
23	Malaysia	1.52
24	Poland	1.52
25	Romania	1.53
	World Avg	2.08
q=163.

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₅
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
24	Ecuador	24
25	Madagascar	25
26	Sri Lanka	26
27	Netherlands	27
28	Mongolia	28
29	Rwanda	29
30	Paraguay	30
31	Jordan	31
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₅
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
4	Sweden	4
5	Malta	5
6	Australia	6
7	Norway	7
8	Finland	8
9	Denmark	9
10	Switzerland	10
11	Canada	11
12	UK	12
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₅₇
Pos.		Lower is better Score₅₇
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
71	Haiti	2.18
72	Kosovo	2.26
73	Japan	2.29
74	Netherlands	2.35
75	Ecuador	2.46
76	Kuwait	2.49
77	Malaysia	2.50
78	Brazil	2.53
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

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

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₅₈
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₈
1	Iceland	+205.6
2	Bahrain	+144.4
3	Uruguay	+131.3
	...
42	Gambia	+10.4
43	Macedonia	+10.3
44	Serbia	+09.9
45	Netherlands	+09.3
46	Switzerland	+09.0
47	Ghana	+08.2
48	St Vincent & Grenadines	+08.0
49	Costa Rica	+07.5
	World Avg	+02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₅₉
Pos.		Higher is better₅₉
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
15	Belgium	77.4
16	Italy	77.0
17	New Zealand	76.0
18	Netherlands	75.5
19	Israel	75.0
20	Japan	74.7
21	Australia	74.1
22	Greece	73.6
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency (2014)₆₀
Pos.		Higher is better₆₀
1	Hong Kong	26.32
2	Sri Lanka	20.00
3	Panama	17.86
	...
37	Israel	11.11
38	Turkey	11.11
39	Azerbaijan	10.87
40	Netherlands	10.75
41	Mexico	10.64
42	Paraguay	10.53
43	Chile	10.42
44	Lithuania	10.42
	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
	...
65	Malaysia	1994 Sep 22
66	Benin	1994 Sep 28
67	France	1994 Sep 29
68	Netherlands	1994 Oct 10
69	Pakistan	1994 Oct 24
70	Kenya	1994 Oct 24
71	Finland	1994 Oct 25
72	Estonia	1994 Oct 25
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment (2011)₆₁
Pos.		Higher is better %₆₁
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
119	Algeria	23.5%
120	Pakistan	23.2%
121	Liberia	23.1%
122	Netherlands	23.0%
123	Finland	22.9%
124	Congo, DR	22.8%
125	UK	22.6%
126	Malawi	22.0%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

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

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₆₂
Pos.		Higher is worse₆₂
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
	...
15	Luxembourg	3.40
14	Israel	3.30
13	Italy	3.10
12	Netherlands	3.10
11	Spain	3.00
10	S. Korea	3.00
9	Norway	3.00
8	Czechia	3.00
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) (2017)₆₃
Pos.		Lower is better %₆₃
1	Ukraine	25.0
2	Belarus	25.4
3	Slovenia	25.4
	...
12	Belgium	27.7
13	Iceland	27.8
14	Denmark	28.2
15	Netherlands	28.2
16	Serbia	28.5
17	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	28.7
18	Albania	29.0
19	Sweden	29.2
	World Avg	38.1
q=152.

11. Religion and Beliefs

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

Disbelief In God (2007)₆₄
Pos.		Higher is better %₆₄
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
4	Czechia	61
5	Estonia	49
6	Denmark	48
7	France	44
8	Belgium	43
9	Netherlands	42
10	Germany	42
11	UK	42
12	Cuba	40
	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 below₆₅:

Christian	50.6%
Muslim	6%
Hindu	0.5%
Buddhist	0.2%
Folk Religion	0.2%
Jew	0.2%
Unaffiliated	42.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 30%, Protestant 20% (Dutch Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%, other Protestant 3%), Muslim 5.8%, other 2.2%, none 42% (2006)₆₆.

The Netherlands has a long history of religious tolerance₆₇, for example, it was a safe haven for Jewish refugees from Christian persecution during the Spanish Inquisition in the 16th century₆₈. But the murder of Theo van Gogh "by a Muslim extremist in November 2004 led to a sharp reversal of public opinion, turning against immigration in general and Muslim immigration in particular"₆₇.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union produced a report in 2012 entitled "Freedom of Thought" (2012)₆₉, 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 The Netherlands states:

“The constitution and other laws and policies protect freedom of religion or belief. However, it is a crime to engage in public speech that incites religious hatred. Article 137c of the Dutch Penal Code penalizes defamation of groups "because of their race, religion or convictions, their heterosexual or homosexual orientation or physical, psychological or mental disability..."
Article 137d criminalizes inciting "hatred or discrimination against persons or violence against person or property on the grounds of their race, religion or beliefs, their gender, their heterosexual or homosexual orientation or their physical, psychological or mental disability..." Article 429bis criminalizes display of "scornful blasphemy for insulting religious feelings" along public roads. Fines are to be levied, with prison for repeat offenders.”
"Freedom of Thought" by IHEU (2012)₇₀

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