Paraguay (Republic of Paraguay)

Paraguay Republic of Paraguay
Status	Independent State
Capital	Asuncion
Land Area	397 300km21
Location	South America, The Americas
Population	6.7m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	73.00yrs (2017)3
GNI	$8 182 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	PY, PRY, 6005
Internet Domain	.py6
Currency	Guarani (PYG)7
Telephone	+5958

1. Overview
2. Paraguay 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

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1. Overview

#paraguay #venezuela

“Paraguay achieved its independence from Spain in 1811. In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) - between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - Paraguay lost two-thirds of all its adult males and much of its territory. The country stagnated economically for the next half century. Following the Chaco War of 1932-35 with Bolivia, Paraguay gained a large part of the Chaco lowland region. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER ended in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, Paraguay has held relatively free and regular presidential elections since the country's return to democracy.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Little-visited and little-known, landlocked Paraguay is a country surrounded by South America´s `big boys´, but there´s a warm welcome and much to experience here. Paraguay is a country much misunderstood. Despite its location at the heart of the continent, it is all too often passed over by travelers who wrongly assume that a lack of `mega-attractions´ means there´s nothing to see. Instead, it´s ideal for those keen to get off the gringo trail for a truly authentic South American experience.

Paraguay is a country of remarkable contrasts: it is rustic and sophisticated, extremely poor and obscenely wealthy; it boasts exotic natural reserves and massive human-made dams; it is a place where horses and carts pull up beside luxury automobiles, artisans´ workshops abut glitzy shopping centers, and Jesuit ruins in rural villages lie just kilometers from sophisticated colonial towns. The steamy subtropical Atlantic Forest of the east is a stark contrast to the dry, spiny wilderness of the Chaco, location of the isolated Mennonite colonies.

While Paraguayans are more used to visits from their bordering neighbors, they are relaxed, kind and welcoming to anyone.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

Along with 11 others, Paraguay signed the Lima Declaration in 2017, condemning "the assault on democratic order and the systematic violation of human rights in Venezuela"₁₁.

2. Paraguay National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)12
Pos.		Lower is better Rank12
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
107	Moldova	107
108	Botswana	108
109	Gabon	109
110	Paraguay	110
111	Egypt	111
112	Turkmenistan	111
113	Indonesia	113
114	Palestine	114
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index13
Pos.		Higher is better Points13
1	Denmark	83.6
2	Finland	83.1
3	Sweden	82.6
	...
116	Djibouti	51.5
117	Kosovo	51.5
118	Bahrain	51.5
119	Paraguay	51.4
120	Guyana	51.4
121	Senegal	51.2
122	Antigua & Barbuda	51.2
123	Namibia	51.0
	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 #overpopulation #Paraguay #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)14
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10014
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
88	India	12.5
89	Bolivia	12.7
90	Nicaragua	13.1
91	Paraguay	13.2
92	Iran	13.4
93	Samoa	13.7
94	Algeria	14.0
95	Malaysia	14.5
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)15
Pos.		%15
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
78	Ecuador	8.3%
79	Poland	8.3%
80	Afghanistan	8.1%
81	Paraguay	7.9%
82	Russia	7.9%
83	Mali	7.6%
84	UK	7.5%
85	Honduras	7.5%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)16
Pos.		2.0 is best16
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
114	Malta	1.28
115	Syria	2.81
116	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.13
117	Paraguay	2.87
118	Hong Kong	1.12
119	Israel	2.91
120	Jordan	2.93
121	Honduras	3.02
	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)15
Pos.		%15
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
109	Marshall Islands	2.7%
110	Trinidad & Tobago	2.6%
111	Benin	2.5%
112	Paraguay	2.5%
113	Slovakia	2.4%
114	Micronesia	2.4%
115	Uruguay	2.4%
116	Cape Verde	2.4%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)17
Pos.		Higher is better Years17
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
97	El Salvador	73.27
98	Palestine	73.07
99	St Vincent & Grenadines	73.04
100	Paraguay	73.00
101	Tonga	72.99
102	Palau	72.87
103	Vanuatu	72.11
104	Guatemala	72.06
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)18
Pos.		Population18
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
99	Hong Kong	7.2m
100	Papua New Guinea	7.2m
101	Tajikistan	7.1m
102	Paraguay	6.7m
103	Libya	6.5m
104	Jordan	6.5m
105	Laos	6.4m
106	Togo	6.3m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Paraguay's population is predicted to rise to 8.67 million by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.87. 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 #morocco #netherlands #pakistan #Paraguay #peace #philippines #politics #religion #religious_violence #saudi_arabia #slavery #spain #sweden #turkey #UK #vietnam

Anti-Semite Opinions (2014)19
Pos.		Lower is better %19
1	Laos	0
2	Philippines	3
3	Sweden	4
	...
57	Nicaragua	34
58	Romania	35
59	Cameroon	35
60	Paraguay	35
61	Kenya	35
62	Lithuania	36
63	Guatemala	36
64	France	37
	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_20,21,22,23. 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 East₂₄, which are undergoing their own Dark Age. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey see the most oppressive and violent actions towards Jews_25,26. Jews in Muslim countries face a host of restrictions and "ceaseless humiliation and regular pogroms"₂₇. 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 males₂₈.

Corruption (2012-2016)29
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score29
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
143	Cameroon	26.2
144	Uganda	26.2
145	Kyrgyzstan	26.2
146	Paraguay	26.0
147	Kenya	26.0
148	Bangladesh	25.8
149	Papua New Guinea	25.6
150	Laos	25.4
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Corruption is the abuse of public office for private gain₃₀. 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 Finland₂₉ and the worst were Somalia, N. Korea and Afghanistan₂₉.

Global Peace Index (2012)31
Pos.		Lower is better31
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
73	Cyprus	1.96
74	Gambia	1.96
75	Gabon	1.97
76	Paraguay	1.97
77	Greece	1.98
78	Senegal	1.99
79	Peru	2.00
80	Nepal	2.00
	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"₃₁. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₃₁ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₃₁.

Human Rights Watch Comments (2017)32
Pos.		Higher is better Score32
1	UK	9
2	France	9
3	Germany	9
	...
33	Gambia	2
34	Liechtenstein	2
35	Chile	2
36	Paraguay	1
37	Costa Rica	1
38	Norway	1
39	Panama	1
40	Ukraine	0
	World Avg	-1.9
q=123.

Human Rights Watch comments concentrate mostly on negative issues, however, they also make positive comments for those countries that engage in human rights defence around the world, or who make improvements at home. By adding up positive and negative comments (including double-points for negatives that involve large scales and crimes against humanity), the Social and Moral Index turns HRW commentary into quantified values. Some countries may be unfairly penalized because HRW have not examined them, and, some countries "get away" with abuses if they manage to hide it, or if it goes unnoticed - a negative point has been given for those countries in which HRW specifically state that access to investigators has been barred. The points were limited to a minimum of -10 because there are some points at which things are so bad, with abuses affecting so many, it is difficult to be more specific about the depths of the issues.

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)33
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties33
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
7	Peru	23
8	Spain	23
9	Slovenia	23
10	Paraguay	23
11	Serbia	23
12	Sweden	23
13	Uruguay	23
14	Italy	22
	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)34
Pos.		Lower is better Rank34
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
74	S. Africa	74
75	Papua New Guinea	74
76	Nicaragua	76
77	Paraguay	77
78	Mexico	77
79	Trinidad & Tobago	79
80	Bhutan	79
81	Benin	79
	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)₃₅

Press Freedom (2013)36
Pos.		Lower is better36
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
87	Madagascar	2862
88	Gabon	2869
89	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2872
90	Paraguay	2878
91	Guinea-Bissau	2894
92	Seychelles	2919
93	Northern Cyprus	2934
94	Guatemala	2939
	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)37
Pos.		Lower is better % Victims37
1	Japan	0.03
2	Canada	0.05
3	Taiwan	0.05
	...
14	Luxembourg	0.15
15	Qatar	0.15
16	Denmark	0.16
17	Paraguay	0.16
18	Sweden	0.16
19	Ireland	0.17
20	Lebanon	0.17
21	UAE	0.17
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₃₈. 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' friends₃₉. 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 life₄₀. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₄₁.

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 slavery₄₂. 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 dignity₄₃. 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.₄₄. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₃₇, Eritrea₃₇, Indonesia₄₅) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₄₆.

5. Gender Equality

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

Gender Inequality (2015)47
Pos.		Lower is better47
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
101	Honduras	0.46
102	Venezuela	0.46
103	Nicaragua	0.46
104	Paraguay	0.46
105	Indonesia	0.47
106	Laos	0.47
107	Dominican Rep.	0.47
108	Namibia	0.47
	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 Vote48
Pos.		Lower is better Year48
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
130	Mauritania	1961
131	Burundi	1961
132	Malawi	1961
133	Paraguay	1961
134	Sierra Leone	1961
135	Zambia	1962
136	Uganda	1962
137	Monaco	1962
	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.

Paraguay is an unequal country, with male rights dominating those of women.

See:

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

6. Peace Versus Instability

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

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)49
Pos.		Lower is better Rank49
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
27	Netherlands	27
28	Mongolia	28
29	Rwanda	29
30	Paraguay	30
31	Jordan	31
32	India	32
33	New Zealand	33
34	Malaysia	34
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)49
Pos.		Lower is better Rank49
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
79	Algeria	79
80	Ecuador	80
81	Kuwait	81
82	Paraguay	82
83	Sierra Leone	83
84	Israel	84
85	Tanzania	85
86	Jamaica	86
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Global Peace Index (2012)31
Pos.		Lower is better31
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
73	Cyprus	1.96
74	Gambia	1.96
75	Gabon	1.97
76	Paraguay	1.97
77	Greece	1.98
78	Senegal	1.99
79	Peru	2.00
80	Nepal	2.00
	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"₃₁. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₃₁ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₃₁.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)50
Pos.		Lower is better Score50
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
86	Nicaragua	2.95
87	Jordan	3.09
88	Italy	3.11
89	Paraguay	3.12
90	Bahrain	3.20
91	Tanzania	3.27
92	Spain	3.35
93	Bolivia	3.39
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

7. Religion and Beliefs

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

Religiosity (2009)51
Pos.		Lower is better %51
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
74	Kuwait	91
75	UAE	91
76	Pakistan	92
77	Paraguay	92
78	Saudi Arabia	93
79	Sudan	93
80	Tunisia	93
81	Uganda	93
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)52
Pos.		Higher is better %52
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
70	Tajikistan	2
71	Turkmenistan	2
72	Indonesia	2
73	Paraguay	1
74	Nicaragua	1
75	Bolivia	1
76	Colombia	1
77	Costa Rica	1
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Paraguay's constitution states that "the State is independent of religion"₅₃, which gives the country a better chance at treating religious communities fairly and without discrimination.

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 below₅₄:

Christian	96.9%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	1.7%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	1.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 census)₅₅.

Links:

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

8. The Internet

#internet #Paraguay #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)56
Pos.		Higher is better56
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
100	Iran	49%
101	Tunisia	48%
102	Moldova	48%
103	Paraguay	47%
104	Fiji	47%
105	Tonga	47%
106	Nigeria	46%
107	Jordan	46%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)57
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio57
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
82	Philippines	0.0
83	Macedonia	0.0
84	Pakistan	0.0
85	Paraguay	0.0
86	Chile	0.0
87	US Virgin Islands	0.0
88	Mauritius	0.0
89	Botswana	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.

9. Public Health Issues

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

Paraguay has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Paraguay comes in the best 20 for its suicide rate₅₈. It does better than average in its smoking rate₅₉, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₄₉ and in the prevalence of overweight adults₆₀. Paraguay does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average when it comes to its alcohol consumption rate₆₁, its adolescent birth rate₄₇ and in its immunizations take-up₆₂. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in number of organ donors₆₃. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)61
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita61
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
105	Antigua & Barbuda	7.0
106	Niue	7.0
107	China	7.2
108	Paraguay	7.2
109	Mongolia	7.4
110	Albania	7.5
111	Burundi	7.5
112	Italy	7.5
	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- drinking₆₄ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₆₅ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₆₆ 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"₆₇. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₆₈. 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)63
Pos.		Higher is better pmp63
1	Spain	46.9069
2	Portugal	34.0169
3	Belgium	33.6269
	...
56	Saudi Arabia	3.33
57	Romania	3.25
58	Lebanon	2.88
59	Paraguay	1.62
60	Peru	1.61
61	Trinidad & Tobago	1.47
62	Dominican Rep.	1.40
63	Malaysia	1.10
	World Avg	13.03
q=70.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)49
Pos.		Lower is better Rank49
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
66	Georgia	66
67	Belarus	67
68	Brunei	68
69	Paraguay	69
70	Latvia	70
71	Liberia	71
72	Kazakhstan	72
73	Egypt	73
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)60
Pos.		Lower is better %60
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
83	Barbados	52.4
84	Papua New Guinea	52.9
85	Bosnia & Herzegovina	53.3
86	Paraguay	53.5
87	Kazakhstan	53.6
88	Azerbaijan	53.6
89	S. Africa	53.8
90	Georgia	54.2
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₇₀. 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 up₇₁. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₇₁ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₇₂ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₇₃. 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 genes₇₄. 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 sugar₇₅.

Smoking Rates (2014)59
Pos.		Lower is better59
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
34	Chad	156
35	Zambia	165
36	Gambia	166
37	Paraguay	166
38	Nigeria	173
39	Guinea-Bissau	175
40	Central African Rep.	178
41	Cameroon	184
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)58
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k58
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
15	Venezuela	6.5
16	Malta	6.9
17	Greece	7
18	Paraguay	7.1
19	St Vincent & Grenadines	7.3
20	Guatemala	7.3
21	Barbados	7.3
22	Belize	7.3
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

10. Children's Health

#health #Paraguay #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)47
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100047
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
117	Uruguay	56.1
118	Costa Rica	56.5
119	Seychelles	57.4
120	Paraguay	57.4
121	Ethiopia	58.4
122	Palestine	58.6
123	Jamaica	59.7
124	Azerbaijan	59.8
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)62
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %62
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
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
136	Ecuador	86.8
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

11. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries