Paraguay (Republic of Paraguay)

http://www.humantruth.info/paraguay.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Paraguay Republic of Paraguay
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	99th best
Capital	Asuncion
Land Area	397 300km²₁
Location	South America, The Americas
Population	7.0m₂
Life Expectancy	70.26yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$12 349 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	PY, PRY, 600₅
Internet Domain	.py₆
Currency	Guarani (PYG)₇
Telephone	+595₈

1. Overview

#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

2. Paraguay National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Value₁₁
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
4	Hong Kong	0.952
5	Australia	0.951
	...
102	Jordan	0.720
103	Dominica	0.720
104	Libya	0.718
105	Paraguay	0.717
106	St Lucia	0.715
107	Palestine	0.715
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₁
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
4	Luxembourg	$84 649
5	Ireland	$76 169
	...
93	S. Africa	$12 948
94	Suriname	$12 672
95	Sri Lanka	$12 578
96	Paraguay	$12 349
97	Barbados	$12 306
98	Peru	$12 246
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₂_,₁₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂_,₁₃
1	Taiwan	28.6
2	Norway	29.4
3	Denmark	31.2
4	Sweden	32.2
5	Finland	32.6
	...
96	El Salvador	88.1
97	St Kitts & Nevis	88.5
98	Antigua & Barbuda	88.7
99	Paraguay	89.3
100	Ghana	89.4
101	Bahamas	89.6
	The Americas Avg	81.6
	World Avg	86.1
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. Paraguay's Demographics and Migration

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

Population:

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.

Population (2018)₂
Pos.		Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
4	Indonesia	267.7m
5	Pakistan	212.2m
	...
103	Hong Kong	7.4m
104	Laos	7.1m
105	Bulgaria	7.1m
106	Paraguay	7.0m
107	Lebanon	6.9m
108	Libya	6.7m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
4	Australia	84.5
5	Switzerland	84.0
	...
114	Iraq	70.4
115	Solomon Islands	70.3
116	Suriname	70.3
117	Paraguay	70.3
118	Egypt	70.2
119	Mexico	70.2
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₄
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
	...
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
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₅
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₅
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
4	Burkina Faso	04.7
5	Sierra Leone	04.8
	...
88	India	12.5
89	Bolivia	12.7
90	Nicaragua	13.1
91	Paraguay	13.2
92	Iran	13.4
93	Samoa	13.7
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₆
Pos.		%₁₆
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
4	Liechtenstein	65.1%
5	Monaco	54.9%
	...
115	Zimbabwe	2.4%
116	Swaziland	2.4%
117	Ecuador	2.4%
118	Paraguay	2.4%
119	Uruguay	2.3%
120	Mauritius	2.3%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₇
Pos.		%₁₇
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
4	Grenada	65.5%
5	St Kitts & Nevis	61.1%
	...
78	Ecuador	8.3%
79	Poland	8.3%
80	Afghanistan	8.1%
81	Paraguay	7.9%
82	Russia	7.9%
83	Mali	7.6%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #Paraguay #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₈_,₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈_,₁₉
1	Sweden	9.2
2	Norway	14.7
3	Denmark	14.7
4	Netherlands	15.8
5	New Zealand	17.5
	...
61	El Salvador	66.9
62	Seychelles	67.0
63	Namibia	69.7
64	Paraguay	70.5
65	Armenia	71.6
66	Montenegro	71.8
	The Americas Avg	74.2
	World Avg	87.7
q=199.

Paraguay does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Paraguay does the second-best when it comes to its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₀. It does better than average in commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₁, speed of uptake of HR treaties₂₂, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₃ (but bad for The Americas) and in LGBT equality₂₄ (but low for The Americas). 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"₂₅.

But, things could still be better. Paraguay does worse than average in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₆, supporting press freedom₂₇, opposing gender inequality₂₈ and in freethought₂₉. Human Rights in Paraguay are under sustained attack from Catholic lobby groups and traditionalist Christians supported by US Conservative Christians. In particular, they are succeeding in preventing women's rights, and have reversed some movements towards LGBT tolerance₃₀.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Paraguay

5. Paraguay's Health

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

Compared to The Americas (2020)₃₁_,₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₁_,₃₂
1	Antigua & Barbuda	75.6
2	Brazil	82.1
3	Cuba	82.4
4	Canada	83.5
5	Barbados	85.1
	...
18	St Vincent & Grenadines	96.8
19	Dominica	98.0
20	Panama	98.1
21	Paraguay	98.4
22	Chile	99.1
23	Suriname	100.0
24	Colombia	100.3
	The Americas Avg	96.2
q=35.

Health (2020)₃₁_,₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₁_,₃₂
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Hong Kong	18.3
3	Maldives	41.0
4	Singapore	42.6
5	Japan	51.0
	...
113	Dominica	98.0
114	Panama	98.1
115	Kazakhstan	98.1
116	Paraguay	98.4
117	Niue	98.7
118	Serbia	98.9
119	Chile	99.1
	World Avg	93.5
q=196.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Hong Kong and The Maldives₃₁. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, S. Sudan and Palau₃₁.

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 The Mediterranean₃₁, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa₃₁.

For more, see:

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

Health:

Paraguay does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Paraguay comes in the best 20 for its suicide rate₃₃. It does better than average in its smoking rate₃₄ and in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₅. Paraguay doesn't do so well in other areas. Paraguay does worse than average for its alcohol consumption rate₃₆, its average life expectancy₁₁, its fertility rate₁₄, its adolescent birth rate₂₈ and in its immunizations take-up₃₇. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016.

Life Expectancy (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
4	Australia	84.5
5	Switzerland	84.0
	...
114	Iraq	70.4
115	Solomon Islands	70.3
116	Suriname	70.3
117	Paraguay	70.3
118	Egypt	70.2
119	Mexico	70.2
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₆
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
4	Mauritania	0.0
5	Somalia	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
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₄
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	2.29
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₄
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₄
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
179	Macedonia	2 732
178	Russia	2 690
	...
40	Central African Rep.	178
39	Guinea-Bissau	175
38	Nigeria	173
37	Paraguay	166
36	Gambia	166
35	Zambia	165
	The Americas Avg	457
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₃₃
Pos.		Per 100k₃₃
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
4	Jordan	0.2
5	Maldives	0.7
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	13.57
	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
	...
66	Georgia	66
67	Belarus	67
68	Brunei	68
69	Paraguay	69
70	Latvia	70
71	Liberia	71
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₃₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₈
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
4	Ethiopia	20.9
5	Nepal	21.0
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	57.4
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₈
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₈
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
4	Hong Kong	3.2
5	Slovenia	3.8
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	56.6
	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
4	Niue	98.8
5	Mongolia	98.7
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Paraguay's Modernity and Learning

#education #intelligence #modernity #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to The Americas (2020)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Canada	21.6
2	USA	29.3
3	Argentina	43.8
4	Chile	51.6
5	Barbados	54.2
	...
31	St Vincent & Grenadines	90.3
32	Jamaica	97.8
33	St Lucia	97.8
34	Paraguay	104.4
35	El Salvador	111.1
36	Guatemala	111.7
37	Suriname	114.4
	The Americas Avg	81.7
q=41.

Modernity and Learning (2020)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Finland	8.4
2	Taiwan	10.0
3	Switzerland	15.1
4	Estonia	15.8
5	Denmark	16.0
	...
138	Marshall Islands	102.8
139	Algeria	103.4
140	Samoa	103.4
141	Paraguay	104.4
142	Turkmenistan	105.3
143	Guinea-Bissau	106.0
144	Zambia	107.9
	World Avg	83.2
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₃₉
2	Israel	4.11₃₉
3	Japan	3.58₃₉
4	Finland	3.17₃₉
5	Sweden	3.16₃₉
	...
108	Philippines	0.11₄₀
109	Myanmar (Burma)	0.11₄₁
110	Peru	0.10₄₂
111	Paraguay	0.09₄₃
112	Congo, DR	0.08₄₄
113	Indonesia	0.08₄₅
	The Americas Avg	0.47
	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%
4	Canada	100.0%
5	Finland	100.0%
	...
113	Indonesia	48.8%
114	Congo, (Brazzaville)	48.8%
115	Iraq	48.0%
116	Paraguay	47.8%
117	Nicaragua	47.5%
118	Maldives	47.1%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2021)₄₇
Pos.		Higher is better Years₄₇
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
4	Belgium	19.6
5	Sweden	19.4
	...
108	Panama	13.1
109	Suriname	13.0
110	Belize	13.0
111	Paraguay	13.0
112	Gabon	13.0
113	Vietnam	13.0
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
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
	...
152	Sierra Leone	152
153	Cambodia	153
154	Zambia	154
155	Paraguay	155
156	Tanzania	156
157	Equatorial Guinea	157
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Religiosity (2018)₄₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₈
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
4	Switzerland	9
5	Denmark	9
	...
51	USA	53
52	Bosnia & Herzegovina	54
53	Greece	56
54	Paraguay	56
55	Lebanon	57
56	Panama	61
	The Americas Avg	65.4
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ (2006)₄₉
Pos.		Higher is better₄₉
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
4	Japan	105
5	Taiwan	105
	...
81	Iran	84
82	Pakistan	84
83	Panama	84
84	Paraguay	84
85	Morocco	84
86	Saudi Arabia	84
	The Americas Avg	85.3
	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%
	...
100	Iran	49%
101	Tunisia	48%
102	Moldova	48%
103	Paraguay	47%
104	Fiji	47%
105	Tonga	47%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₅₁
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₅₁
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
4	USA	35.0
5	Greece	33.5
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

Paraguay has a consistently awful long-term record on corruption.

World Giving Index (2013-2021)₅₂
Pos.		Lower is better₅₂
1	Myanmar (Burma)	2.7
2	New Zealand	4.0
3	USA	4.7
4	Australia	4.9
5	Indonesia	9.0
	...
87	Botswana	74.2
88	Namibia	75.0
89	Senegal	76.0
90	Paraguay	77.3
91	Mozambique	79.0
92	Vietnam	79.8
	The Americas Avg	58.4
	World Avg	67.9
q=160.

Corruption (2022)₅₃
Pos.		Higher is better Points₅₃
1	Denmark	90.0
2	Finland	87.0
3	New Zealand	87.0
4	Norway	84.0
5	Singapore	83.0
	...
134	Djibouti	30.0
135	Papua New Guinea	30.0
136	Gabon	29.0
137	Paraguay	28.0
138	Russia	28.0
139	Mali	28.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness (2018)₅₄
Pos.		Higher is better₅₄
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
4	Iceland	7.5
5	Switzerland	7.5
	...
61	Cyprus	5.8
62	Bolivia	5.8
63	Estonia	5.7
64	Paraguay	5.7
65	Peru	5.7
66	Kosovo	5.7
	The Americas Avg	6.05
	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
	...
137	Congo, (Brazzaville)	137
138	Algeria	138
139	Azerbaijan	139
140	Paraguay	140
141	Sri Lanka	141
142	Malawi	142
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	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
	...
151	Suriname	151
152	Gabon	152
153	Iraq	153
154	Paraguay	154
155	Grenada	155
156	Venezuela	156
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

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

Global Peace Index (2021)₅₅
Pos.		Lower is better₅₅
1	Iceland	1.10
2	New Zealand	1.25
3	Denmark	1.26
4	Portugal	1.27
5	Slovenia	1.32
	...
72	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.97
73	Oman	1.98
74	Jamaica	1.99
75	Paraguay	2.00
76	Kyrgyzstan	2.00
77	Liberia	2.00
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	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
4	Egypt	4
5	Nigeria	5
	...
27	Netherlands	27
28	Mongolia	28
29	Rwanda	29
30	Paraguay	30
31	Jordan	31
32	India	32
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	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
	...
79	Algeria	79
80	Ecuador	80
81	Kuwait	81
82	Paraguay	82
83	Sierra Leone	83
84	Israel	84
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₅₆
Pos.		Lower is better Score₅₆
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
4	Equatorial Guinea	0.00
5	Cambodia	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
	The Americas Avg	2.16
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

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

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₅₇
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₇
1	Iceland	+205.6
2	Bahrain	+144.4
3	Uruguay	+131.3
4	Kuwait	+81.2
5	Dominican Rep.	+79.5
	...
167	Myanmar (Burma)	-25.9
168	Cambodia	-26.9
169	Chad	-27.3
170	Paraguay	-27.6
171	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	-29.0
172	Mali	-29.5
	The Americas Avg	-00.2
	World Avg	+02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₅₈
Pos.		Higher is better₅₈
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
4	Malta	80.9
5	Sweden	80.5
	...
102	Samoa	54.5
103	Suriname	54.2
104	Sao Tome & Principe	54.0
105	Paraguay	53.9
106	El Salvador	53.9
107	Fiji	53.1
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency (2014)₅₉
Pos.		Higher is better₅₉
1	Hong Kong	26.32
2	Sri Lanka	20.00
3	Panama	17.86
4	Colombia	17.54
5	Ireland	17.54
	...
39	Azerbaijan	10.87
40	Netherlands	10.75
41	Mexico	10.64
42	Paraguay	10.53
43	Chile	10.42
44	Lithuania	10.42
	The Americas Avg	10.78
	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
4	Vanuatu	1993 Dec 29
5	Papua New Guinea	1993 Dec 29
	...
45	Malawi	1994 May 03
46	Samoa	1994 May 10
47	India	1994 May 19
48	Paraguay	1994 May 25
49	Hungary	1994 May 25
50	Brazil	1994 May 29
	The Americas Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment (2011)₆₀
Pos.		Higher is better %₆₀
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
4	Trinidad & Tobago	74.5%
5	Costa Rica	74.2%
	...
9	S. Korea	70.7%
10	Colombia	70.3%
11	Bolivia	69.3%
12	Paraguay	68.9%
13	Mexico	67.0%
14	Nicaragua	67.0%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

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

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₆₁
Pos.		Higher is worse₆₁
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
181	Somalia	38.90
180	Nigeria	37.10
	...
110	Azerbaijan	13.90
109	Indonesia	13.90
108	Uzbekistan	13.90
107	Paraguay	13.80
106	Honduras	13.30
105	Mongolia	13.10
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) (2017)₆₂
Pos.		Lower is better %₆₂
1	Ukraine	25.0
2	Belarus	25.4
3	Slovenia	25.4
4	Czechia	25.9
5	Moldova	25.9
	...
134	Benin	47.8
135	Guatemala	48.3
136	Costa Rica	48.3
137	Paraguay	48.8
138	Congo, (Brazzaville)	48.9
139	Colombia	49.7
	The Americas Avg	45.2
	World Avg	38.1
q=152.

Multidimensional Poverty (2018)₆₃
Pos.		Lower is better Severity₆₃
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
4	Turkmenistan	.001
5	Jordan	.002
	...
26	Belize	.017
27	Ecuador	.018
28	Jamaica	.018
29	Paraguay	.019
30	Vietnam	.019
31	Egypt	.019
	The Americas Avg	.045
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #Paraguay #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)₄₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₈
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
4	Switzerland	9
5	Denmark	9
	...
51	USA	53
52	Bosnia & Herzegovina	54
53	Greece	56
54	Paraguay	56
55	Lebanon	57
56	Panama	61
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

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
	...
70	Tajikistan	2
71	Turkmenistan	2
72	Indonesia	2
73	Paraguay	1
74	Nicaragua	1
75	Bolivia	1
	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	96.9%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	1.7%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	1.1%

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 99% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 56% 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: Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 census)₆₆.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: Although Paraguay's constitution states that "the State is independent of religion"₆₇, the Catholic Church is also named as a cooperative partner in Articles 24 and 89₃₀. Conservative Catholics have great influence over politics to the extent that they damage democracy and human rights, especially women's rights and LGBT tolerance. With support of US Christian organisations, they managed ban the teaching of tolerance in schools, with the Minister for Education swearing that he would "burn any books that contained so-called gender ideology"₃₀.

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