Russia (Russian Federation)

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

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Russia Russian Federation
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	83rd best
Capital	Moscow
Land Area	16 376 870km²₁
Location	Asia
Population	145.7m₂
Life Expectancy	69.42yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$27 166 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	RU, RUS, 643₅
Internet Domain	.ru, .su₆
Currency	Ruble (RUB)₇
Telephone	+7₈

1. Overview

“Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 contributed to the Revolution of 1905, which resulted in the formation of a parliament and other reforms. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The Communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Iosif STALIN (1928-53) strengthened Communist rule and Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize Communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent republics. Since then, Russia has shifted its post-Soviet democratic ambitions in favor of a centralized semi-authoritarian state in which the leadership seeks to legitimize its rule through managed national elections, populist appeals by President PUTIN, and continued economic growth. Russia has severely disabled a Chechen rebel movement, although violence still occurs throughout the North Caucasus.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“From beautiful Lake Baikal to St Petersburg´s gilded palaces, Russia is so blessed with cultural and natural treasures that it would take a lifetime to experience them all. For centuries the world has wondered about Russia. The country has been reported as a land of unbelievable riches and indescribable poverty, cruel tyrants and great minds, generous hospitality and meddlesome bureaucracy, beautiful ballets and industrial monstrosities, pious faith and unbridled hedonism.
These eternal Russian truths coexist in equally diverse landscapes of icy tundra and sunkissed beaches, dense silver-birch forests, deep, mysterious lakes, snowcapped mountains and swaying grassland steppes. Factor in ancient fortresses, luxurious palaces, swirly-spired churches and lost-in-time wooden villages and you´ll begin to see why Russia is simply amazing.
Two decades on from the demise of the Soviet Union, an economically and politically resurgent Russia is a brash, exciting and fascinating place to visit.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Russia 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
	...
49	Montenegro	0.832
50	Kuwait	0.831
51	Brunei	0.829
52	Russia	0.822
53	Romania	0.821
54	Oman	0.816
	Asia 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
	...
48	Croatia	$30 132
49	Romania	$30 027
50	Greece	$29 002
51	Russia	$27 166
52	Oman	$27 054
53	Panama	$26 957
	Asia Avg	$22 215
	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
	...
80	Philippines	80.8
81	Colombia	81.5
82	Cuba	81.8
83	Russia	82.3
84	Jordan	82.4
85	Kyrgyzstan	82.6
	Asia Avg	87.1
	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. Russia's Demographics and Migration

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

Population:

Russia's population is predicted to fall to 136 429 000 by 2030. Developed countries with falling populations face a pension's crises, whereby an increasingly 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 1.52. 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
6	Brazil	209.5m
7	Nigeria	195.9m
8	Bangladesh	161.4m
9	Russia	145.7m
10	Japan	127.2m
11	Mexico	126.2m
12	Ethiopia	109.2m
	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
	...
121	Kyrgyzstan	70.0
122	St Vincent & Grenadines	69.6
123	Cambodia	69.6
124	Russia	69.4
125	Azerbaijan	69.4
126	Kazakhstan	69.4
	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
	...
73	Georgia	1.53
74	Switzerland	1.53
75	Mongolia	2.48
76	Russia	1.52
77	Albania	1.51
78	Latvia	1.50
	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
	...
137	Armenia	28.7
138	Thailand	29.2
139	Ireland	29.2
140	Russia	29.5
141	Georgia	29.7
142	Montenegro	30.0
	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%
	...
65	Portugal	8.5%
66	Suriname	8.5%
67	Costa Rica	8.4%
68	Russia	8.1%
69	Congo, (Brazzaville)	7.6%
70	Botswana	7.3%
	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%
	...
79	Poland	8.3%
80	Afghanistan	8.1%
81	Paraguay	7.9%
82	Russia	7.9%
83	Mali	7.6%
84	UK	7.5%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #russia #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
	...
80	Macedonia	82.2
81	Mali	82.4
82	Turkey	82.6
83	Russia	83.2
84	Dominican Rep.	83.3
85	Israel	83.5
	Asia Avg	99.8
	World Avg	87.7
q=199.

Russia is generally poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world. Russia does better than average in speed of uptake of HR treaties₂₀, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₂₁, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₂, opposing gender inequality₂₃ and in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₄. But, things still need to improve in Russia. Russia does worse than average for supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₅, LGBT equality₂₆, supporting press freedom₂₇ and in freethought₂₈. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in terms of commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₉. Russia was one of the 10 countries that did not sign the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948₃₀. It actively abuses international law to cover for its own human rights abuses and for those of its allies. By late 2017, it had cast 11 vetoes to block the UN Security Council from addressing Syrian government war crimes. In 2017, the rate of punishments for (supposedly) violating laws on public gatherings was five times greater than the year before - as protests against corruption and other issues continued, "officials harassed and intimidated protesters" including beating them₃₁. New laws on "foreign funding" have meant that several human rights and environmental groups have had to close from 2012₃₁. In recent years, Russia has become the most repressive it has been since the breakup of the Soviet Union₃₂. Socially, the country suffers from great inequality between the powerful and all others: the richest 1% draw 20% of the country's entire income₃₃.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Russia

5. Russia's Health

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

Compared to Asia (2020)₃₄_,₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₄_,₃₅
1	Hong Kong	18.3
2	Maldives	41.0
3	Singapore	42.6
4	Japan	51.0
5	S. Korea	51.3
	...
35	Kyrgyzstan	91.0
36	Cambodia	93.3
37	Lebanon	95.4
38	Russia	95.5
39	Georgia	95.6
40	Indonesia	95.8
41	Kazakhstan	98.1
	Asia Avg	80.1
q=50.

Health (2020)₃₄_,₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₄_,₃₅
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Hong Kong	18.3
3	Maldives	41.0
4	Singapore	42.6
5	Japan	51.0
	...
100	Costa Rica	93.8
101	San Marino	94.5
102	Lebanon	95.4
103	Russia	95.5
104	Georgia	95.6
105	Djibouti	95.7
106	Indonesia	95.8
	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 Maldives₃₄. 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 Palau₃₄.

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 Mediterranean₃₄, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa₃₄.

For more, see:

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

Health:

Russia has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Russia does better than average for its fertility rate₁₄, its immunizations take-up₃₆, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₇ and in its adolescent birth rate₂₃. But, there's bad news too. Russia does worse than average when it comes to its average life expectancy₁₁. It sits amongst the bottom 20 in terms of its alcohol consumption rate₃₈ (the highest in Asia) and in its smoking rate₃₉ (amongst the worst in Asia). And finally, it is the worst in its suicide rate₄₀. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the past 40 years.

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
	...
121	Kyrgyzstan	70.0
122	St Vincent & Grenadines	69.6
123	Cambodia	69.6
124	Russia	69.4
125	Azerbaijan	69.4
126	Kazakhstan	69.4
	Asia Avg	73.48
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₈
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₈
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
4	Mauritania	0.0
5	Somalia	0.0
	...
171	Austria	11.6
172	Estonia	11.6
173	Poland	11.6
174	Russia	11.7
175	Seychelles	12.0
176	Belgium	12.1
	Asia Avg	3.9
	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
	...
73	Georgia	1.53
74	Switzerland	1.53
75	Mongolia	2.48
76	Russia	1.52
77	Albania	1.51
78	Latvia	1.50
	Asia Avg	2.46
	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
179	Macedonia	2 732
178	Russia	2 690
177	Slovenia	2 637
176	Belgium	2 353
175	Luxembourg	2 284
174	China	2 250
173	Bosnia & Herzegovina	2 233
172	Czechia	2 194
171	Kazakhstan	2 157
	Asia Avg	1 035
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₄₀
Pos.		Per 100k₄₀
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
4	Jordan	0.2
5	Maldives	0.7
	...
86	Kazakhstan	52.4
87	Guyana	52.4
88	Belarus	57.5
89	S. Korea	62
90	Russia	63.4
91	Lithuania	71.7
	Asia Avg	19.50
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₃₇
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₇
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
4	UK	4
5	Norway	5
	...
40	Brazil	40
41	Iceland	41
42	El Salvador	42
43	Russia	43
44	Turkey	44
45	Mexico	45
	Asia Avg	64.4
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₄₁
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₁
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
4	Ethiopia	20.9
5	Nepal	21.0
	...
110	Germany	56.8
111	Vanuatu	57.1
112	Serbia	57.1
113	Russia	57.1
114	Portugal	57.5
115	Peru	57.5
	Asia Avg	44.3
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₃
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₃
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
4	Hong Kong	3.2
5	Slovenia	3.8
	...
68	USA	22.6
69	Armenia	23.0
70	Jordan	23.2
71	Russia	23.4
72	New Zealand	23.6
73	Ukraine	24.1
	Asia Avg	29.9
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₃₆
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₃₆
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
4	Niue	98.8
5	Mongolia	98.7
	...
31	Kazakhstan	97.1
32	Albania	97.1
33	Andorra	97.1
34	Russia	97.0
35	Guyana	97.0
36	Slovakia	97.0
	Asia Avg	90.5
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Russia's Modernity and Learning

#education #english #intelligence #it_security #maths #modernity #politics #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to Asia (2020)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Taiwan	10.0
2	Japan	21.9
3	S. Korea	24.0
4	Singapore	27.9
5	Israel	32.2
6	Hong Kong	32.6
7	Russia	40.6
8	Turkey	50.1
9	Malaysia	50.2
10	Macau	50.8
11	Cyprus	54.0
12	UAE	56.0
13	Saudi Arabia	60.4
	Asia Avg	79.0
q=51.

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
	...
34	Italy	38.5
35	Slovakia	39.5
36	Portugal	40.1
37	Russia	40.6
38	Greece	40.9
39	Argentina	43.8
40	Croatia	44.3
	World Avg	83.2
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₄₂
2	Israel	4.11₄₂
3	Japan	3.58₄₂
4	Finland	3.17₄₂
5	Sweden	3.16₄₂
	...
27	Portugal	1.28₄₂
28	Luxembourg	1.26₄₂
29	Spain	1.22₄₂
30	Russia	1.19₄₂
31	New Zealand	1.17₄₃
32	Brazil	1.15₄₄
	Asia Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₄₅
Pos.		Higher is better₄₅
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
4	Canada	100.0%
5	Finland	100.0%
	...
19	Switzerland	96.5%
20	Moldova	96.4%
21	Germany	96.3%
22	Russia	95.9%
23	Croatia	95.7%
24	Azerbaijan	95.6%
	Asia Avg	66.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2021)₄₆
Pos.		Higher is better Years₄₆
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
4	Belgium	19.6
5	Sweden	19.4
	...
41	Thailand	15.9
42	France	15.8
43	Palau	15.8
44	Russia	15.8
45	Kazakhstan	15.8
46	UAE	15.7
	Asia Avg	13.5
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₃₇
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₇
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
4	Denmark	4
5	UK	5
	...
50	Fiji	50
51	Dominica	51
52	Malaysia	52
53	Russia	53
54	St Lucia	54
55	Turkey	55
	Asia Avg	97.1
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading (2015)₄₇
Pos.		Higher is better Score₄₇
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
4	Macau	1582
5	Estonia	1573
	...
25	France	1487
26	Sweden	1487
27	Austria	1477
28	Russia	1476
29	Spain	1475
30	Czechia	1472
	Asia Avg	1398
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity (2018)₄₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₈
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
4	Switzerland	9
5	Denmark	9
	...
16	Albania	15
17	Lithuania	16
18	S. Korea	16
19	Russia	16
20	Australia	18
21	Vietnam	18
	Asia Avg	55.8
	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
	...
30	Latvia	98
31	Hungary	98
32	Ukraine	97
33	Russia	97
34	Belarus	97
35	Moldova	96
	Asia Avg	90.4
	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%
	...
52	Brunei	72%
53	Slovenia	72%
54	Cyprus	72%
55	Russia	71%
56	Oman	71%
57	New Caledonia	70%
	Asia Avg	48.7%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

Freedom On The Internet (2012)₅₁
Pos.		Lower is better₅₁
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
4	Australia	18
5	Hungary	19
	...
27	Venezuela	48
28	Azerbaijan	50
29	Rwanda	51
30	Russia	52
31	Zimbabwe	54
32	Sri Lanka	55
	Asia Avg	56.6
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

IT Security (2013)₅₂
Pos.		Lower is better₅₂
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
4	Hong Kong	0.12
5	Mexico	0.16
	...
76	Iraq	1.84
77	Bangladesh	1.87
78	Sudan	1.98
79	India	2.10
80	Russia	2.42
81	USA	3.68
	Asia Avg	1.08
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₅₃
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₅₃
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
4	USA	35.0
5	Greece	33.5
	...
44	Italy	1.7
45	Argentina	1.4
46	Faroe Islands	1.4
47	Russia	1.3
48	Bulgaria	1.3
49	S. Korea	1.2
	Asia Avg	2.11
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

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

World Giving Index (2013-2021)₅₄
Pos.		Lower is better₅₄
1	Myanmar (Burma)	2.7
2	New Zealand	4.0
3	USA	4.7
4	Australia	4.9
5	Indonesia	9.0
	...
143	Tunisia	114.3
144	Madagascar	114.8
145	Congo, DR	114.8
146	Russia	115.0
147	Angola	115.0
148	Czechia	115.3
	Asia Avg	62.5
	World Avg	67.9
q=160.

Corruption (2022)₅₅
Pos.		Higher is better Points₅₅
1	Denmark	90.0
2	Finland	87.0
3	New Zealand	87.0
4	Norway	84.0
5	Singapore	83.0
	...
135	Papua New Guinea	30.0
136	Gabon	29.0
137	Paraguay	28.0
138	Russia	28.0
139	Mali	28.0
140	Pakistan	27.0
	Asia Avg	39.98
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness (2018)₅₆
Pos.		Higher is better₅₆
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
4	Iceland	7.5
5	Switzerland	7.5
	...
56	Jamaica	5.9
57	S. Korea	5.9
58	Northern Cyprus	5.8
59	Russia	5.8
60	Kazakhstan	5.8
61	Cyprus	5.8
	Asia Avg	5.29
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity and Culture (2017)₃₇
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₇
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
4	Switzerland	4
5	Sweden	5
	...
98	Bolivia	98
99	El Salvador	99
100	Nicaragua	100
101	Russia	101
102	Vietnam	102
103	Armenia	103
	Asia Avg	99.0
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₃₇
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₇
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
4	Netherlands	4
5	Switzerland	5
	...
113	China	113
114	S. Africa	114
115	Cape Verde	115
116	Russia	116
117	Angola	117
118	Guyana	118
	Asia Avg	86.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

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

Global Peace Index (2021)₅₇
Pos.		Lower is better₅₇
1	Iceland	1.10
2	New Zealand	1.25
3	Denmark	1.26
4	Portugal	1.27
5	Slovenia	1.32
	...
151	N. Korea	2.92
152	Venezuela	2.93
153	Sudan	2.94
154	Russia	2.99
155	Central African Rep.	3.13
156	Libya	3.17
	Asia Avg	2.22
	World Avg	2.08
q=163.

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₃₇
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₇
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
4	Egypt	4
5	Nigeria	5
	...
79	Georgia	79
80	Albania	80
81	Gabon	81
82	Russia	82
83	Iran	83
84	Serbia	84
	Asia Avg	76.0
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)₃₇
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₇
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
4	Sweden	4
5	Malta	5
	...
94	Qatar	94
95	Peru	95
96	Gabon	96
97	Russia	97
98	Papua New Guinea	98
99	Mexico	99
	Asia Avg	92.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₅₈
Pos.		Lower is better Score₅₈
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
4	Equatorial Guinea	0.00
5	Cambodia	0.00
	...
111	Israel	4.53
112	Iran	4.72
113	Chad	4.76
114	Russia	4.90
115	France	5.01
116	Indonesia	5.07
	Asia Avg	3.60
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

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

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₅₉
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₉
1	Iceland	+205.6
2	Bahrain	+144.4
3	Uruguay	+131.3
4	Kuwait	+81.2
5	Dominican Rep.	+79.5
	...
74	Palestine	+01.0
75	Tajikistan	+01.0
76	Slovakia	+01.0
77	Russia	+00.8
78	Sweden	+00.8
79	Mongolia	+00.1
	Asia Avg	+07.0
	World Avg	+02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₆₀
Pos.		Higher is better₆₀
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
4	Malta	80.9
5	Sweden	80.5
	...
49	Singapore	64.2
50	Poland	64.1
51	Venezuela	63.9
52	Russia	63.8
53	Brunei	63.6
54	Morocco	63.5
	Asia Avg	54.5
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency (2014)₆₁
Pos.		Higher is better₆₁
1	Hong Kong	26.32
2	Sri Lanka	20.00
3	Panama	17.86
4	Colombia	17.54
5	Ireland	17.54
	...
106	Kyrgyzstan	04.78
107	Benin	04.69
108	Bosnia & Herzegovina	04.52
109	Russia	04.52
110	S. Africa	04.48
111	Bahrain	04.10
	Asia Avg	09.14
	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
	...
115	Central African Rep.	1995 Jun 13
116	Mali	1995 Jun 27
117	Cape Verde	1995 Jun 27
118	Russia	1995 Jul 04
119	Guatemala	1995 Oct 08
120	Uzbekistan	1995 Oct 17
	Asia Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment (2011)₆₂
Pos.		Higher is better %₆₂
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
4	Trinidad & Tobago	74.5%
5	Costa Rica	74.2%
	...
115	Poland	23.8%
116	Belarus	23.7%
117	Afghanistan	23.6%
118	Russia	23.5%
119	Algeria	23.5%
120	Pakistan	23.2%
	Asia Avg	37.9%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

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

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₆₃
Pos.		Higher is worse₆₃
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
181	Somalia	38.90
180	Nigeria	37.10
	...
60	Lebanon	7.40
59	Albania	7.20
58	Costa Rica	7.10
57	Russia	7.10
56	Sri Lanka	7.00
55	Bahamas	6.80
	Asia Avg	11.80
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) (2017)₆₄
Pos.		Lower is better %₆₄
1	Ukraine	25.0
2	Belarus	25.4
3	Slovenia	25.4
4	Czechia	25.9
5	Moldova	25.9
	...
78	Bhutan	37.4
79	Vanuatu	37.6
80	Tonga	37.6
81	Russia	37.7
82	Tanzania	37.8
83	Georgia	37.9
	Asia Avg	35.2
	World Avg	38.1
q=152.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#afterlife #belief #buddhism #christianity #god #heaven #hell #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religiosity #russia #secularisation #ukraine #universalism

Religiosity (2018)₄₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₈
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
4	Switzerland	9
5	Denmark	9
	...
16	Albania	15
17	Lithuania	16
18	S. Korea	16
19	Russia	16
20	Australia	18
21	Vietnam	18
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)₆₅
Pos.		Higher is better %₆₅
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
4	Czechia	61
5	Estonia	49
	...
16	Norway	31
17	S. Korea	30
18	Finland	28
19	Russia	27
20	Australia	25
21	Taiwan	24
	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 below₆₆:

Christian	73.3%
Muslim	10%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.2%
Jew	0.2%
Unaffiliated	16.2%

By adding up the Pew Forum data for the major monotheistic religions we can see that these make up 83.5% of the population. Yet there are simply too many who disbelieve in God for this to be true (27%). 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 83.9% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 16% 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: Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (2006 est.). note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of Soviet rule₆₇.

The Afterlife: Ipsos-NA in 2011 gathered some statistics on Russia₆₈. Despite the large numbers of Christians, not many have traditional beliefs in the afterlife - just 12%. More people don't know what to believe (36%). Some believe that upon death, you simply cease to exist (12%). Also, 2% specifically believe in heaven but not in hell (which is nice - making them possible "universalists"). 5% believe in reincarnation.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: Freedom of religion and belief is protected in law and in the constitution, however, Article 282 of the Criminal Code bans "Inciting religious hatred" which is sometimes over-used, or misused for political purposes₆₉. The Russian Orthodox Church has run long-term and officially supported campaigns to restrict other religious groups₇₀_,₃₂, especially since the religious liberalisation of Russia in 1990₇₀: "Since July 2016, when the “Yarovaya Law” entered into force, authorities fined over 100 religious activists, mainly evangelist Christians" for various minor oversights and The Jehovah's Witnesses were outlawed in 2017₃₁. The Russian Orthodox Church in conjunction with the State have been blocking the UN Human Rights Council and also putting obstacles in the way of Human Rights elsewhere₃₂. They were the only mainstream religious body to condone Russia's invasion of Ukraine, much to the horror of other Christians and followers around the world₇₁.

Links:

12.1. The Russian Orthodox Church as an Organ of the State₇₂

#christianity #religion_and_politics #Russia #secularisation #ukraine

Post-Communist Russia dropped its rugged opposition to organized religion, and allowed religious groups to operate again. The result was a revival of interest in religion₇₃_,₇₄, causing a statistical tick in a world that is otherwise generally undergoing a process of secularisation (loss of religion). The Russian state pushes Orthodox Christianity, which has proven itself useful as "a tool for reconstructing political and geopolitical identity in a post-Soviet era"₇₅. Without the ideology of the USSR to hold people together, Russia finds that Orthodox Christianity is a rather similar tool, so much so, that all of its traditional battles against human rights, conducted in the name of communism, are now handily conducted in the name of Christian identity, as are other political aims.

“Agadjanian (2006) underscores that 'religion was revived from Soviet oblivion, by both religious and secular camps, as a grand narrative believed to be full of strong symbolic content available for collective identity quests' [and] the same was true in other Eastern Orthodox countries Borowik (2006) underscores that 'in all the Eastern European cases, religion has probably become more important because it offers a tool for reconstructing political and geopolitical identity in a post-Soviet era.”
"The Meaning and Scope of Secularization" by Karel Dobbelaere (2011)₇₅

Christian leaders around the world despaired in horror when in 2022 the Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox church, backed by his high-ranking Christian clergy, preached that the war against Ukraine was a righteous war being fought by that good man Putin for the future of Christianity in Ukraine, repeating official Russian excuses for the invasion.₇₆.

See:

"Political Power Struggles and Identity Reinforcement: Why are People Religious?" by Vexen Crabtree (2022)

12. Russia Against Europe

#estonia #EU #europe #france #georgia #germany #nationalism #politics #russia #UK #ukraine

NATO has been warning for some time that Russia has been conducting long-term information warfare operations in Europe₇₇_,₇₈, on a scale and sophistication that dwarves anything that NATO or Europe is doing in response₇₉. On account of the long-term damage such parties do to the UK and to other European countries, Russia has been quietly and effectively supporting right-wing parties₈₀_,₈₁ in order to further its own interest in a fractured Europe₈₂. "Senior Russian political figures have long cultivated relationships with nationalist and often anti-EU parties in Europe"₈₁ (e.g. in the UK, France, Germany)₇₈. They will also fund and encourage mainstream parties (such as the UK's Conservatives₈₃), if they are doing enough damage to the EU.₈₄. On top of this, cyber-attacks and military operations have been used to subdue and intimidate several Baltic and Eastern-European countries (Estonia, Ukraine, Georgia)₈₄_,₈₅_,₈₆.