Saint Vincent & the Grenadines

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

St Vincent & the Grenadines
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	117th best
Capital	Kingstown
Land Area	390km²₁
Location	North America, The Americas, The Caribbean
Groupings	Small Islands
Population	0.1m₂
Life Expectancy	73.04yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$10 372 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	VC, VCT, 670₅
Internet Domain	.vc₆
Currency	Dollar (XCD)₇
Telephone	+₈

1. Overview

#france #UK

“Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on Saint Vincent until 1719. Disputed between France and the United Kingdom for most of the 18th century, the island was ceded to the latter in 1783. Between 1960 and 1962, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Caribbean fantasies converge on this collection of 32 islands at the south end of the Leeward Islands. Just the name St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) evokes visions of exotic, idyllic island life. Imagine an island chain in the heart of the Caribbean Sea, uncluttered by tourist exploitation; with white-sand beaches on deserted islands, sky-blue water gently lapping the shore and barely a soul around.
Once you get off the big island, with its traffic, hustle and noise, and out into the Grenadines, everything changes. There are 31 Grenadines, each one more tranquil than the next and each begging to be explored. Beaches stretch out before you, the pace of life slows to a crawl and the desire to go home vanishes.
These islands have enchanted sailors for centuries, and continue to do so. Whether you have your own vessel, are happy to hitch a ride or take one of the new ferries, the island-hopping opportunities are irresistible.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. St Vincent & the Grenadines National and Social Development

#economics #human_development

UN HDI (2016)₁₁
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₁₁
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
97	Suriname	97
98	Tunisia	97
99	Dominican Rep.	99
100	St Vincent & Grenadines	99
101	Tonga	101
102	Libya	102
103	Belize	103
104	Samoa	104
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2011)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₂
1	Qatar	$129 916
2	Singapore	$78 162
3	Kuwait	$76 075
	...
95	Ecuador	$10 536
96	Mongolia	$10 449
97	Maldives	$10 383
98	St Vincent & Grenadines	$10 372
99	Albania	$10 252
100	Tunisia	$10 249
101	Jordan	$10 111
102	Dominica	$10 096
	World Avg	$17 240
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₃_,₁₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₃_,₁₄
1	Taiwan	30.2
2	Denmark	30.5
3	Norway	30.9
	...
114	Kenya	94.5
115	Senegal	94.7
116	Dominica	94.7
117	St Vincent & Grenadines	95.0
118	Grenada	95.8
119	Brunei	96.0
120	St Kitts & Nevis	96.1
121	Guyana	96.2
	World Avg	86.4
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. St Vincent & the Grenadines's Demographics

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

Population:

St Vincent & the Grenadines's population is predicted to rise to 110 781 by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.01. 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
	...
179	Kiribati	0.1m
180	Micronesia	0.1m
181	Grenada	0.1m
182	St Vincent & Grenadines	0.1m
183	Tonga	0.1m
184	Seychelles	97 096
185	Antigua & Barbuda	96 286
186	Andorra	77 006
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
96	Seychelles	73.30
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
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₅
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₅
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
6	Australia	1.96
7	Uruguay	2.05
8	Norway	1.95
9	Myanmar (Burma)	1.95
10	Indonesia	2.07
11	Sweden	1.93
12	Tunisia	1.93
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₆
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₆
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
114	Azerbaijan	18.7
115	Colombia	18.8
116	Antigua & Barbuda	19.0
117	St Vincent & Grenadines	19.7
118	Seychelles	19.8
119	St Lucia	19.9
120	Brazil	19.9
121	Argentina	20.3
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₇
Pos.		%₁₇
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
87	Tonga	4.6%
88	Venezuela	4.5%
89	Lithuania	4.3%
90	St Vincent & Grenadines	4.2%
91	Czechia	4.1%
92	Uganda	3.9%
93	Dominican Rep.	3.9%
94	Mauritania	3.8%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
12	Suriname	39.0%
13	Bosnia & Herzegovina	38.9%
14	Palau	38.8%
15	St Vincent & Grenadines	37.7%
16	Cape Verde	37.6%
17	Jamaica	36.1%
18	Armenia	28.2%
19	Trinidad & Tobago	26.7%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. St Vincent & the Grenadines's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance #women

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₉_,₂₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉_,₂₀
1	Denmark	9.7
2	Sweden	10.0
3	Norway	16.1
	...
119	Botswana	101.9
120	Nigeria	103.0
121	S. Sudan	103.2
122	St Vincent & Grenadines	103.8
123	Benin	103.8
124	Mozambique	103.9
125	Gabon	104.0
126	Cambodia	104.1
127	Kuwait	104.3
	World Avg	89.8
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Denmark, Sweden and Norway₁₉. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Tuvalu, The Solomon Islands and Palestine₁₉.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, opposing gender inequality, the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice and LGBT equality. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₉, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Melanesia and Australasia₁₉.

Human Rights & Tolerance:

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)₂₁
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties₂₁
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
101	Sierra Leone	15
102	Chad	15
103	Tanzania	15
104	St Vincent & Grenadines	15
105	Liberia	15
106	Libya	15
107	Maldives	15
108	Andorra	15
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag (2019)₂₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Yrs/Treaty₂₂
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
91	Niger	9.89
92	Barbados	9.94
93	Algeria	9.95
94	St Vincent & Grenadines	9.98
95	Azerbaijan	10.08
96	Lebanon	10.14
97	Afghanistan	10.23
98	Dominican Rep.	10.24
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Gender Equality:

The 1950s saw a late rush of 43 countries, including St Vincent & Grenadines and many developing nations, move to cease preventing women from voting.

See:

"Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

Year Women Can Vote
Pos.		Lower is better Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
87	Nepal	1951
88	Dominica	1951
89	St Kitts & Nevis	1951
90	St Vincent & Grenadines	1951
91	Bolivia	1952
92	Ivory Coast	1952
93	Greece	1952
94	Lebanon	1952
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Prejudice:

LGBT Equality (2017)₂₃
Pos.		Higher is better Score₂₃
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
137	Papua New Guinea	-10
138	Sri Lanka	-10
139	Antigua & Barbuda	-10
140	St Vincent & Grenadines	-10
141	Mauritius	-10
142	Myanmar (Burma)	-10
143	Barbados	-10
144	Ethiopia	-14
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

5. St Vincent & the Grenadines's Health

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

Health (2020)₂₄_,₂₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₄_,₂₀
1	Hong Kong	18.0
2	Singapore	41.5
3	Maldives	43.3
	...
98	Ethiopia	92.9
99	Latvia	93.8
100	Mexico	93.8
101	St Vincent & Grenadines	93.9
102	Sao Tome & Principe	94.0
103	Cambodia	94.0
104	Russia	94.5
105	Peru	94.6
106	Andorra	94.8
	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 Maldives₂₄. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea₂₄.

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 Europe₂₄, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Polynesia₂₄.

Health:

St Vincent & the Grenadines does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. St Vincent & Grenadines does better than average in its suicide rate₂₅, its immunizations take-up₂₆, its smoking rate₂₇ and in its fertility rate₁₅. St Vincent & Grenadines does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average for its average life expectancy₁₂, its adolescent birth rate₂₈ and in its alcohol consumption rate₂₉. And finally, it is second-from-the-bottom for its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₀. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
96	Seychelles	73.30
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
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₂₉
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
120	Malta	8.1
121	Macedonia	8.1
122	Burkina Faso	8.2
123	St Vincent & Grenadines	8.2
124	Dominica	8.2
125	Thailand	8.3
126	Ivory Coast	8.4
127	Botswana	8.4
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₅
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₅
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
6	Australia	1.96
7	Uruguay	2.05
8	Norway	1.95
9	Myanmar (Burma)	1.95
10	Indonesia	2.07
11	Sweden	1.93
12	Tunisia	1.93
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₂₇
Pos.		Higher is worse₂₇
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
	...
68	Antigua & Barbuda	362
67	Colombia	359
66	Hong Kong	345
65	St Vincent & Grenadines	338
64	Barbados	333
63	Mexico	329
62	Sri Lanka	322
61	Sierra Leone	310
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₂₅
Pos.		Per 100k₂₅
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
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
23	Bahrain	7.5
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
156	Libya	156
157	Papua New Guinea	157
158	Belize	158
159	Algeria	159
160	Senegal	160
161	Mauritania	161
162	St Vincent & Grenadines	162
163	Angola	163
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₃₁
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₁
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
93	Armenia	54.4
94	Belize	54.8
95	Haiti	54.9
96	St Vincent & Grenadines	55.0
97	Solomon Islands	55.0
98	Denmark	55.4
99	Jamaica	55.5
100	Mongolia	55.6
	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
	...
108	Peru	49.1
109	Indonesia	49.6
110	Colombia	50.2
111	St Vincent & Grenadines	51.0
112	Cambodia	51.6
113	Egypt	51.9
114	St Lucia	53.9
115	Eritrea	54.3
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₂₆
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₂₆
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
26	Cook Islands	97.3
27	Greece	97.3
28	Turkmenistan	97.2
29	St Vincent & Grenadines	97.2
30	Dominica	97.1
31	Kazakhstan	97.1
32	Albania	97.1
33	Andorra	97.1
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. St Vincent & the Grenadines's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #technology #the_internet

Modernity and Learning (2020)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₂
1	Finland	8.0
2	Belgium	9.1
3	Denmark	10.0
	...
138	Ivory Coast	94.3
139	Suriname	94.8
140	Nigeria	95.3
141	St Vincent & Grenadines	95.5
142	Burkina Faso	95.7
143	Benin	97.0
144	Syria	97.7
145	Mali	98.1
146	Togo	99.4
	World Avg	69.0
q=180.

Modernity and Education:

Length of Schooling (2018)₃₃
Pos.		Higher is better Years₃₃
1	Australia	22.1
2	Belgium	19.7
3	Finland	19.3
	...
85	S. Africa	13.7
86	UAE	13.6
87	St Kitts & Nevis	13.6
88	St Vincent & Grenadines	13.6
89	Malaysia	13.5
90	Macedonia	13.5
91	Kyrgyzstan	13.4
92	Andorra	13.3
	World Avg	13.2
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
94	Malawi	94
95	Mexico	95
96	Guinea	96
97	St Vincent & Grenadines	97
98	Zimbabwe	98
99	Panama	99
100	Laos	100
101	Cameroon	101
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)₃₄
Pos.		Higher is better₃₄
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
76	Bosnia & Herzegovina	62%
77	Azerbaijan	61%
78	Belarus	61%
79	St Vincent & Grenadines	60%
80	St Lucia	59%
81	Bulgaria	59%
82	Turkey	58%
83	Romania	58%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₃₅
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
167	St Lucia	0.0
168	Dominica	0.0
169	Cuba	0.0
170	St Vincent & Grenadines	0.0
171	Montenegro	0.0
172	Libya	0.0
173	Jamaica	0.0
174	Fiji	0.0
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#corruption #politics

Corruption (2012-2016)₃₆
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score₃₆
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
31	Botswana	63.0
32	Portugal	62.8
33	Cyprus	61.6
34	St Vincent & Grenadines	61.5
35	Israel	61.2
36	Taiwan	61.2
37	Poland	60.8
38	Spain	60.0
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Creativity and Culture (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
40	Marshall Islands	40
41	Malaysia	41
42	Namibia	42
43	St Vincent & Grenadines	43
44	Cyprus	44
45	Japan	45
46	Moldova	46
47	Greece	47
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
141	Belize	141
142	Slovakia	142
143	Tanzania	143
144	St Vincent & Grenadines	144
145	Samoa	145
146	Jamaica	146
147	Syria	147
148	Iran	148
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
139	St Lucia	139
140	Kuwait	140
141	Saudi Arabia	141
142	St Vincent & Grenadines	142
143	Belize	143
144	Haiti	144
145	Libya	145
146	Croatia	146
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₀
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
131	Antigua & Barbuda	131
132	Azerbaijan	132
133	Togo	133
134	St Vincent & Grenadines	134
135	Afghanistan	135
136	Trinidad & Tobago	136
137	Nigeria	137
138	Cambodia	138
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₃₇
Pos.		Higher is better %₃₇
1	Iceland	205.6
2	Bahrain	144.4
3	Uruguay	131.3
	...
45	Netherlands	09.3
46	Switzerland	09.0
47	Ghana	08.2
48	St Vincent & Grenadines	08.0
49	Costa Rica	07.5
50	Romania	07.4
51	Cyprus	07.2
52	Fiji	06.7
	World Avg	02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₃₈
Pos.		Higher is better₃₈
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
33	Czechia	67.7
34	Slovenia	67.6
35	Trinidad & Tobago	67.4
36	St Vincent & Grenadines	66.5
37	Latvia	66.1
38	Turkmenistan	66.1
39	Seychelles	66.0
40	Albania	65.5
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

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
	...
147	Ireland	1996 Jun 20
148	Bulgaria	1996 Jul 16
149	Rwanda	1996 Aug 27
150	St Vincent & Grenadines	1996 Sep 01
151	Slovenia	1996 Oct 07
152	Cyprus	1996 Oct 08
153	Trinidad & Tobago	1996 Oct 30
154	Congo, (Brazzaville)	1996 Oct 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#health #inequality #life_expectancy

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₃₉
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₉
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
	...
93	Ecuador	11.50
92	N. Korea	11.50
91	Kyrgyzstan	11.30
90	St Vincent & Grenadines	11.30
89	Grenada	11.20
88	Belize	11.10
87	Brazil	10.90
86	Peru	10.80
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

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 below₄₀:

Christian	88.7%
Muslim	1.5%
Hindu	3.4%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	2%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	2.5%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Protestant 75% (Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%), Roman Catholic 13%, other (includes Hindu, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant) 12%₄₁.

Links:

A List of All Religions and Belief Systems