Singapore (Republic of Singapore)

Singapore Republic of Singapore
Status	Independent State
Capital	Singapore
Land Area	700km21
Location	Asia
Groupings	Small Islands
Population	5.3m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	83.21yrs (2017)3
GNI	$78 162 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	SG, SGP, 7025
Internet Domain	.sg6
Currency	Dollar (SGD)7
Telephone	+658

1. Overview
2. Singapore National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Politics and Freedom
5. Gender Equality
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
10. Links

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1. Overview

“Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“This perennial stopover city is constantly reinventing itself as a destination in its own right, jostling for the position of top dog among Asia´s – even the world´s – best cities. One of Asia´s success stories, tiny little Singapore´s GDP consistently ranks it as one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Along with that wealth comes a rich culture borne of a multiracial population. Get lost in the mad swirl of skyscrapers in the central business district (CBD), be transfixed by the Bolly beats in the streets of ramshackle Little India, hike a dense patch of rainforest in Bukit Timah, or just give yourself up to the air-conditioned retail mayhem of Orchard Rd. There´s something for everyone here.

It´s affluent, high tech and occasionally a little snobbish, but Singapore´s great leveller is the hawker centre, the ubiquitous and raucous food markets where everyone mucks in together to indulge the local mania for cheap eating and drinking. In short, Singapore makes for a perfect pit stop to recover from the rough-and-tumble of the rest of Southeast Asia.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Singapore National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
4	Germany	4
5	Denmark	5
6	Singapore	5
7	Netherlands	7
8	Ireland	8
9	Iceland	9
10	Canada	10
11	USA	10
12	Hong Kong	12
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	84.2
2	Sweden	83.7
3	Finland	83.5
	...
20	Japan	75.2
21	Spain	73.3
22	Estonia	72.5
23	Singapore	72.0
24	USA	71.8
25	Italy	70.8
26	Czechia	70.8
27	Korea, S.	70.8
	World Avg	54.1
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

#demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #overpopulation #population #Singapore

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
158	Czechia	36.1
159	Cuba	36.2
160	Poland	36.3
161	Singapore	36.5
162	Latvia	36.7
163	Sweden	37.0
164	Bulgaria	37.0
165	Denmark	37.1
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8
2	Palestine	68.4
3	Samoa	67.3
	...
92	Bhutan	6.3
93	Tunisia	6.3
94	Finland	6.2
95	Singapore	6.1
96	Guatemala	6.1
97	Brunei	6.0
98	Netherlands	6.0
99	Italy	5.8
	World Avg	11.5
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	Korea, N.	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
107	Kyrgyzstan	2.64
108	Austria	1.35
109	Egypt	2.65
110	Singapore	1.35
111	Saudi Arabia	2.67
112	Portugal	1.31
113	Belize	2.70
114	Malta	1.28
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5
2	Monaco	71.6
3	UAE	70.0
4	Kuwait	68.8
5	Andorra	64.4
6	Jordan	45.9
7	Palestine	43.6
8	Singapore	40.7
9	Israel	40.4
10	Bahrain	39.1
11	Hong Kong	38.8
12	San Marino	37.0
	World Avg	9.2
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
4	Singapore	83.21
5	Switzerland	83.13
6	Spain	82.77
7	Iceland	82.72
8	Israel	82.56
9	Australia	82.54
10	France	82.36
11	Sweden	82.35
12	Canada	82.22
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		The Overpopulation of the Earth17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
112	Slovakia	5.5m
113	Kyrgyzstan	5.4m
114	Finland	5.4m
115	Singapore	5.3m
116	Turkmenistan	5.2m
117	Norway	5.0m
118	Costa Rica	4.8m
119	Ireland	4.6m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Singapore's population is predicted to rise to 5.978 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.35. 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 Overpopulation of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Politics and Freedom

#antisemitism #burundi #corruption #eritrea #france #freedom #human_development #human_rights #indonesia #mass_media #peace #politics #Singapore #slavery

Anti-Semite Opinions (2014)18
Pos.		Lower is better %18
1	Laos	0
2	Philippines	3
3	Sweden	4
	...
16	Ghana	15
17	Finland	15
18	Brazil	16
19	Singapore	16
20	Nigeria	16
21	Iceland	16
22	Uganda	16
23	Jamaica	18
	World Avg	36.8
q=101.

Corruption (2012-2016)19
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score19
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
4	Sweden	88.2
5	Norway	86.0
6	Switzerland	85.8
7	Singapore	85.2
8	Netherlands	83.4
9	Canada	82.2
10	Luxembourg	81.6
11	Australia	80.8
12	Germany	79.6
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Global Peace Index (2012)20
Pos.		Lower is better20
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
20	Malaysia	1.49
21	Mauritius	1.49
22	Australia	1.49
23	Singapore	1.52
24	Poland	1.52
25	Spain	1.55
26	Slovakia	1.59
27	Taiwan	1.60
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)21
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties21
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
184	Pakistan	6
185	Tuvalu	5
186	Micronesia	5
187	Singapore	5
188	Nauru	5
189	Marshall Islands	4
190	Myanmar (Burma)	4
191	Palau	4
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014)22
Pos.		Lower is better Rank22
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
38	Costa Rica	38
39	Slovenia	39
40	Bulgaria	40
41	Singapore	40
42	Uruguay	42
43	Georgia	43
44	Croatia	44
45	Montenegro	44
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Press Freedom (2013)23
Pos.		Lower is better23
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
145	Palestine	4309
146	Philippines	4311
147	Russia	4342
148	Singapore	4343
149	Iraq	4467
150	Myanmar (Burma)	4471
151	Gambia	4509
152	Mexico	4530
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

Slavery (2018)24
Pos.		Lower is better % Victims24
1	Japan	0.03
2	Canada	0.05
3	Taiwan	0.05
	...
69	Botswana	0.34
70	Honduras	0.34
71	Poland	0.34
72	Singapore	0.34
73	Estonia	0.36
74	Mali	0.36
75	Hungary	0.37
76	Bangladesh	0.37
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₂₅. 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' friends₂₆. 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 life₂₇. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₈.

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 slavery₂₉. 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 dignity₃₀. 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.₃₁. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₄, Eritrea₂₄, Indonesia₃₂) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₃₃.

5. Gender Equality

#gender #misogyny #politics #Singapore #women

Gender Inequality (2015)34
Pos.		Lower is better34
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
8	Finland	0.06
9	Germany	0.07
10	Korea, S.	0.07
11	Singapore	0.07
12	Belgium	0.07
13	Luxembourg	0.07
14	Austria	0.08
15	Spain	0.08
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

Year Women Can Vote35
Pos.		Lower is better Year35
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
65	Guatemala	1946
66	Vietnam	1946
67	Trinidad & Tobago	1946
68	Singapore	1947
69	Pakistan	1947
70	Malta	1947
71	Argentina	1947
72	Korea, S.	1948
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

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.

Singapore is notable for its equality between the sexes.

See:

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

6. Religion and Beliefs

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

Religiosity (2009)36
Pos.		Lower is better %36
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
31	Argentina	66
32	Chile	70
33	Croatia	70
34	Singapore	70
35	Montenegro	71
36	Greece	71
37	Italy	72
38	Moldova	72
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)37
Pos.		Higher is better37
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
34	Israel	15
35	Armenia	14
36	Lithuania	13
37	Singapore	13
38	Kazakhstan	12
39	China	12
40	Uruguay	12
41	USA	10
	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 below₃₈:

Christian	18.2%
Muslim	14.3%
Hindu	5.2%
Buddhist	33.9%
Folk Religion	2.3%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	16.4%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000 census)₃₉.

Links:

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

7. The Internet

#internet #Singapore #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)40
Pos.		Higher is better40
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
29	Australia	85%
30	Bahamas	85%
31	Puerto Rico	83%
32	Singapore	83%
33	Slovakia	83%
34	Spain	82%
35	Austria	81%
36	Ireland	81%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)41
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio41
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
32	Slovenia	5.4
33	Bolivia	5.0
34	Macau	4.2
35	Singapore	4.0
36	Sweden	3.8
37	Poland	3.6
38	Thailand	3.3
39	Denmark	3.1
	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.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #health #mental_health #parenting #population #Singapore #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)34
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100034
1	Korea, N.	0.5
2	Korea, S.	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
4	Hong Kong	3.2
5	Slovenia	3.8
6	Singapore	3.8
7	Netherlands	4.0
8	Denmark	4.0
9	Japan	4.1
10	Cyprus	5.0
11	Sweden	5.7
12	Norway	5.9
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Alcohol Consumption (2010)42
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita42
1	Libya	0.1
2	Pakistan	0.1
3	Kuwait	0.1
	...
36	Tonga	1.6
37	Solomon Islands	1.7
38	Madagascar	1.8
39	Singapore	2.0
40	Turkey	2.0
41	Bahrain	2.1
42	Benin	2.1
43	Nepal	2.2
	World Avg	6.2
q=191.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)43
Pos.		Lower is better Rank43
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
46	Malaysia	46
47	Czechia	47
48	China	48
49	Singapore	49
50	Ecuador	50
51	Israel	51
52	Slovakia	52
53	Bulgaria	53
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)44
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %44
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
71	Algeria	95.0
72	Tuvalu	94.9
73	Eritrea	94.7
74	Singapore	94.6
75	UK	94.6
76	Solomon Islands	94.5
77	Norway	94.3
78	Bolivia	94.2
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Smoking Rates (2014)45
Pos.		Lower is better45
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
98	Fiji	618
99	Cambodia	645
100	Equatorial Guinea	649
101	Singapore	652
102	Bangladesh	665
103	Morocco	671
104	New Zealand	680
105	Kyrgyzstan	683
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)46
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k46
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
47	Netherlands	18.6
48	Luxembourg	19.3
49	Portugal	19.6
50	Singapore	20.6
51	India	20.8
52	Trinidad & Tobago	21.7
53	USA	22.2
54	Chile	22.4
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries