Which are the Best Small Island Nations?

A small island has less than 50km² of land. I have veered towards including collective names for islands (such as 'Channel Islands') and only rarely have I added entries to my database for individual islands if they're part of a grouping. This is because, generally speaking, political and demographic data is only available for the larger groupings of islands. The main emphasis of this website is on nation states that fall entirely within a given category, so, there is no attempt here to try and quantify and name every piece of habitable land!

There are 81 locations that fall within this category. By adding up all the known populations that fall within these locations, and summing their physical land areas, we can calculate population densities. Some islands and territories can end up being counted twice depending on how they are classified and divided up politically, but, mostly such errors involve only small populations. So, some data on this collection of countries in total:

• Total Population: 41.0m
• Total Land Area: 248 457km²
• Independent States: 35
• Other Territories: 46

1. Basic Stats and Demographics
2. Immigration and Emigration
3. Human Rights, Tolerance and Equality
4. Religion and Beliefs
5. Links

1. Basic Stats and Demographics

#economics #health #human_development #life_expectancy #population

Not showing due to lack of data: Christmas Island. This page only shows places where the database has enough data to be able to come to reasonable conclusions about each place. The main focus is on nation states, but, some distinct external territories may be listed if the database has enough information about them. Averages are calculated from as many valid data points as possible, meaning, that some territories and locations that are not listed above may still be used to calculate some of the average values. Some calculations only use Independent State data - hover the cursor over values to see hints.

Links:

• Compare to other regions of the world
• What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life
• The Overpopulation of the Earth
• Homosexuality in Animals and Humans

2. Immigration and Emigration

#emigration #immigration #migration #small_islands

Of countries classed as small islands, those with the highest percent of immigrants in their populations are Singapore (40.7%), Bahrain (39.1%) and Brunei (36.4%), although the average for Small Islands is 9%. The highest rates of emigration are seen in Dominica (104.8%), Samoa (67.3%) and Grenada (65.5%). The group average is 26% who have gone to live elsewhere from their home countries.

For full stats and comparisons, see: Which Small Island Nations Have the Most Immigrants Or Emigrants?.

3. Human Rights, Tolerance and Equality

#equality #human_development #human_rights #morals #politics #Small_Islands #tolerance

The best countries amongst those classed as small islands at protecting human rights, engendering tolerance and supporting equality, are Taiwan, Cyprus and Malta but the collection as a whole does poorly compared to the global average. The worst countries are Tuvalu, Kiribati and The Marshall Islands.

For full data, see: Comparing Small Islands on Human Rights, Freedom, Tolerance and Equality.

4. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #folk_religion #god #hinduism #human_development #islam #judaism #no_religion #religion

Links:

• Compare to other regions of the world
• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?
• Human Religions