Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index

https://www.humantruth.info/social_and_moral_index.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2025

#human_development #politics #social_development

--- The Best ---₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁
1	Denmark	27.2
2	Norway	31.1
3	Sweden	33.2
4	Netherlands	33.5
5	Switzerland	33.7
6	Finland	34.6
7	New Zealand	36.6
8	Ireland	36.8
9	Iceland	37.4
10	Austria	37.6
q=199.

--- The Worst ---₁
Pos.		Higher is worse Avg Rank₁
199	Somalia	166.1
198	Western Sahara	151.9
197	S. Sudan	149.8
196	Eritrea	147.7
195	Sudan	139.0
194	Equatorial Guinea	138.8
193	Chad	136.6
192	Afghanistan	136.4
191	Vatican City	136.2
190	Angola	135.8
q=199.

Which countries set the best examples to the rest of the world? Which ones would we do best to copy, to emulate and to admire for their foresight, hard work and long-term conscience? Which countries would have humanity survive gleaming into a clean, happy, bright future?

And who are tardy on humanitarian issues, science or development? Which nations and cultures cling to barbarian ethics on gender and sexual equality? Who is holding us back?

The Social and Moral Development Index is a compilation of relevant statistics on a wide range of issues which are put into a database-driven formula which calculates points per country. The country's overall score is an average of all the datasets that a country appears in. So, countries don't get penalized for lack of data about them.

The result is a shortlist of countries that beat all the others. Be the best!

1. The Criteria: Human Rights & Tolerance

Constituent Data Sets: Human Rights & Tolerance
Human Rights & Tolerance		Overall Results: Best: Sweden, Denmark, Norway Regions: Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₂ Worst: Somalia, N. Korea, Afghanistan Regions: Africa, The Middle East and Asia₂
1. Press Freedom		Best: Norway, Estonia, Netherlands Worst: Eritrea, N. Korea, China 2010s: Norway, Finland, Netherlands, N. Korea, Eritrea, Turkmenistan 2000s: Finland, Norway, Iceland, N. Korea, Eritrea, Turkmenistan
2. Slavery		Best: Japan, Canada, Taiwan Worst: N. Korea, Eritrea, Burundi
3. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom		Best: Hong Kong, Switzerland, New Zealand Worst: Libya, Yemen, Iran
4. Freedom in the World		Best: 41-country draw Worst: 14-country draw 2010s: 38-country draw, 5-country draw 2000s: 27-country draw, 5-country draw 1990s: 20-country draw, 9-country draw 1980s: 17-country draw, 7-country draw 1970s: 14-country draw, 6-country draw
5. Human Rights Watch Comments		Best: France, Germany, UK Worst: 10-country draw
6. Nominal Commitment to HR		Best: Argentina, 12-country draw Worst: Kiribati, Bhutan, 4-country draw
7. HR Treaties Lag		Best: Ecuador, Uruguay, Tunisia Worst: Palestine, Marshall Islands, Palau
Constituent Data Sets: Gender Equality
8. Gender Inequality		Best: Denmark, Norway, Switzerland Worst: Yemen, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria 2010s: Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Yemen, Chad, Afghanistan 2000s: Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Niger 1990s: Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Yemen, Pakistan, UAE
9. Gender Biases		Best: Sweden, New Zealand, Australia Worst: Tajikistan, Qatar, Pakistan
10. Year Women Can Vote		Best: New Zealand, Australia, Finland Worst: Saudi Arabia, Vatican City, Kuwait
Constituent Data Sets: Prejudice
11. Anti-Semite Opinions		Best: Laos, Philippines, Sweden Worst: Iraq, Yemen, 2-country draw
12. LGBT Equality		Best: Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden Worst: Syria, Somalia, Saudi Arabia
13. Freedom of Thought		Best: Belgium, Netherlands, Taiwan Worst: 4-country draw
> > > Details and Commentary on these data sets

2. The Criteria: Health

Constituent Data Sets: Health
Health		Overall Results: Best: Monaco, Liechtenstein, Isle of Man Regions: Scandinavia, Europe and The Balkans₃ Worst: S. Sudan, Angola, Nigeria Regions: Africa, Micronesia and Melanesia₃
1. Life Expectancy		Best: Monaco, Hong Kong, Japan Worst: Chad, Nigeria, Lesotho 2010s: Monaco, Hong Kong, Japan, Lesotho, Chad, Nigeria 2000s: Monaco, Andorra, Japan, Swaziland, Lesotho, Zimbabwe 1990s: Andorra, Japan, San Marino, S. Sudan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone
2. Alcohol Consumption		Best: 5-country draw Worst: Moldova, Lithuania, Czechia
3. Fertility Rate		Best: Hong Kong, S. Korea, Puerto Rico Worst: Niger, Chad, Somalia 2010s: British Virgin Islands, S. Korea, Hong Kong, Niger, Somalia, Chad 2000s: Hong Kong, S. Korea, Andorra, Niger, Somalia, Chad 1990s: Spain, Hong Kong, Italy, S. Sudan, Niger, Afghanistan 1980s: Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Yemen, Niger, Rwanda 1970s: Germany, Luxembourg, Finland, Yemen, Rwanda, Libya 1960s: Latvia, Hungary, Estonia, Marshall Islands, Rwanda, Yemen
4. Smoking Rates		Best: Guinea, Solomon Islands, Kiribati Worst: Montenegro, Belarus, Lebanon
5. Suicide Rate		Best: Grenada, Haiti, Egypt Worst: Lithuania, Russia, S. Korea
6. Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance		Best: Sweden, Ireland, Denmark Worst: Angola, St Vincent & Grenadines, Mauritania
7. Overweight Adults		Best: Vietnam, India, Bangladesh Worst: Nauru, Palau, Cook Islands
Constituent Data Sets: Children's Health
8. Adolescent Birth Rate		Best: Hong Kong, Denmark, S. Korea Worst: Niger, Mozambique, Central African Rep. 2010s: N. Korea, S. Korea, Switzerland, Niger, Mozambique, Mali 2000s: N. Korea, S. Korea, Hong Kong, Niger, Chad, Mali 1990s: S. Korea, Japan, N. Korea, Chad, Niger, Angola
9. Infant Immunizations 2011-2015		Best: China, Hungary, Uzbekistan Worst: Equatorial Guinea, S. Sudan, Somalia
> > > Details and Commentary on these data sets

3. The Criteria: The Environment

Constituent Data Sets: The Environment
The Environment		Overall Results: Best: Sri Lanka, Burundi, Philippines Regions: Africa, The Mediterranean and Micronesia Worst: Samoa, Antigua & Barbuda, Zimbabwe Regions: Polynesia, The Caribbean and Baltic States
1. Forest Area Change 2000-2020		Best: Guernsey, Bahrain, Iceland Worst: Ivory Coast, Nicaragua, Gambia 2010s: Burundi, Bahrain, Malta, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Cambodia 2000s: Guernsey, Iceland, Bahrain, Nicaragua, Ivory Coast, Gambia
2. Environmental Performance		Best: Switzerland, France, Denmark Worst: Burundi, Bangladesh, Congo, DR
3. Energy to GDP Efficiency		Best: Rwanda, Chad, Tanzania Worst: Turkmenistan, Trinidad & Tobago, Bahrain 2010s: Chad, Rwanda, Burundi, Trinidad & Tobago, Iceland, Bahrain 2000s: Chad, Burundi, Rwanda, Bahrain, N. Korea, Trinidad & Tobago 1990s: Chad, Palestine, Mali, Bahrain, Qatar, Mongolia 1980s: Cambodia, Burundi, Nepal, Bahrain, Mongolia, Qatar 1970s: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Ecuador, Czechia, Luxembourg, Romania 1960s: Oman, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Singapore, Luxembourg, Norway
4. Convention on Biological Diversity		Best: 30-country draw Worst: Vatican City, USA, Andorra
5. Rational Beliefs on the Environment		Best: Argentina, Greece, Brazil Worst: Turkmenistan, Albania, Haiti
6. Meat Consumption		Best: Congo, DR, Burundi, Bangladesh Worst: Hong Kong, USA, Nauru 2010s: Burundi, Congo, DR, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Australia, USA
7. Green Future Index		Best: Iceland, Finland, Norway Worst: Iran, Algeria, Zambia
> > > Details and Commentary on these data sets

4. The Criteria: Modernity and Education

Constituent Data Sets: Modernity and Education
Modernity and Education		Overall Results: Best: Finland, Belgium, Denmark Regions: Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄ Worst: Eritrea, S. Sudan, Sierra Leone Regions: Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄
1. Research and Development		Best: S. Korea, Israel, Japan Worst: Lesotho, 3-country draw
2. Secondary Education		Best: 6-country draw Worst: Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso
3. Length of Schooling		Best: Australia, New Zealand, Greece Worst: S. Sudan, Niger, Mali 2010s: Australia, Belgium, Iceland, S. Sudan, Niger, Djibouti 2000s: Australia, Belgium, Iceland, Niger, Djibouti, Burkina Faso 1990s: Australia, Canada, Belgium, Niger, Djibouti, Ethiopia
4. Intellectual Endeavours		Best: Ukraine, Czechia, Hungary Worst: Angola, Iraq, Bolivia
5. Maths, Science & Reading		Best: Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan Worst: Dominican Rep., Algeria, Kosovo
6. Religiosity		Best: China, Estonia, Czechia Worst: Ethiopia, Senegal, 2-country draw
7. IQ		Best: Singapore, Hong Kong, S. Korea Worst: 6-country draw
Constituent Data Sets: Technology and Information
8. Internet Users		Best: Iceland, Faroe Islands, Norway Worst: Eritrea, Timor-Leste (E. Timor), Burundi
9. Freedom On The Internet		Best: Estonia, USA, Germany Worst: Iran, Cuba, China
10. IT Security		Best: Belize, Ireland, Luxembourg Worst: USA, Russia, India
11. IPv6 Uptake		Best: Belgium, Germany, Switzerland Worst: 59-country draw
12. Digital Quality of Life		Best: Germany, Finland, France Worst: Yemen, Congo, DR, Mozambique
> > > Details and Commentary on these data sets

5. The Criteria: National Culture

Constituent Data Sets: National Culture
National Culture
1. World Giving Index		Best: Indonesia, Kenya, USA Worst: Cambodia, Japan, 2-country draw 2010s: Myanmar (Burma), USA, New Zealand, China, Greece, Yemen
2. Corruption		Best: Denmark, Finland, New Zealand Worst: Somalia, S. Sudan, Syria 2010s: Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Somalia, N. Korea, Afghanistan 2000s: Finland, Denmark, New Zealand, Somalia, Myanmar (Burma), Bangladesh 1990s: Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Nigeria, Honduras, Paraguay
3. Happiness		Best: Finland, Denmark, Iceland Worst: Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Lebanon 2010s: Denmark, Finland, Norway, S. Sudan, Central African Rep., Burundi
4. Creativity and Culture		Best: Belgium, Netherlands, Estonia Worst: Libya, Congo, DR, Rwanda
5. Open Trading, Aid and Development		Best: Ireland, Denmark, Sweden Worst: Equatorial Guinea, Brazil, Papua New Guinea
Constituent Data Sets: Peace Versus Instability
6. Global Peace Index		Best: Iceland, Denmark, Ireland Worst: Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria 2010s: Iceland, Denmark, Austria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia
7. Peacekeeping and Security		Best: Samoa, S. Africa, Tunisia Worst: Guinea-Bissau, Marshall Islands, Tonga
8. Refugees and UN Treaties		Best: Austria, Germany, Netherlands Worst: Brunei, Tonga, Fiji
9. Impact of Terrorism		Best: 13-country draw Worst: Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria
Constituent Data Sets: Economic Inequality and Poverty
10. Inequality in Life Expectancy		Informational only
11. Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient)		2010s: Slovenia, Ukraine, Slovakia, S. Africa, Haiti, Namibia 2000s: Slovenia, Denmark, Czechia, Botswana, Namibia, S. Africa 1990s: Finland, Slovakia, Denmark, Namibia, Malawi, Lesotho 1980s: Finland, Croatia, Hungary, Brazil, Panama, Guatemala
12. Multidimensional Poverty		Best: Armenia, Ukraine, Serbia Worst: Niger, S. Sudan, Chad
> > > Details and Commentary on these data sets

6. Results: All Countries From Best to Worst

#human_development

--- The Best ---₁
Pos.		Avg Rank₁
1	Denmark	27.2
2	Norway	31.1
3	Sweden	33.2
4	Netherlands	33.5
5	Switzerland	33.7
6	Finland	34.6
7	New Zealand	36.6
8	Ireland	36.8
9	Iceland	37.4
10	Austria	37.6
11	Australia	38.6
12	UK	38.7
13	Germany	39.0
14	France	40.5
15	Belgium	40.5
16	Canada	42.2
17	Luxembourg	42.4
18	Japan	43.0
19	Italy	45.0
20	Spain	45.0
21	Slovenia	46.0
22	Monaco	47.3
23	Portugal	48.7
24	Liechtenstein	49.5
25	Taiwan	50.3
26	Estonia	51.9
27	Czechia	52.0
28	S. Korea	53.8
29	Uruguay	54.5
30	Malta	54.6
31	USA	54.9
32	Costa Rica	55.8
33	Hungary	56.4
34	Cyprus	56.5
35	Poland	57.1
36	Greece	58.6
37	San Marino	59.0
38	Chile	59.4
39	Latvia	60.1
40	Slovakia	60.3
41	Lithuania	60.6
42	Croatia	61.1
43	Singapore	62.6
44	Mauritius	64.9
45	Romania	66.1
46	Barbados	66.2
47	Israel	66.8
48	Andorra	68.2
49	Bulgaria	69.1
50	Argentina	70.0
51	Sri Lanka	70.6
52	Serbia	71.0
53	Montenegro	72.4
54	Albania	73.9
55	Brazil	74.7
56	Macedonia	75.8
57	Malaysia	76.0
58	Turkey	77.1
59	Tunisia	77.1
60	Bosnia & Herzegovina	77.3
61	Trinidad & Tobago	77.4
62	Thailand	77.6
63	Moldova	77.9
64	Georgia	78.0
65	Northern Cyprus	79.1
66	Dominica	79.1
q=199.

--- The Average ---₁
Pos.		Avg Rank₁
67	Grenada	79.7
68	Ukraine	79.8
69	Bahamas	80.0
70	Peru	80.0
71	Jamaica	80.1
72	Ecuador	80.9
73	Kosovo	81.0
74	Mexico	81.3
75	St Kitts & Nevis	81.6
76	Armenia	82.1
77	Colombia	83.2
78	Seychelles	83.3
79	St Vincent & Grenadines	83.4
80	Fiji	83.7
81	Philippines	83.7
82	Antigua & Barbuda	84.1
83	Vietnam	84.5
84	Belarus	84.5
85	UAE	84.6
86	China	85.1
87	Palau	85.3
88	Indonesia	85.7
89	India	86.0
90	Morocco	86.1
91	Qatar	86.1
92	Panama	86.1
93	Kuwait	86.5
94	Dominican Rep.	86.7
95	St Lucia	86.9
96	S. Africa	87.8
97	Cape Verde	88.0
98	Mongolia	89.2
99	El Salvador	89.6
100	Maldives	89.7
101	Russia	90.0
102	Kazakhstan	90.3
103	Cuba	90.8
104	Bahrain	91.8
105	Belize	91.8
106	Bolivia	91.9
107	Jordan	92.4
108	Nepal	92.6
109	Lebanon	92.9
110	Kyrgyzstan	92.9
111	Azerbaijan	93.3
112	Brunei	94.5
113	Bhutan	96.3
114	Suriname	96.3
115	Ghana	96.4
116	Guatemala	97.0
117	Algeria	97.4
118	Kiribati	98.0
119	Botswana	98.3
120	Tonga	99.0
121	Uzbekistan	99.3
122	Paraguay	99.5
123	Oman	99.9
124	Egypt	100.0
125	Guyana	100.0
126	Bangladesh	100.2
127	Nicaragua	100.7
128	Venezuela	101.0
129	Iran	101.9
130	Namibia	103.2
131	Saudi Arabia	103.7
132	Senegal	103.8
q=199.

--- The Challenged ---₁
Pos.		Avg Rank₁
133	Honduras	104.4
134	Tuvalu	105.2
135	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	105.4
136	Kenya	105.6
137	Lesotho	105.9
138	Vanuatu	106.6
139	Tajikistan	107.3
140	Micronesia	108.9
141	Samoa	109.9
142	Sao Tome & Principe	110.2
143	Rwanda	110.7
144	Nauru	111.0
145	Burkina Faso	111.1
146	Uganda	111.4
147	Cambodia	112.0
148	Somaliland	112.4
149	Tanzania	112.9
150	Libya	112.9
151	Madagascar	113.5
152	Pakistan	113.7
153	Zambia	113.8
154	Gabon	114.0
155	Myanmar (Burma)	114.6
156	N. Korea	114.8
157	Malawi	115.2
158	Benin	115.7
159	Sierra Leone	116.1
160	Togo	116.5
161	Marshall Islands	117.0
162	Nigeria	117.1
163	Mali	117.3
164	Ethiopia	117.4
165	Haiti	117.7
166	Gambia	117.7
167	Turkmenistan	118.5
168	Laos	118.9
169	Solomon Islands	119.2
170	Swaziland	119.3
171	Cameroon	119.4
172	Ivory Coast	119.8
173	Djibouti	120.8
174	Burundi	122.0
175	Guinea-Bissau	122.4
176	Syria	122.4
177	Liberia	122.5
178	Papua New Guinea	122.5
179	Congo, (Brazzaville)	122.6
180	Mozambique	122.7
181	Comoros	123.3
182	Guinea	123.4
183	Iraq	124.8
184	Niger	125.0
185	Mauritania	126.6
186	Yemen	127.4
187	Zimbabwe	128.2
188	Central African Rep.	131.1
189	Congo, DR	133.5
190	Angola	135.8
191	Vatican City	136.2
192	Afghanistan	136.4
193	Chad	136.6
194	Equatorial Guinea	138.8
195	Sudan	139.0
196	Eritrea	147.7
197	S. Sudan	149.8
198	Western Sahara	151.9
q=199.

7. Methodology

The Social and Moral Development Index combines a large number of data sets - over 60 - into a single formula. It's not a simplistic ranking system - for most data sets, each country is given points according to where it sits on the scale ranging from the best country, to the worst country, on a scalar (and not linear) basis. The worst country in any given data set gets 0 points, and the best gets 100 points, and everyone else gets a portion of those points according to how close to the top they sit. It pays to be as good as possible. The points are not summed to form a total, because this would unfairly give advantages to countries that appear in most data sets - most data are not fully comprehensive. Each country gains a final score which is an average of its points from all datasets.

When it comes to presenting the results, charts show the best 5 countries marked with a green number, and the worst 5 marked with a red one. If there is a tie, then, the markers extend for as long as the tie continues. Sometimes the actual points are calculated to many significant figures, but, the results are only shown for 3 s.f. and in these cases, it might look like the flags do not extend enough. To view the data in more detail hover over any row to view the precise points awarded.