Korea, South (Republic of Korea)

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

South Korea Republic of Korea
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	21st best
Capital	Seoul
Land Area	97 100km²₁
Location	Asia
Population	51.2m₂
Life Expectancy	82.13yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$34 541 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	KR, KOR, 410₅
Internet Domain	.kr₆
Currency	Won (KRW)₇
Telephone	+82₈

1. Overview

“An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan beginning in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. In 1910, Tokyo formally annexed the entire Peninsula. Korea regained its independence following Japan's surrender to the United States in 1945. After World War II, a democratic-based government (Republic of Korea, ROK) was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north (Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK). During the Korean War (1950-53), U.S. troops and UN forces fought alongside ROK soldiers to defend South Korea from a DPRK invasion supported by China and the Soviet Union. A 1953 armistice split the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. PARK Chung-hee took over leadership of the country in a 1961 coup. During his regime, from 1961 to 1979, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth, with per capita income rising to roughly 17 times the level of North Korea. South Korea held its first free presidential election under a revised democratic constitution in 1987, with former ROK Army general ROH Tae-woo winning a close race. In 1993, KIM Young-sam (1993-98) became South Korea's first civilian president. South Korea today is a fully functioning modern democracy. LEE Myung-bak (2008-2013) pursued a policy of global engagement , highlighted by Seoul's hosting of the G-20 summit in November 2010 and the Nuclear Security Summit in March 2012. South Korea also secured a non-permanent seat (2013-14) on the UN Security Council and will host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. President PARK Geun-hye took office in February 2013 and is South Korea's first female leader. Serious tensions with North Korea have punctuated inter-Korean relations in recent years, including the North's sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March 2010 and its artillery attack on South Korean soldiers and citizens in November 2010. In January 2013, assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-14 term.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“The Republic of Korea offers the traveller a dazzling range of experiences, beguiling landscapes and 5000 years of culture and history. The blue and red circle at the heart of the South Korean flag neatly symbolises the fluid mix of ancient and modern aspects of the country officially called the Republic of Korea (ROK). South Korea is a dream destination for the traveller, an engaging, welcoming place where the benefits of a fully industrialised, high-tech nation are balanced alongside a reverence for tradition and the ways of old Asia.
South Korea´s compact size and superb transport infrastructure mean that tranquillity is achievable within an hour of the urban sprawl. Hike to the peaks of craggy mountains enclosed by densely forested national parks. Sail to remote islands, where farming and fishing folk welcome you into their homes. Sample the serenity of a Buddhist temple retreat. But rest assured - the ROK knows how to rock. There´s almost always a festival or event on, and friendly Koreans are happy to share their culture. If nothing else, your tastebuds will be tingling at the discovery of one of Asia´s most delicious cuisines.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. South Korea 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
	...
15	Liechtenstein	15
16	UK	16
17	Japan	17
18	S. Korea	18
19	Israel	19
20	Luxembourg	20
21	France	21
22	Belgium	22
	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
	...
27	Japan	$37 268
28	Bahrain	$37 236
29	Iceland	$37 065
30	S. Korea	$34 541
31	Oman	$34 402
32	Italy	$33 573
33	New Zealand	$32 870
34	Spain	$32 779
	World Avg	$17 240
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₃_,₁₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₃_,₁₄
1	Norway	30.8
2	Denmark	31.8
3	Sweden	33.9
	...
18	Belgium	44.6
19	Spain	45.5
20	France	45.6
21	S. Korea	46.7
22	Slovenia	48.3
23	Italy	48.8
24	Hungary	52.0
25	Czechia	52.8
	World Avg	88.0
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. South Korea's Demographics

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

Population:

South Korea's population is predicted to fall to 50 335 000 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 1.38. 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
	...
25	Tanzania	56.3m
26	Myanmar (Burma)	53.7m
27	Kenya	51.4m
28	S. Korea	51.2m
29	Colombia	49.7m
30	Spain	46.7m
31	Argentina	44.4m
32	Ukraine	44.2m
	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
	...
10	France	82.36
11	Sweden	82.35
12	Canada	82.22
13	S. Korea	82.13
14	New Zealand	82.03
15	Chile	81.96
16	Luxembourg	81.88
17	Norway	81.71
	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
	...
101	Nepal	2.60
102	Macedonia	1.40
103	Fiji	2.61
104	S. Korea	1.38
105	Slovakia	1.36
106	Botswana	2.64
107	Kyrgyzstan	2.64
108	Austria	1.35
	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
	...
164	Bulgaria	37.0
165	Denmark	37.1
166	Bosnia & Herzegovina	37.3
167	S. Korea	37.6
168	Estonia	37.9
169	Belgium	38.1
170	Switzerland	38.3
171	Canada	38.5
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₇
Pos.		%₁₇
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
119	Uruguay	2.3%
120	Mauritius	2.3%
121	Benin	2.3%
122	S. Korea	2.3%
123	Cameroon	2.2%
124	Bulgaria	2.2%
125	Kenya	2.2%
126	Angola	2.1%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
119	Philippines	4.6%
120	Egypt	4.4%
121	Germany	4.3%
122	S. Korea	4.3%
123	Belgium	4.2%
124	Syria	4.2%
125	Burundi	4.2%
126	Panama	4.0%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #south_korea #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₉_,₂₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉_,₂₀
1	Sweden	9.9
2	Denmark	14.7
3	Norway	15.5
	...
31	Romania	45.4
32	Argentina	45.9
33	Malta	46.3
34	S. Korea	46.5
35	Cyprus	48.5
36	Bulgaria	48.6
37	USA	50.9
38	Latvia	52.6
q=199.

South Korea performs very well in ensuring human rights and freedom compared to most other countries. S. Korea comes in the best 20 in terms of opposing gender inequality₂₁ (the lowest in Asia) and in freethought₂₂ (one of the lowest in Asia). It does better than average for its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₃, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₄, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₅ (one of the highest in Asia), supporting press freedom₂₆ (one of the lowest in Asia), LGBT equality₂₇ and in speed of uptake of HR treaties₂₈. Human Rights Watch specifically note that South Korea 'generally respects' basic civil and political liberties₂₉. S. Korea does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in terms of its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₃₀. There are "unreasonable restrictions" on freedom of expression and freedom of association₂₉. There is too much discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities₂₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in South Korea

5. South Korea's Health

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

Health (2020)₃₁_,₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₁_,₃₂
1	Hong Kong	18.0
2	Singapore	41.5
3	Maldives	43.3
4	Japan	50.9
5	S. Korea	52.0
6	Sri Lanka	55.0
7	Oman	57.9
8	Bhutan	58.6
9	Brunei	59.3
10	Norway	62.0
11	China	62.4
12	Malaysia	64.1
13	Mauritius	64.5
	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 Maldives₃₁. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea₃₁.

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 Europe₃₁, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Polynesia₃₁.

For more, see:

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

Health:

South Korea does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. S. Korea does the second-best in its adolescent birth rate₂₁. It comes in the best 20 when it comes to its immunizations take-up₃₃, its fertility rate₁₅ (one of the best in Asia), its average life expectancy₁₂ and in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₄. S. Korea does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average for its alcohol consumption rate₃₅ (one of the highest in Asia). It falls into the worst-performing 20 for its smoking rate₃₆. And finally, it is second-from-the-bottom in its suicide rate₃₇. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over 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
	...
10	France	82.36
11	Sweden	82.35
12	Canada	82.22
13	S. Korea	82.13
14	New Zealand	82.03
15	Chile	81.96
16	Luxembourg	81.88
17	Norway	81.71
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₅
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
149	St Lucia	9.9
150	Swaziland	9.9
151	Spain	10.0
152	S. Korea	10.2
153	Laos	10.4
154	Greece	10.4
155	Denmark	10.4
156	Cook Islands	10.6
	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
	...
101	Nepal	2.60
102	Macedonia	1.40
103	Fiji	2.61
104	S. Korea	1.38
105	Slovakia	1.36
106	Botswana	2.64
107	Kyrgyzstan	2.64
108	Austria	1.35
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₆
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₆
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
	...
171	Kazakhstan	2 157
170	Azerbaijan	2 114
169	Greece	2 086
168	S. Korea	2 073
167	Austria	1 988
166	Jordan	1 855
165	Ukraine	1 854
164	Estonia	1 775
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₃₇
Pos.		Per 100k₃₇
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
84	Japan	49.4
85	Hungary	50.6
86	Kazakhstan	52.4
87	Guyana	52.4
88	Belarus	57.5
89	S. Korea	62
90	Russia	63.4
91	Lithuania	71.7
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
16	Belgium	16
17	New Zealand	17
18	Jordan	18
19	S. Korea	19
20	Kuwait	20
21	Japan	21
22	Spain	22
23	France	23
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₃₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₈
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
42	Nigeria	28.9
43	Benin	29.5
44	Guinea-Bissau	29.9
45	S. Korea	30.3
46	Maldives	30.6
47	Congo, (Brazzaville)	30.9
48	Liberia	30.9
49	Ivory Coast	31.6
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₁
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₁
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	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.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₃₃
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₃₃
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
4	Niue	98.8
5	Mongolia	98.7
6	Czechia	98.7
7	Seychelles	98.6
8	S. Korea	98.6
9	Sri Lanka	98.4
10	St Lucia	98.2
11	Bahrain	98.2
12	Iran	98.1
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. South Korea's Modernity and Learning

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

Modernity and Learning (2020)₃₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₉
1	Finland	8.0
2	Belgium	9.1
3	Denmark	10.0
	...
19	Canada	20.4
20	Singapore	21.1
21	Hungary	21.2
22	S. Korea	21.5
23	Hong Kong	21.6
24	France	22.0
25	Luxembourg	22.2
26	USA	24.7
27	Israel	26.0
	World Avg	69.0
q=180.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₄₀
2	Israel	4.11₄₀
3	Japan	3.58₄₀
4	Finland	3.17₄₀
5	Sweden	3.16₄₀
6	Denmark	3.05₄₀
7	Taiwan	3.01₄₀
8	Austria	3.00₄₁
9	Switzerland	2.96₄₂
10	Germany	2.84₄₀
11	USA	2.74₄₃
12	Belgium	2.46₄₀
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₄₄
Pos.		Higher is better₄₄
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
	...
24	Azerbaijan	95.6%
25	USA	95.6%
26	Norway	95.4%
27	S. Korea	95.2%
28	Bulgaria	95.1%
29	Lithuania	94.9%
30	Ukraine	94.6%
31	Tonga	93.7%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2018)₄₅
Pos.		Higher is better Years₄₅
1	Australia	22.1
2	Belgium	19.7
3	Finland	19.3
	...
22	Lithuania	16.5
23	Turkey	16.4
24	Poland	16.4
25	S. Korea	16.4
26	Uruguay	16.3
27	Singapore	16.3
28	Portugal	16.3
29	Austria	16.3
	World Avg	13.2
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
41	Italy	41
42	Slovakia	42
43	Marshall Islands	43
44	S. Korea	44
45	Morocco	45
46	Belarus	46
47	Moldova	47
48	Montenegro	48
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading (2015)₄₆
Pos.		Higher is better Score₄₆
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
4	Macau	1582
5	Estonia	1573
6	Taiwan	1571
7	Canada	1571
8	Finland	1568
9	S. Korea	1557
10	China	1543₄₇
11	Ireland	1528
12	Slovenia	1528
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity (2009)₄₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₈
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
17	Uruguay	41
18	Lithuania	42
19	Canada	42
20	S. Korea	43
21	Kazakhstan	43
22	Ukraine	46
23	Slovenia	47
24	Spain	49
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

IQ (2006)₄₉
Pos.		Higher is better₄₉
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
4	Japan	105
5	Taiwan	105
6	China	105
7	Italy	102
8	Iceland	101
9	Switzerland	101
10	Mongolia	101
11	Netherlands	100
12	Norway	100
	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%
	...
25	Aruba	88%
26	Switzerland	87%
27	France	86%
28	S. Korea	86%
29	Australia	85%
30	Bahamas	85%
31	Puerto Rico	83%
32	Singapore	83%
	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
	...
13	Kenya	29
14	Georgia	30
15	Nigeria	33
16	S. Korea	34
17	Uganda	34
18	Kyrgyzstan	35
19	Mexico	37
20	India	39
	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
	...
20	Turkey	0.52
21	Poland	0.55
22	Switzerland	0.55
23	S. Korea	0.56
24	Australia	0.63
25	Libya	0.63
26	Qatar	0.65
27	Chile	0.66
	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
	...
46	Faroe Islands	1.4
47	Russia	1.3
48	Bulgaria	1.3
49	S. Korea	1.2
50	Dominican Rep.	1.1
51	Slovakia	0.8
52	Hong Kong	0.7
53	Spain	0.6
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

World Giving Index (2013-2021)₅₄
Pos.		Lower is better₅₄
1	Myanmar (Burma)	2.7
2	New Zealand	4.0
3	USA	4.7
	...
81	Nicaragua	69.1
82	Belize	70.0
83	Mauritius	70.8
84	S. Korea	71.8
85	Guinea	71.8
86	Italy	73.9
87	Botswana	74.2
88	Namibia	75.0
	World Avg	67.9
q=160.

Corruption (2012-2016)₅₅
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score₅₅
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
44	Malta	56.6
45	Grenada	56.0
46	Costa Rica	54.8
47	S. Korea	54.6
48	Latvia	54.0
49	Mauritius	54.0
50	Rwanda	52.6
51	Hungary	52.4
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Happiness (2018)₅₆
Pos.		Higher is better₅₆
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
	...
54	Japan	5.9
55	Mauritius	5.9
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
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity and Culture (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
31	Romania	31
32	Costa Rica	32
33	Serbia	33
34	S. Korea	34
35	New Zealand	35
36	Belize	36
37	Iceland	37
38	Croatia	38
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
62	USA	62
63	Congo, DR	63
64	Honduras	64
65	S. Korea	65
66	Benin	66
67	Lesotho	67
68	Panama	68
69	New Zealand	69
	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
	...
54	Senegal	1.86
55	France	1.87
56	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	1.87
57	S. Korea	1.88
58	Tanzania	1.89
59	Malawi	1.91
60	Moldova	1.91
61	Cyprus	1.91
	World Avg	2.08
q=163.

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
32	India	32
33	New Zealand	33
34	Malaysia	34
35	S. Korea	35
36	Qatar	36
37	Germany	37
38	Togo	38
39	Argentina	39
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
30	Singapore	30
31	Greece	31
32	Bulgaria	32
33	S. Korea	33
34	Mauritius	34
35	Bosnia & Herzegovina	35
36	Romania	36
37	Uruguay	37
	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
	...
32	Hungary	0.18
33	Switzerland	0.19
34	Latvia	0.23
35	S. Korea	0.30
36	Macedonia	0.30
37	Zambia	0.31
38	Djibouti	0.32
39	Bulgaria	0.37
	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
	...
114	Jamaica	-02.7
115	Australia	-02.9
116	Kazakhstan	-03.3
117	S. Korea	-03.9
118	Sao Tome & Principe	-04.3
119	Bangladesh	-04.4
120	Ecuador	-04.4
121	Burundi	-04.5
	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
	...
57	Tonga	62.5
58	Tunisia	62.4
59	Azerbaijan	62.3
60	S. Korea	62.3
61	Kuwait	62.3
62	Jordan	62.2
63	Armenia	62.1
64	Peru	61.9
	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
	...
88	Qatar	06.49
89	Finland	06.33
90	Oman	06.29
91	S. Korea	06.29
92	Estonia	06.13
93	Mongolia	06.06
94	Belarus	05.81
95	Niger	05.81
	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
	...
88	Iceland	1994 Dec 11
89	Venezuela	1994 Dec 12
90	Comoros	1994 Dec 28
91	S. Korea	1995 Jan 01
92	Bolivia	1995 Jan 01
93	Senegal	1995 Jan 15
94	Cameroon	1995 Jan 17
95	N. Korea	1995 Jan 24
	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%
6	Cyprus	71.0%
7	Guatemala	70.9%
8	Philippines	70.8%
9	S. Korea	70.7%
10	Colombia	70.3%
11	Bolivia	69.3%
12	Paraguay	68.9%
	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
	...
13	Italy	3.10
12	Netherlands	3.10
11	Spain	3.00
10	S. Korea	3.00
9	Norway	3.00
8	Czechia	3.00
7	Finland	3.00
6	Japan	2.90
	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
	...
24	Sao Tome & Principe	30.8
25	Poland	30.8
26	Croatia	31.1
27	S. Korea	31.6
28	Germany	31.7
29	Egypt	31.8
30	Ireland	31.8
31	Lebanon	31.8
	World Avg	38.1
q=152.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#afterlife #belief #buddhism #christianity #god #heaven #hell #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #universalism

Religiosity (2009)₄₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₈
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
17	Uruguay	41
18	Lithuania	42
19	Canada	42
20	S. Korea	43
21	Kazakhstan	43
22	Ukraine	46
23	Slovenia	47
24	Spain	49
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)₆₅
Pos.		Higher is better %₆₅
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
14	Bulgaria	34
15	Hungary	32
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	29.4%
Muslim	0.2%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	22.9%
Folk Religion	0.8%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	46.4%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Christian 31.6% (Protestant 24%, Roman Catholic 7.6%), Buddhist 24.2%, other or unknown 0.9%, none 43.3% (2010 survey)₆₇.

The Afterlife: Ipsos-NA in 2011 gathered some statistics on South Korea₆₈. Belief in heaven and hell is at just 22%. Some people don't know what to believe (21%). Even more people believe that upon death, you simply cease to exist (40%). Also, 1% specifically believe in heaven but not in hell (which is nice - making them possible "universalists"). 6% believe in reincarnation.

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