Sri Lanka (Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka)

http://www.humantruth.info/sri_lanka.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Sri Lanka Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	73rd best
Capital	Colombo (administrative/judicial) and Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative)
Land Area	62 710km²₁
Location	Asia
Population	21.2m₂
Life Expectancy	76.40yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$12 578 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	LK, LKA, 144₅
Internet Domain	.lk₆
Currency	Rupee (LKR)₇
Telephone	+94₈

1. Overview

#buddhism #china #india #norway

“The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom in northern Sri Lanka. The coastal areas of the island were controlled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century. The island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was formally united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006, but the government regained control of the Eastern Province in 2007. By May 2009, the government announced that its military had defeated the remnants of the LTTE. Since the end of the conflict, the government has enacted an ambitious program of economic development projects, many of which are financed by loans from the Government of China. In addition to efforts to reconstruct its economy, the government has resettled more than 95% of those civilians who were displaced during the final phase of the conflict and released the vast majority of former LTTE combatants captured by Government Security Forces. At the same time, there has been little progress on more contentious and politically difficult issues such as reaching a political settlement with Tamil elected representatives and holding accountable those alleged to have been involved in human rights violations at the end of the war.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Endless beaches, timeless ruins, welcoming people, oodles of elephants, killer surf, cheap prices, fun trains, famous tea, flavourful food - need we go on? Sri Lanka´s attributes are many. Few places have as many Unesco World Heritage sites (eight) packed into such a small area. Its 2000-plus years of culture can be discovered at ancient sites filled with mystery.
When you´re ready to escape the tropical climate of the coast and lowlands, head for the hills, which are verdant, virescent and virally infectious with allure. Impossibly green tea plantations and rainforested peaks beckon walkers, trekkers or just those who want to see it on a spectacular train ride.
And then there are the beaches. Dazzlingly white and all so often untrod, they ring the island so that no matter where you go, you´ll be near a sandy gem.
Find a favourite beach to call your own, meditate in a 2000-year-old temple, try to keep count of the little dishes that come with your rice and curry. Stroll past colonial gems in Colombo and then hit some epic surf. Sri Lanka is spectacular, it´s affordable and it´s still mostly uncrowded. Now is the best time to discover it.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Sri Lanka National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Value₁₁
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
4	Hong Kong	0.952
5	Australia	0.951
	...
70	Barbados	0.790
71	Antigua & Barbuda	0.788
72	Seychelles	0.785
73	Sri Lanka	0.782
74	Bosnia & Herzegovina	0.780
75	St Kitts & Nevis	0.777
	Asia Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₁
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
4	Luxembourg	$84 649
5	Ireland	$76 169
	...
92	Iran	$13 001
93	S. Africa	$12 948
94	Suriname	$12 672
95	Sri Lanka	$12 578
96	Paraguay	$12 349
97	Barbados	$12 306
	Asia Avg	$22 215
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₂_,₁₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂_,₁₃
1	Taiwan	28.6
2	Norway	29.4
3	Denmark	31.2
4	Sweden	32.2
5	Finland	32.6
	...
70	Seychelles	78.0
71	Panama	78.0
72	Belarus	78.5
73	Sri Lanka	78.8
74	Turkey	78.9
75	Tunisia	78.9
	Asia Avg	87.1
	World Avg	86.1
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. Sri Lanka's Demographics and Migration

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

Population:

Sri Lanka's population is predicted to rise to 23.09 million by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.26. 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
4	Indonesia	267.7m
5	Pakistan	212.2m
	...
54	Ivory Coast	25.1m
55	Australia	24.9m
56	Niger	22.4m
57	Sri Lanka	21.2m
58	Burkina Faso	19.8m
59	Romania	19.5m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
4	Australia	84.5
5	Switzerland	84.0
	...
49	Saudi Arabia	76.9
50	Albania	76.5
51	Poland	76.5
52	Sri Lanka	76.4
53	Algeria	76.4
54	Montenegro	76.3
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₄
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
	...
37	Vietnam	1.77
38	Lebanon	1.77
39	Mexico	2.25
40	Sri Lanka	2.26
41	Armenia	1.74
42	Kuwait	2.27
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₅
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₅
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
4	Burkina Faso	04.7
5	Sierra Leone	04.8
	...
125	Bahamas	22.4
126	Costa Rica	22.6
127	Israel	22.9
128	Sri Lanka	23.7
129	Moldova	24.7
130	China	25.3
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₆
Pos.		%₁₆
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
4	Liechtenstein	65.1%
5	Monaco	54.9%
	...
186	Morocco	0.3%
187	Philippines	0.2%
188	N. Korea	0.2%
189	Sri Lanka	0.2%
190	Myanmar (Burma)	0.1%
191	Madagascar	0.1%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₇
Pos.		%₁₇
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
4	Grenada	65.5%
5	St Kitts & Nevis	61.1%
	...
72	Burkina Faso	9.7%
73	Slovakia	9.6%
74	Morocco	9.3%
75	Sri Lanka	9.1%
76	Somalia	8.7%
77	Kuwait	8.5%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #sri_lanka #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₈_,₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈_,₁₉
1	Sweden	9.2
2	Norway	14.7
3	Denmark	14.7
4	Netherlands	15.8
5	New Zealand	17.5
	...
104	Belize	94.1
105	Monaco	94.2
106	Uganda	94.4
107	Sri Lanka	95.0
108	Botswana	95.0
109	Lesotho	95.0
	Asia Avg	99.8
	World Avg	87.7
q=199.

Sri Lanka is very poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world, and it has cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Sri Lanka does better than average when it comes to speed of uptake of HR treaties₂₀ and in commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₁. When it comes to most other metrics, Sri Lanka does not do well. It does worse than average for opposing gender inequality₂₂, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₃, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₄, LGBT equality₂₅ and in freethought₂₆. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 for supporting press freedom₂₇. "Sri Lankan police were not held accountable for routine torture and ill-treatment in custody", except for a few high-profile cases₂₈ where the government bowed to international pressure. Over the last several decades, a class of Buddhist extremists have been targeting Muslims and other religious minorities in an attempt to cleanse Sri Lanka of non-Buddhist influences₂₈ - the government has not been firm enough in protecting them nor in prosecuting offenders.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Sri Lanka

5. Sri Lanka's Health

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

Compared to Asia (2020)₂₉_,₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₉_,₃₀
1	Hong Kong	18.3
2	Maldives	41.0
3	Singapore	42.6
4	Japan	51.0
5	S. Korea	51.3
6	Sri Lanka	52.9
7	Bhutan	55.1
8	China	60.4
9	Brunei	62.6
10	Malaysia	62.8
11	Oman	62.9
12	N. Korea	65.0
13	Thailand	65.3
	Asia Avg	80.1
q=50.

Health (2020)₂₉_,₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₉_,₃₀
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Hong Kong	18.3
3	Maldives	41.0
4	Singapore	42.6
5	Japan	51.0
6	S. Korea	51.3
7	Sri Lanka	52.9
8	Bhutan	55.1
9	China	60.4
10	Norway	61.0
11	Brunei	62.6
12	Malaysia	62.8
13	Oman	62.9
	World Avg	93.5
q=196.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Hong Kong and The Maldives₂₉. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, S. Sudan and Palau₂₉.

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 The Mediterranean₂₉, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa₂₉.

For more, see:

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

Health:

Sri Lanka does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Sri Lanka comes in the best 20 in terms of its immunizations take-up₃₁. It does better than average in its adolescent birth rate₂₂, its average life expectancy₁₁, its smoking rate₃₂, its alcohol consumption rate₃₃ (but high for Asia), its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₄ (but high for Asia) and in its fertility rate₁₄. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the past 40 years.

Life Expectancy (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
4	Australia	84.5
5	Switzerland	84.0
	...
49	Saudi Arabia	76.9
50	Albania	76.5
51	Poland	76.5
52	Sri Lanka	76.4
53	Algeria	76.4
54	Montenegro	76.3
	Asia Avg	73.48
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₃
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₃
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
4	Mauritania	0.0
5	Somalia	0.0
	...
68	N. Korea	3.9
69	Honduras	4.0
70	Jamaica	4.2
71	Sri Lanka	4.3
72	Bahamas	4.4
73	Ecuador	4.4
	Asia Avg	3.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₄
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
	...
37	Vietnam	1.77
38	Lebanon	1.77
39	Mexico	2.25
40	Sri Lanka	2.26
41	Armenia	1.74
42	Kuwait	2.27
	Asia Avg	2.46
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₂
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₂
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
179	Macedonia	2 732
178	Russia	2 690
	...
65	St Vincent & Grenadines	338
64	Barbados	333
63	Mexico	329
62	Sri Lanka	322
61	Sierra Leone	310
60	Bahamas	301
	Asia Avg	1 035
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
4	UK	4
5	Norway	5
	...
75	Cameroon	74
76	Malta	76
77	Guatemala	77
78	Sri Lanka	78
79	Poland	79
80	Uruguay	80
	Asia Avg	64.4
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₅
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
4	Ethiopia	20.9
5	Nepal	21.0
	...
12	Afghanistan	23.0
13	Chad	23.1
14	Burkina Faso	23.2
15	Sri Lanka	23.3
16	Malawi	23.4
17	Madagascar	23.9
	Asia Avg	44.3
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₂
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₂
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
4	Hong Kong	3.2
5	Slovenia	3.8
	...
46	Latvia	13.6
47	Australia	14.1
48	UK	14.6
49	Sri Lanka	14.8
50	Micronesia	15.0
51	Tonga	15.2
	Asia Avg	29.9
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₃₁
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₃₁
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
	Asia Avg	90.5
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Sri Lanka's Modernity and Learning

#education #intelligence #it_security #modernity #politics #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to Asia (2020)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Taiwan	10.0
2	Japan	21.9
3	S. Korea	24.0
4	Singapore	27.9
5	Israel	32.2
	...
25	Qatar	75.5
26	Bahrain	75.6
27	Kuwait	77.6
28	Sri Lanka	79.6
29	Jordan	81.1
30	Philippines	81.8
31	Lebanon	85.7
	Asia Avg	79.0
q=51.

Modernity and Learning (2020)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Finland	8.4
2	Taiwan	10.0
3	Switzerland	15.1
4	Estonia	15.8
5	Denmark	16.0
	...
93	Bahrain	75.6
94	Colombia	77.1
95	Kuwait	77.6
96	Sri Lanka	79.6
97	Kenya	79.8
98	Bahamas	80.0
99	Cuba	80.3
	World Avg	83.2
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₃₆
2	Israel	4.11₃₆
3	Japan	3.58₃₆
4	Finland	3.17₃₆
5	Sweden	3.16₃₆
	...
97	Kazakhstan	0.17₃₇
98	Bolivia	0.16₃₈
99	Kyrgyzstan	0.16₃₉
100	Sri Lanka	0.16₄₀
101	Albania	0.15₄₁
102	Namibia	0.14₄₀
	Asia Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₄₂
Pos.		Higher is better₄₂
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
4	Canada	100.0%
5	Finland	100.0%
	...
53	UK	84.5%
54	Jordan	84.0%
55	France	83.5%
56	Sri Lanka	82.8%
57	Bosnia & Herzegovina	81.2%
58	Malaysia	80.8%
	Asia Avg	66.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2021)₄₃
Pos.		Higher is better Years₄₃
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
4	Belgium	19.6
5	Sweden	19.4
	...
82	Romania	14.2
83	Antigua & Barbuda	14.2
84	Morocco	14.2
85	Sri Lanka	14.1
86	Brunei	14.0
87	Seychelles	13.9
	Asia Avg	13.5
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₄
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
4	Denmark	4
5	UK	5
	...
114	Bahamas	114
115	Bahrain	115
116	Kazakhstan	116
117	Sri Lanka	117
118	Rwanda	118
119	Guatemala	119
	Asia Avg	97.1
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Religiosity (2018)₄₄
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₄
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
4	Switzerland	9
5	Denmark	9
6	Germany	10
7	UK	10
8	Sweden	10
9	Japan	10
10	Finland	10
11	Latvia	11
12	France	11
	Asia Avg	55.8
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ (2006)₄₅
Pos.		Higher is better₄₅
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
4	Japan	105
5	Taiwan	105
	...
99	Nicaragua	81
100	El Salvador	80
101	Guatemala	79
102	Sri Lanka	79
103	Nepal	78
104	Mauritania	76
	Asia Avg	90.4
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)₄₆
Pos.		Higher is better₄₆
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
4	Bermuda	97%
5	Andorra	97%
	...
131	Micronesia	31%
132	Vanuatu	31%
133	Syria	30%
134	Sri Lanka	29%
135	Samoa	29%
136	Ghana	28%
	Asia Avg	48.7%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

Freedom On The Internet (2012)₄₇
Pos.		Lower is better₄₇
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
4	Australia	18
5	Hungary	19
	...
29	Rwanda	51
30	Russia	52
31	Zimbabwe	54
32	Sri Lanka	55
33	Kazakhstan	58
34	Egypt	59
	Asia Avg	56.6
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

IT Security (2013)₄₈
Pos.		Lower is better₄₈
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
4	Hong Kong	0.12
5	Mexico	0.16
	...
71	Maldives	1.57
72	China	1.59
73	Angola	1.61
74	Sri Lanka	1.67
75	Oman	1.72
76	Iraq	1.84
	Asia Avg	1.08
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₄₉
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₄₉
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
4	USA	35.0
5	Greece	33.5
	...
38	Thailand	3.3
39	Denmark	3.1
40	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3.1
41	Sri Lanka	2.9
42	Latvia	2.2
43	Israel	1.8
	Asia Avg	2.11
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

World Giving Index (2013-2021)₅₀
Pos.		Lower is better₅₀
1	Myanmar (Burma)	2.7
2	New Zealand	4.0
3	USA	4.7
4	Australia	4.9
5	Indonesia	9.0
	...
14	Trinidad & Tobago	16.5
15	Bhutan	17.5
16	Norway	20.0
17	Sri Lanka	20.3
18	Iceland	21.0
19	Malta	23.4
	Asia Avg	62.5
	World Avg	67.9
q=160.

Corruption (2022)₅₁
Pos.		Higher is better Points₅₁
1	Denmark	90.0
2	Finland	87.0
3	New Zealand	87.0
4	Norway	84.0
5	Singapore	83.0
	...
101	Serbia	36.0
102	Peru	36.0
103	Turkey	36.0
104	Sri Lanka	36.0
105	Panama	36.0
106	Albania	36.0
	Asia Avg	39.98
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness (2018)₅₂
Pos.		Higher is better₅₂
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
4	Iceland	7.5
5	Switzerland	7.5
	...
113	Sierra Leone	4.6
114	Congo, (Brazzaville)	4.6
115	Bangladesh	4.5
116	Sri Lanka	4.5
117	Iraq	4.5
118	Mali	4.4
	Asia Avg	5.29
	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
4	Switzerland	4
5	Sweden	5
	...
138	Algeria	138
139	Azerbaijan	139
140	Paraguay	140
141	Sri Lanka	141
142	Malawi	142
143	Benin	143
	Asia Avg	99.0
	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
4	Netherlands	4
5	Switzerland	5
	...
49	UAE	49
50	Greece	50
51	Niger	51
52	Sri Lanka	52
53	Haiti	53
54	Rwanda	54
	Asia Avg	86.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Global Peace Index (2021)₅₃
Pos.		Lower is better₅₃
1	Iceland	1.10
2	New Zealand	1.25
3	Denmark	1.26
4	Portugal	1.27
5	Slovenia	1.32
	...
92	Guinea	2.07
93	Gabon	2.07
94	Armenia	2.08
95	Sri Lanka	2.08
96	Benin	2.09
97	Tajikistan	2.10
	Asia Avg	2.22
	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
4	Egypt	4
5	Nigeria	5
	...
23	Guatemala	23
24	Ecuador	24
25	Madagascar	25
26	Sri Lanka	26
27	Netherlands	27
28	Mongolia	28
	Asia Avg	76.0
	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
4	Sweden	4
5	Malta	5
	...
75	Botswana	75
76	Lebanon	76
77	Bahrain	77
78	Sri Lanka	78
79	Algeria	79
80	Ecuador	80
	Asia Avg	92.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₅₄
Pos.		Lower is better Score₅₄
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
4	Equatorial Guinea	0.00
5	Cambodia	0.00
	...
93	Bolivia	3.39
94	Algeria	3.41
95	Sweden	3.45
96	Sri Lanka	3.57
97	Canada	3.59
98	Belgium	3.64
	Asia Avg	3.60
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₅₅
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₅
1	Iceland	+205.6
2	Bahrain	+144.4
3	Uruguay	+131.3
4	Kuwait	+81.2
5	Dominican Rep.	+79.5
	...
136	Panama	-08.4
137	Madagascar	-08.9
138	Colombia	-09.2
139	Sri Lanka	-09.4
140	Brazil	-09.7
141	Venezuela	-10.3
	Asia Avg	+07.0
	World Avg	+02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₅₆
Pos.		Higher is better₅₆
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
4	Malta	80.9
5	Sweden	80.5
	...
67	Lebanon	61.1
68	Macedonia	61.1
69	Brazil	60.7
70	Sri Lanka	60.6
71	Equatorial Guinea	60.4
72	Mexico	59.7
	Asia Avg	54.5
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency (2014)₅₇
Pos.		Higher is better₅₇
1	Hong Kong	26.32
2	Sri Lanka	20.00
3	Panama	17.86
4	Colombia	17.54
5	Ireland	17.54
6	Switzerland	17.54
7	Dominican Rep.	16.95
8	Mauritius	15.63
9	Malta	15.15
10	Singapore	15.15
11	Denmark	14.93
12	Peru	14.49
	Asia Avg	09.14
	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
4	Vanuatu	1993 Dec 29
5	Papua New Guinea	1993 Dec 29
	...
50	Brazil	1994 May 29
51	Cuba	1994 Jun 06
52	Namibia	1997 Aug 14
53	Sri Lanka	1994 Jun 21
54	Ethiopia	1994 Jul 04
55	Dominica	1994 Jul 05
	Asia Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment (2011)₅₈
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₈
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
4	Trinidad & Tobago	74.5%
5	Costa Rica	74.2%
	...
54	Bosnia & Herzegovina	44.0%
55	Congo, (Brazzaville)	44.0%
56	Yemen	43.2%
57	Sri Lanka	43.1%
58	Djibouti	42.8%
59	Burundi	42.0%
	Asia Avg	37.9%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #social_development

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₅₉
Pos.		Higher is worse₅₉
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
181	Somalia	38.90
180	Nigeria	37.10
	...
59	Albania	7.20
58	Costa Rica	7.10
57	Russia	7.10
56	Sri Lanka	7.00
55	Bahamas	6.80
54	Oman	6.70
	Asia Avg	11.80
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) (2017)₆₀
Pos.		Lower is better %₆₀
1	Ukraine	25.0
2	Belarus	25.4
3	Slovenia	25.4
4	Czechia	25.9
5	Moldova	25.9
	...
94	Ethiopia	39.1
95	Morocco	39.5
96	Uruguay	39.5
97	Sri Lanka	39.8
98	Iran	40.0
99	Micronesia	40.1
	Asia Avg	35.2
	World Avg	38.1
q=152.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #buddhist_extremism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religiosity #secularisation #sri_lanka

Religiosity (2018)₄₄
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₄
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
4	Switzerland	9
5	Denmark	9
6	Germany	10
7	UK	10
8	Sweden	10
9	Japan	10
10	Finland	10
11	Latvia	11
12	France	11
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)₆₁
Pos.		Higher is better %₆₁
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
4	Czechia	61
5	Estonia	49
	...
85	El Salvador	1
86	Panama	1
87	Somalia	0
88	Sri Lanka	0
89	Burundi	0
90	Burkina Faso	0
	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 below₆₂:

Christian	7.3%
Muslim	9.8%
Hindu	13.6%
Buddhist	69.3%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	0.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Buddhist (official) 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)₆₃.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: Over the past several decades a rechanchivist Buddhist-nationalist movement has taken to extremism and violence in an attempt to curb "pagan" non-Buddhists in Sri Lanka. Religious minorities remain at risk and there are few protections for minorities, although in 2017 on one occasion the government did protect 31 Rohingya Muslim refugees by taking them into custody after threats of violence from Buddhist extremists₂₈. On other occasions in 2017 "flares of violence in Galle and Vavuniya [possibly involved] mobs attacking Muslim homes and businesses"₂₈. Although the extremists are opposed by liberal-minded Buddhist communities, the extremists have widespread ongoing support from Buddhist communities.

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