Sweden

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

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Sweden Kingdom of Sweden
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	4th best
Capital	Stockholm
Land Area	410 340km²₁
Location	Europe, Scandinavia
Population	10.0m₂
Life Expectancy	82.98yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$54 489 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	SE, SWE, 752₅
Internet Domain	.se₆
Currency	Kronoa (SEK)₇
Telephone	+46₈

1. Overview

“A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war for almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both world wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 and 2009 by the global economic downturns, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Frozen wastelands, cosy cottages, virgin forest, rocky islands, reindeer herders and Viking lore - Sweden has all that and mad style, too. As progressive and civilised as it may be, Sweden is a wild place. Its scenery ranges from barren moonscapes and impenetrable forests in the far north to sunny beaches and lush farmland further south. Its short summers and long winters mean that people cling to every last speck of sunshine on a late August evening - crayfish parties on seaside decks can stretch into the wee hours. In winter locals rely on candlelight and glögg to warm their spirits.
But lovers of the outdoors will thrive here in any season: winter sees skiing and dogsledding and aurora borealis, while the warmer months invite long hikes, sunbathing and swimming, canoeing and cycling under the midnight sun - you name it, if it´s fun and can be done outdoors, you´ll find it here. For less rugged types, there´s always restaurant and nightclub hopping and museum perusing in cosmopolitan Stockholm, lively Göteborg and beyond.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Sweden 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
6	Denmark	0.948
7	Sweden	0.947
8	Ireland	0.945
9	Germany	0.942
10	Netherlands	0.941
11	Finland	0.940
12	Singapore	0.939
	Europe Avg	0.87
	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
	...
13	Netherlands	$55 979
14	Iceland	$55 782
15	Germany	$54 534
16	Sweden	$54 489
17	Austria	$53 619
18	Kuwait	$52 920
	Europe Avg	$40 512
	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
6	Netherlands	33.8
7	Germany	35.4
8	Austria	36.3
9	New Zealand	36.4
10	Canada	37.3
11	Switzerland	37.7
12	Iceland	39.1
	Europe Avg	57.3
	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.

Sweden's position towards the top of social development and stability charts is not purely a modern phenomenon; in 1942 the classical theorist Schumpeter referred to the nations's famous progressiveness:

“Take Sweden... Like her art, her science, her politics, her social institutions and much besides, her socialism and her socialists owe their distinction not to any peculiar features of principle or intention, but to the stuff the Swedish nation is made of and to its exceptionally well-balanced social structure. That is why it is so absurd for other nations to try to copy Swedish examples; the only effective way of doing so would be to import the Swedes and to put them in charge.”
"Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy" by Joseph A. Schumpeter (1942)₁₄

3. Sweden's Demographics and Migration

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

Population:

Sweden's population is predicted to rise to 10.38 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 1.93. 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
	...
85	Dominican Rep.	10.6m
86	Greece	10.5m
87	Portugal	10.3m
88	Sweden	10.0m
89	Jordan	10.0m
90	Azerbaijan	9.9m
	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
6	Malta	83.8
7	S. Korea	83.7
8	Liechtenstein	83.3
9	Norway	83.2
10	Spain	83.0
11	Sweden	83.0
12	Italy	82.9
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₅
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₅
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
6	Australia	1.96
7	Uruguay	2.05
8	Norway	1.95
9	Myanmar (Burma)	1.95
10	Indonesia	2.07
11	Sweden	1.93
12	Tunisia	1.93
	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
4	Burkina Faso	04.7
5	Sierra Leone	04.8
	...
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.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₇
Pos.		%₁₇
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
4	Liechtenstein	65.1%
5	Monaco	54.9%
	...
23	Canada	21.5%
24	Kazakhstan	20.0%
25	Austria	19.0%
26	Sweden	17.6%
27	Equatorial Guinea	17.5%
28	Ireland	16.9%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
4	Grenada	65.5%
5	St Kitts & Nevis	61.1%
	...
133	Mauritania	3.5%
134	Canada	3.5%
135	Algeria	3.4%
136	Sweden	3.4%
137	Ghana	3.4%
138	Nepal	3.3%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #saudi_arabia #sweden #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₉_,₂₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉_,₂₀
1	Sweden	9.2
2	Norway	14.7
3	Denmark	14.7
4	Netherlands	15.8
5	New Zealand	17.5
6	Iceland	20.1
7	Canada	21.2
8	Austria	22.5
9	Luxembourg	23.9
10	Finland	23.9
11	Australia	24.1
12	Hong Kong	24.3
	Europe Avg	50.3
	World Avg	87.7
q=199.

When it comes to ensuring human rights and freedom, Sweden leads the world, setting excellent examples. Sweden does the best for the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₂₁. It does the second-best for its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₂. It comes in the best 20 for LGBT equality₂₃ (one of the highest in Europe), its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₄ (the best in Europe), opposing gender inequality₂₅, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₆, freethought₂₇, supporting press freedom₂₈, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₉ and in speed of uptake of HR treaties₃₀ (amongst the best in Europe). Same-sex marriage was legalized in 2009, improving upon homosexual "civil-unions" that were available since 1995₃₁. Human Rights Watch's 2018 report states that Sweden's support of women's rights at home and internationally has been notable, especially in supporting women and girls in Saudi Arabia₃₂.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Sweden

5. Sweden's Health

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

Compared to Europe (2020)₃₃_,₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₃_,₃₄
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Norway	61.0
3	Finland	65.3
4	Switzerland	65.6
5	Italy	67.5
	...
9	Denmark	74.3
10	Germany	74.4
11	Austria	74.5
12	Sweden	75.6
13	Iceland	76.9
14	Netherlands	77.0
15	Greece	77.4
	Europe Avg	82.5
q=46.

Health (2020)₃₃_,₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₃_,₃₄
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Hong Kong	18.3
3	Maldives	41.0
4	Singapore	42.6
5	Japan	51.0
	...
31	Austria	74.5
32	Iran	75.5
33	Antigua & Barbuda	75.6
34	Sweden	75.6
35	UAE	75.8
36	Iceland	76.9
37	Netherlands	77.0
	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 Maldives₃₃. 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 Palau₃₃.

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 Mediterranean₃₃, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa₃₃.

For more, see:

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

Health:

Sweden does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Sweden does the best when it comes to its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₅. It comes in the best 20 in terms of its average life expectancy₁₁ and in its adolescent birth rate₂₅. It does better than average in terms of its fertility rate₁₅ (but bad for Europe). But, there's bad news too. Sweden does worse than average in its suicide rate₃₆, its smoking rate₃₇ (still low for Europe), its alcohol consumption rate₃₈ (still good for Europe) and in its immunizations take-up₃₉ (one of the worst in Europe). The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 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
6	Malta	83.8
7	S. Korea	83.7
8	Liechtenstein	83.3
9	Norway	83.2
10	Spain	83.0
11	Sweden	83.0
12	Italy	82.9
	Europe Avg	78.36
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₈
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₈
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
4	Mauritania	0.0
5	Somalia	0.0
	...
134	Canada	8.9
135	Rwanda	9.0
136	Iceland	9.1
137	Sweden	9.2
138	Chile	9.3
139	Grenada	9.3
	Europe Avg	10.3
	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
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
6	Australia	1.96
7	Uruguay	2.05
8	Norway	1.95
9	Myanmar (Burma)	1.95
10	Indonesia	2.07
11	Sweden	1.93
12	Tunisia	1.93
	Europe Avg	1.61
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₇
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₇
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
179	Macedonia	2 732
178	Russia	2 690
	...
114	Thailand	895
113	Iran	869
112	Laos	836
111	Sweden	831
110	UK	827
109	Papua New Guinea	826
	Europe Avg	1 648
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₃₆
Pos.		Per 100k₃₆
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
4	Jordan	0.2
5	Maldives	0.7
	...
62	Cuba	24.5
63	Romania	24.5
64	Bulgaria	25
65	Sweden	25.5
66	Slovakia	25.7
67	Czechia	28.3
	Europe Avg	26.99
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₅
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
4	UK	4
5	Norway	5
6	Switzerland	6
7	Germany	7
8	Canada	8
9	Netherlands	9
10	USA	10
11	Luxembourg	11
12	Finland	12
	Europe Avg	47.4
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₄₀
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₀
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
4	Ethiopia	20.9
5	Nepal	21.0
	...
105	Bolivia	56.1
106	Slovenia	56.1
107	Slovakia	56.2
108	Sweden	56.4
109	Brazil	56.5
110	Germany	56.8
	Europe Avg	58.5
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₅
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₅
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
	Europe Avg	14.6
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₃₉
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₃₉
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
4	Niue	98.8
5	Mongolia	98.7
	...
162	Gabon	78.7
163	Micronesia	78.2
164	Philippines	77.9
165	Sweden	77.8
166	Ivory Coast	76.9
167	Congo, DR	76.5
	Europe Avg	92.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Sweden's Modernity and Learning

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

Compared to Europe (2020)₂₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₀
1	Finland	8.4
2	Switzerland	15.1
3	Estonia	15.8
4	Denmark	16.0
5	Belgium	16.1
6	Czechia	16.7
7	Sweden	18.6
8	Germany	18.6
9	Iceland	19.6
10	Austria	19.6
11	Norway	21.0
12	Slovenia	21.3
13	UK	21.5
	Europe Avg	41.2
q=49.

Modernity and Learning (2020)₂₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₀
1	Finland	8.4
2	Taiwan	10.0
3	Switzerland	15.1
4	Estonia	15.8
5	Denmark	16.0
6	Belgium	16.1
7	Czechia	16.7
8	New Zealand	17.6
9	Sweden	18.6
10	Germany	18.6
11	Australia	19.2
12	Iceland	19.6
13	Austria	19.6
	World Avg	83.2
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₄₁
2	Israel	4.11₄₁
3	Japan	3.58₄₁
4	Finland	3.17₄₁
5	Sweden	3.16₄₁
6	Denmark	3.05₄₁
7	Taiwan	3.01₄₁
8	Austria	3.00₄₂
9	Switzerland	2.96₄₃
10	Germany	2.84₄₁
11	USA	2.74₄₄
12	Belgium	2.46₄₁
	Europe Avg	1.32
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₄₅
Pos.		Higher is better₄₅
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
4	Canada	100.0%
5	Finland	100.0%
	...
42	Serbia	89.5%
43	Denmark	89.3%
44	Israel	89.1%
45	Sweden	88.9%
46	Mongolia	88.8%
47	Bahamas	88.4%
	Europe Avg	88.3%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2021)₄₆
Pos.		Higher is better Years₄₆
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
4	Belgium	19.6
5	Sweden	19.4
6	Iceland	19.2
7	Finland	19.1
8	Ireland	18.9
9	Denmark	18.7
10	Netherlands	18.7
11	Grenada	18.7
12	Turkey	18.3
	Europe Avg	16.1
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₅
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
4	Denmark	4
5	UK	5
	...
14	Bulgaria	14
15	Iceland	15
16	Bosnia & Herzegovina	16
17	Sweden	17
18	Lithuania	18
19	Macedonia	19
	Europe Avg	31.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading (2015)₄₇
Pos.		Higher is better Score₄₇
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
4	Macau	1582
5	Estonia	1573
	...
23	UK	1499
24	Portugal	1491
25	France	1487
26	Sweden	1487
27	Austria	1477
28	Russia	1476
	Europe Avg	1417
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity (2018)₄₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₈
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
	Europe Avg	25.8
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ (2006)₄₉
Pos.		Higher is better₄₉
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
4	Japan	105
5	Taiwan	105
	...
17	Germany	99
18	Finland	99
19	Estonia	99
20	Sweden	99
21	Belgium	99
22	Canada	99
	Europe Avg	96.6
	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%
4	Bermuda	97%
5	Andorra	97%
6	Denmark	96%
7	Liechtenstein	96%
8	Luxembourg	95%
9	Netherlands	94%
10	Sweden	93%
11	Monaco	93%
12	UK	93%
	Europe Avg	76.7%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IT Security (2013)₅₁
Pos.		Lower is better₅₁
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
4	Hong Kong	0.12
5	Mexico	0.16
	...
15	Latvia	0.33
16	Pakistan	0.38
17	Taiwan	0.44
18	Sweden	0.44
19	Romania	0.52
20	Turkey	0.52
	Europe Avg	0.80
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₅₂
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₅₂
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
4	USA	35.0
5	Greece	33.5
	...
33	Bolivia	5.0
34	Macau	4.2
35	Singapore	4.0
36	Sweden	3.8
37	Poland	3.6
38	Thailand	3.3
	Europe Avg	8.11
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

Sweden has one of the best records on keeping corruption low, although there are some worsening perceptions in recent years.

World Giving Index (2013-2021)₅₃
Pos.		Lower is better₅₃
1	Myanmar (Burma)	2.7
2	New Zealand	4.0
3	USA	4.7
4	Australia	4.9
5	Indonesia	9.0
	...
39	Zambia	37.4
40	Jamaica	38.5
41	Switzerland	38.5
42	Sweden	38.9
43	Cyprus	39.1
44	Northern Cyprus	39.3
	Europe Avg	75.2
	World Avg	67.9
q=160.

Corruption (2022)₅₄
Pos.		Higher is better Points₅₄
1	Denmark	90.0
2	Finland	87.0
3	New Zealand	87.0
4	Norway	84.0
5	Singapore	83.0
6	Sweden	83.0
7	Switzerland	82.0
8	Netherlands	80.0
9	Germany	79.0
10	Ireland	77.0
11	Luxembourg	77.0
12	Hong Kong	76.0
	Europe Avg	57.61
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness (2018)₅₅
Pos.		Higher is better₅₅
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
4	Iceland	7.5
5	Switzerland	7.5
6	Netherlands	7.4
7	Canada	7.3
8	New Zealand	7.3
9	Sweden	7.3
10	Australia	7.3
11	Israel	7.2
12	Austria	7.1
	Europe Avg	6.06
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity and Culture (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₅
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
4	Switzerland	4
5	Sweden	5
6	Denmark	6
7	Austria	7
8	Ireland	8
9	Czechia	9
10	Luxembourg	10
11	UK	11
12	Portugal	12
	Europe Avg	35.0
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₅
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
4	Netherlands	4
5	Switzerland	5
6	Serbia	6
7	Belgium	7
8	Norway	8
9	Finland	9
10	Croatia	10
11	Georgia	11
12	Philippines	12
	Europe Avg	42.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

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

Global Peace Index (2021)₅₆
Pos.		Lower is better₅₆
1	Iceland	1.10
2	New Zealand	1.25
3	Denmark	1.26
4	Portugal	1.27
5	Slovenia	1.32
	...
12	Japan	1.37
13	Finland	1.40
14	Norway	1.44
15	Sweden	1.46
16	Australia	1.47
17	Germany	1.48
	Europe Avg	1.69
	World Avg	2.08
q=163.

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₅
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
4	Egypt	4
5	Nigeria	5
	...
64	Denmark	64
65	Austria	65
66	Ghana	66
67	Sweden	67
68	Congo, (Brazzaville)	68
69	Bulgaria	69
	Europe Avg	84.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₅
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
4	Sweden	4
5	Malta	5
6	Australia	6
7	Norway	7
8	Finland	8
9	Denmark	9
10	Switzerland	10
11	Canada	11
12	UK	12
	Europe Avg	37.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₅₇
Pos.		Lower is better Score₅₇
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
4	Equatorial Guinea	0.00
5	Cambodia	0.00
	...
92	Spain	3.35
93	Bolivia	3.39
94	Algeria	3.41
95	Sweden	3.45
96	Sri Lanka	3.57
97	Canada	3.59
	Europe Avg	1.62
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

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

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₅₈
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₈
1	Iceland	+205.6
2	Bahrain	+144.4
3	Uruguay	+131.3
4	Kuwait	+81.2
5	Dominican Rep.	+79.5
	...
75	Tajikistan	+01.0
76	Slovakia	+01.0
77	Russia	+00.8
78	Sweden	+00.8
79	Mongolia	+00.1
80	Japan	00.0
	Europe Avg	+15.0
	World Avg	+02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₅₉
Pos.		Higher is better₅₉
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
4	Malta	80.9
5	Sweden	80.5
6	UK	79.9
7	Luxembourg	79.1
8	Austria	79.0
9	Ireland	78.8
10	Finland	78.6
11	Iceland	78.6
12	Spain	78.4
	Europe Avg	69.6
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency (2014)₆₀
Pos.		Higher is better₆₀
1	Hong Kong	26.32
2	Sri Lanka	20.00
3	Panama	17.86
4	Colombia	17.54
5	Ireland	17.54
	...
59	Slovakia	09.09
60	Jordan	09.09
61	Slovenia	08.85
62	Sweden	08.62
63	Belgium	08.47
64	Guatemala	08.47
	Europe Avg	09.80
	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
	...
35	Nepal	1994 Feb 21
36	Czechia	1994 Mar 03
37	Barbados	1994 Mar 10
38	Sweden	1994 Mar 16
39	Spain	1994 Mar 21
40	Portugal	1994 Mar 21
	Europe Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment (2011)₆₁
Pos.		Higher is better %₆₁
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
4	Trinidad & Tobago	74.5%
5	Costa Rica	74.2%
	...
110	Armenia	25.3%
111	Kazakhstan	25.0%
112	Iraq	24.9%
113	Sweden	24.3%
114	New Zealand	24.2%
115	Poland	23.8%
	Europe Avg	33.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

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

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₆₂
Pos.		Higher is worse₆₂
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
181	Somalia	38.90
180	Nigeria	37.10
	...
7	Finland	3.00
6	Japan	2.90
5	Slovenia	2.90
4	Sweden	2.90
3	Hong Kong	2.50
2	Singapore	2.50
	Europe Avg	4.86
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) (2017)₆₃
Pos.		Lower is better %₆₃
1	Ukraine	25.0
2	Belarus	25.4
3	Slovenia	25.4
4	Czechia	25.9
5	Moldova	25.9
	...
16	Serbia	28.5
17	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	28.7
18	Albania	29.0
19	Sweden	29.2
20	Malta	29.4
21	Iraq	29.5
	Europe Avg	31.5
	World Avg	38.1
q=152.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#afterlife #belief #buddhism #christianity #god #good_governance #heaven #hell #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religiosity #secularisation #sweden #universalism

Religiosity (2018)₄₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₈
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)₆₄
Pos.		Higher is better %₆₄
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
4	Czechia	61
5	Estonia	49
6	Denmark	48
7	France	44
8	Belgium	43
9	Netherlands	42
10	Germany	42
11	UK	42
12	Cuba	40
	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 below₆₅:

Christian	67.2%
Muslim	4.6%
Hindu	0.2%
Buddhist	0.4%
Folk Religion	0.2%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	27%

By adding up the Pew Forum data for the major monotheistic religions we can see that these make up 71.9% of the population. Yet there are simply too many who disbelieve in God for this to be true (64%). This is due to the so-called 'Census Effect', whereby many put down a religion for cultural reasons rather than because it reflects their beliefs. In highly Christian countries, as many as half of those who say they're a Christian lack any connection to a Church, and do not hold Christian beliefs (such as believing in God!).

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 72.7% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 10% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

"Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13%₆₆.

The Afterlife: Ipsos-NA in 2011 gathered some statistics on Sweden₆₇. Despite the large numbers of Christians, not many have traditional beliefs in the afterlife - just 3%. More people don't know what to believe (41%). Some believe that upon death, you simply cease to exist (30%). Also, 1% specifically believe in heaven but not in hell (which is nice - making them possible "universalists"). 5% believe in reincarnation.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union produced a report in 2012 entitled "Freedom of Thought" (2012)₆₈, in which they document bias and prejudice at the national level that is based on religion, belief and/or lack of belief. Their entry for Sweden states:

“The constitution and other laws and policies protect freedom of religion or belief. Members of religious communities are allowed to designate part of their income tax to go to their church, but the nonreligious have consistently been refused the right to designate their Humanist Association to enjoy the same privilege.
Chapter 16 Section 8 of the penal code criminalizes "A person who, in a disseminated statement or communication, threatens or expresses contempt for a national, ethnic or other such group of persons with allusion to race, colour, national or ethnic origin or religious belief..."”
"Freedom of Thought" by IHEU (2012)₆₉

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