Ukraine

Ukraine
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	104th best
Capital	Kiev
Land Area	579 320km21
Location	Europe
Population	44.9m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	71.13yrs (2017)3
GNI	$7 361 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	UA, UKR, 8045
Internet Domain	.ua6
Currency	Hryvnia (UAH)7
Telephone	+3808

1. Overview
2. Ukraine National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Gender Equality
5. Religion and Beliefs
6. The Internet
7. Public Health Issues
8. Politics and Freedom
9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
10. Links

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1. Overview

#russia

“Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able to achieve a short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two forced famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy and prosperity remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in parliamentary elections and become prime minister in August of 2006. An early legislative election, brought on by a political crisis in the spring of 2007, saw Yuliya TYMOSHENKO, as head of an "Orange" coalition, installed as a new prime minister in December 2007. Viktor YANUKOVUYCH was elected president in a February 2010 run-off election that observers assessed as meeting most international standards. The following month, Ukraine's parliament, the Rada, approved a vote of no-confidence prompting Yuliya TYMOSHENKO to resign from her post as prime minister. In October 2012, Ukraine held Rada elections, widely criticized by Western observers as flawed due to use of government resources to favor ruling party candidates, interference with media access, and harassment of opposition candidates.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Big, diverse and largely undiscovered, Ukraine is one of Europe´s last genuine travel frontiers, a poor nation rich in colourful tradition, warm-hearted people and off-the-map experiences. Ukraine is big. In fact it´s Europe´s biggest country (not counting Russia, which isn´t entirely in Europe) and packs a lot of diversity into its borders. You can be clambering around the Carpathians in search of Hutsul festivities, sipping Eastern Europe´s best coffee in sophisticated Lviv and partying on Odessa´s beaches, all in a few days.

A diverse landscape obviously throws up a whole bunch of outdoorsy activities. How about mountain biking or hill walking in the Carpathians, bird spotting in the Danube Delta or water sports on the Kyiv Sea? Many Ukrainians love nothing more than wandering their country´s vast forests, foraging for berries and mushrooms or picnicking by a meandering river.

History is all around you wherever you go in this vast land, whether it be among the Gothic churches of Lviv, the Stalinist facades of Kyiv, the remnants of the once-animated Jewish culture of West Ukraine or the more recent Soviet high-rises just about anywhere. After the latest political turmoils, this divided nation faces an uncertain future but its people share one thing: a talent for survival.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Ukraine National and Social Development

UN HDI (2016) Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
82	Macedonia	82
83	Algeria	83
84	Armenia	84
85	Ukraine	84
86	Jordan	86
87	Peru	87
88	Thailand	87
89	Ecuador	89
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index Higher is better Points12
1	Iceland	84.1
2	Sweden	80.8
3	Norway	80.0
	...
101	Samoa	53.0
102	Cape Verde	52.8
103	Turkmenistan	52.8
104	Ukraine	52.7
105	Tunisia	52.7
106	Belarus	52.7
107	Paraguay	52.7
108	Lebanon	52.2
	World Avg	54.5
q=198.

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: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016) Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
141	Georgia	29.7
142	Montenegro	30.0
143	Belarus	30.3
144	Ukraine	30.8
145	Australia	31.3
146	Slovakia	31.6
147	Albania	31.8
148	Norway	32.2
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010) %14
1	Dominica	104.8
2	Palestine	68.4
3	Samoa	67.3
	...
43	Equatorial Guinea	14.9
44	Seychelles	14.6
45	New Zealand	14.5
46	Ukraine	14.4
47	Israel	14.0
48	Swaziland	13.4
49	Lithuania	13.2
50	Romania	13.1
	World Avg	11.5
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013) 2.0 is best15
1	Korea, N.	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
82	Dominican Rep.	2.51
83	Lithuania	1.49
84	Kazakhstan	2.52
85	Ukraine	1.48
86	Nicaragua	2.52
87	Belarus	1.47
88	Slovenia	1.47
89	Italy	1.47
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Immigrants (2010) %14
1	Qatar	86.5
2	Monaco	71.6
3	UAE	70.0
	...
40	Djibouti	13.0
41	Seychelles	12.8
42	Grenada	12.1
43	Ukraine	11.6
44	Moldova	11.4
45	Belarus	11.4
46	Iceland	11.3
47	UK	11.2
	World Avg	9.2
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015) Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
108	Belarus	71.46
109	Egypt	71.33
110	Suriname	71.28
111	Ukraine	71.13
112	Azerbaijan	70.90
113	Kyrgyzstan	70.79
114	Korea, N.	70.52
115	Trinidad & Tobago	70.52
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
27	Tanzania	47.7m
28	Colombia	47.6m
29	Spain	46.8m
30	Ukraine	44.9m
31	Kenya	42.7m
32	Argentina	41.1m
33	Poland	38.3m
34	Algeria	36.5m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Ukraine's population is predicted to fall to 40 515 000 by 2030. Developed countries with falling populations face a pension's crises, whereby an incresingly 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 1.48. 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.

• The Overpopulation of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception: How Religion is Making Overpopulation Worse

4. Gender Equality

Gender Inequality (2015) Lower is better18
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
53	Mongolia	0.28
54	Oman	0.28
55	Uruguay	0.28
56	Ukraine	0.28
57	Uzbekistan	0.29
58	Tunisia	0.29
59	Malaysia	0.29
60	Barbados	0.29
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better Year19
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
13	Belarus	1919
14	Germany	1919
15	Netherlands	1919
16	Ukraine	1919
17	Luxembourg	1919
18	Czech Rep.	1919
19	Poland	1919
20	Canada	1920
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchialism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

Ukraine is on the way towards ending gender inequality but women are still in an unfavourable position much of the time.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

5. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Religiosity (2009) Lower is better %20
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
19	Canada	42
20	Korea, S.	43
21	Kazakhstan	43
22	Ukraine	46
23	Slovenia	47
24	Spain	49
25	Azerbaijan	50
26	Israel	51
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007) Higher is better21
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
22	New Zealand	22
23	Canada	22
24	Latvia	20
25	Ukraine	20
26	Mongolia	20
27	Austria	18
28	Slovakia	17
29	Switzerland	17
	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 below₂₂:

Christian	83.8%
Muslim	1.2%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	14.7%

By adding up the Pew Forum data for the major monotheistic religions we can see that these make up 85.1% of the population. Yet there are simply too many who disbelieve in God for this to be true (20%). 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 85.4% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 46% 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: Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate 50.4%, Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate 26.1%, Ukrainian Greek Catholic 8%, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox 7.2%, Roman Catholic 2.2%, Protestant 2.2%, Jewish 0.6%, other 3.2% (2006 est.)₂₃.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

6. The Internet

Freedom On The Internet (2012) Lower is better24
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
	...
8	UK	25
9	S. Africa	26
10	Argentina	26
11	Ukraine	27
12	Brazil	27
13	Kenya	29
14	Georgia	30
15	Nigeria	33
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

Internet Users (2016) Higher is better25
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
109	Mexico	45%
110	Kenya	45%
111	Belize	45%
112	Ukraine	44%
113	Philippines	44%
114	Jamaica	43%
115	Ecuador	43%
116	Thailand	43%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017) Higher is better Ratio26
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
68	S. Africa	0.1
69	Jersey	0.1
70	Sudan	0.1
71	Ukraine	0.1
72	Lithuania	0.1
73	Vanuatu	0.1
74	Iran	0.1
75	Zambia	0.1
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

IT Security (2013) Lower is better27
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
	...
61	UK	1.34
62	Mongolia	1.42
63	Uganda	1.44
64	Ukraine	1.44
65	Nepal	1.45
66	Afghanistan	1.45
67	Germany	1.46
68	Netherlands	1.47
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

7. Public Health Issues

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015) Lower is better Per 100018
1	Korea, N.	0.5
2	Korea, S.	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
70	Jordan	23.2
71	Russia	23.4
72	New Zealand	23.6
73	Ukraine	24.1
74	India	24.5
75	Samoa	25.0
76	Rwanda	26.3
77	Iran	26.7
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Alcohol Consumption (2010) Lower is better Per Capita28
1	Libya	0.1
2	Pakistan	0.1
3	Kuwait	0.1
	...
183	Czech Rep.	13.0
184	Hungary	13.3
185	Andorra	13.8
186	Ukraine	13.9
187	Romania	14.4
188	Russia	15.1
189	Lithuania	15.4
190	Moldova	16.8
	World Avg	6.2
q=191.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015) Higher is better Avg %29
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
185	Vanuatu	65.5
186	Guinea	63.3
187	Syria	62.4
188	Ukraine	55.2
189	Chad	52.5
190	Nigeria	50.0
191	Central African Rep.	49.4
192	Somalia	46.0
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Smoking Rates (2014) Lower is better30
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
162	Japan	1 713
163	Hungary	1 759
164	Estonia	1 775
165	Ukraine	1 854
166	Jordan	1 855
167	Austria	1 988
168	Korea, S.	2 073
169	Greece	2 086
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013) Lower is better Per 100k31
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
79	Finland	39
80	Belgium	39.1
81	Slovenia	44
82	Ukraine	44.8
83	Latvia	48.2
84	Japan	49.4
85	Hungary	50.6
86	Kazakhstan	52.4
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

8. Politics and Freedom

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009) Higher is better Treaties32
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
32	Albania	20
33	Cyprus	20
34	Namibia	20
35	Ukraine	20
36	Macedonia	20
37	Slovakia	20
38	Honduras	20
39	S. Africa	20
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014) Lower is better Rank33
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
108	Lebanon	108
109	Laos	109
110	Ivory Coast	110
111	Ukraine	111
112	Senegal	111
113	Colombia	111
114	Kuwait	111
115	Malaysia	115
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Press Freedom (2013) Lower is better34
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
122	Tajikistan	3571
123	S. Sudan	3620
124	Algeria	3654
125	Ukraine	3679
126	Honduras	3692
127	Afghanistan	3736
128	Colombia	3748
129	Angola	3780
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries