Bahamas (Commonwealth of The Bahamas)

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

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Bahamas Commonwealth of The Bahamas
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	91st best
Capital	Nassau
Land Area	10 010km²₁
Location	North America, The Americas, The Caribbean
Groupings	Small Islands
Population	0.4m₂
Life Expectancy	71.60yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$30 486 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	BS, BHS, 44₅
Internet Domain	.bs₆
Currency	Dollar (BSD)₇
Telephone	+₈

1. Overview

#UK #USA

“Lucayan Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher COLUMBUS first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas has prospered through tourism, international banking, and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US and Europe, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“The Bahamas are ready-made for exploration. ... From pirates and blockade dodgers to rum smugglers, wily go-getters have converged and caroused on the country´s 700 islands and 2400 cays for centuries. So what´s in it for travelers? There´s sailing around the Abacos´ history-filled Loyalist Cays. Partying til dawn at Paradise Island´s over-the-top Atlantis resort. Diving the spooky blue holes of Andros. Kayaking the 365 Exuma Cays. Lounging on Eleuthera´s pink-sand beaches. Pondering pirates in Nassau. There´s a Bahamian island to match most every water-and-sand-based compulsion, each framed by a backdrop of gorgeous, mesmerizing blue.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Bahamas 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
	...
52	Russia	0.822
53	Romania	0.821
54	Oman	0.816
55	Bahamas	0.812
56	Kazakhstan	0.811
57	Trinidad & Tobago	0.810
58=	Costa Rica	0.809
58=	Uruguay	0.809
	The Americas 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
	...
44	Hungary	$32 789
45	Turkey	$31 033
46	Slovakia	$30 690
47	Bahamas	$30 486
48	Croatia	$30 132
49	Romania	$30 027
50	Greece	$29 002
51	Russia	$27 166
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂
1	Denmark	29.1
2	Norway	32.3
3	Sweden	34.1
	...
88	Cape Verde	86.8
89	Antigua & Barbuda	87.3
90	Mongolia	87.4
91	Bahamas	87.7
92	El Salvador	87.8
93	Seychelles	88.4
94	Bolivia	88.7
95	Grenada	88.9
	The Americas Avg	81.5
	World Avg	88.9
q=199.

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. Bahamas's Demographics and Migration

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

Population:

The Bahamas's population is predicted to rise to 414 859 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 1.38. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - 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 (two new children for each set of parents who die), 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 highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population₂
Pos.		2018 Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
168	Maldives	0.5m
169	Malta	0.4m
170	Brunei	0.4m
171	Bahamas	0.4m
172	Belize	0.4m
173	Iceland	0.3m
174	Vanuatu	0.3m
175	Barbados	0.3m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		2021 Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
98	Georgia	71.7
99	St Kitts & Nevis	71.7
100	Ukraine	71.6
101	Bahamas	71.6
102	Tajikistan	71.6
103	Seychelles	71.3
104	St Lucia	71.1
105	Tonga	71.0
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₄
Pos.		2022₁₄
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
108	Switzerland	1.39
109	St Lucia	1.39
110	Turkmenistan	2.62
111	Bahamas	1.38
112	Albania	1.38
113	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.35
114	Jamaica	1.34
115	Micronesia	2.67
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better₁₅
Pos.		2016 Per 100₁₅
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
122	Jamaica	21.0
123	Lebanon	21.1
124	Trinidad & Tobago	21.9
125	Bahamas	22.4
126	Costa Rica	22.6
127	Israel	22.9
128	Sri Lanka	23.7
129	Moldova	24.7
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants₁₆
Pos.		2017 %₁₆
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
29	Cyprus	16.0%
30	Belize	16.0%
31	San Marino	15.7%
32	Bahamas	15.6%
33	Maldives	15.4%
34	USA	15.3%
35	Norway	15.1%
36	Germany	14.8%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants₁₇
Pos.		2010 %₁₇
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
49	Lithuania	13.2%
50	Romania	13.1%
51	Iceland	13.0%
52	Bahamas	12.8%
53	Estonia	12.6%
54	Nicaragua	12.5%
55	Latvia	12.3%
56	Luxembourg	11.8%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Bahamas's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #freethought #gender #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #misogyny #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #tolerance #women

Compared to The Americas (2025)₁₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈
1	Canada	14.7
2	Costa Rica	31.8
3	Uruguay	35.5
	...
14	Trinidad & Tobago	66.2
15	Mexico	66.2
16	Bolivia	66.3
17	Bahamas	66.6
18	Ecuador	67.2
19	Peru	68.7
20	St Lucia	69.9
21	Colombia	71.9
22	Belize	73.4
	The Americas Avg	71.80
q=36.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)₁₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
59	Trinidad & Tobago	66.2
60	Mexico	66.2
61	Bolivia	66.3
62	Bahamas	66.6
63	Ecuador	67.2
64	Cape Verde	68.0
65	Peru	68.7
66	St Lucia	69.9
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway₁₉. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, N. Korea and Afghanistan₁₉.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₉, whereas the worst are Africa, The Middle East and Asia₁₉.

For more, see:

" Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Human Rights & Tolerance:

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better₂₀
Pos.		2014 Rank₂₀
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
45=	Montenegro	44
46	Panama	46
47	Mongolia	47
48=	Bahamas	48
48=	Greece	48
50	Albania	50
51	Seychelles	51
52	Israel	52
	The Americas Avg	72.4
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
47	Liechtenstein	1.5
48=	Grenada	1.5
48=	Latvia	1.5
48=	Bahamas	1.5
51	Jamaica	2.0
52=	Guyana	2.0
52=	USA	2.0
52=	Mauritius	2.0
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better₂₁
Pos.		2009 Treaties₂₁
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
147	Lebanon	12
148	Thailand	11
149=	Barbados	11
149=	Bahamas	11
149=	Cuba	11
149=	Guyana	11
149=	Swaziland	11
149=	Zimbabwe	11
	The Americas Avg	16.5
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better₂₂
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty₂₂
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
165	Saudi Arabia	13.73
166	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	13.73
167	Grenada	13.86
168	Bahamas	13.93
169	Zimbabwe	13.95
170	Djibouti	13.99
171	St Lucia	14.11
172	Montenegro	14.20
	The Americas Avg	8.45
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Gender Equality:

The Bahamas has made some steps towards ending gender inequality but much more needs to be done.

See:

"Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

Gender Inequality Lower is better₂₃
Pos.		2022₂₃
1	Denmark	0.01
2	Norway	0.01
3	Switzerland	0.02
	...
75	Bhutan	0.33
76	Azerbaijan	0.33
77	Fiji	0.33
78=	Bahamas	0.33
78=	Maldives	0.33
80	Cape Verde	0.33
81	St Lucia	0.35
82	Kyrgyzstan	0.35
	The Americas Avg	0.36
	World Avg	0.34
q=166.

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
142=	Fiji	1963
142=	Afghanistan	1963
142=	Equatorial Guinea	1963
142=	Bahamas	1963
146	Sudan	1964
147=	Libya	1964
147=	Papua New Guinea	1964
149	Lesotho	1965
	The Americas Avg	1947
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Prejudice:

LGBT Equality Higher is better₂₄
Pos.		2017 Score₂₄
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
108=	Mali	11
108=	Tajikistan	11
110	Gabon	10
111=	Bahamas	10
112	Kazakhstan	8
113=	N. Korea	8
114	Rwanda	7
115=	Congo, (Brazzaville)	5
	The Americas Avg	26.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better₂₅
Pos.		2021₂₅
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
54	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.5
55=	Bulgaria	2.5
55=	Ukraine	2.5
55=	Bahamas	2.5
55=	Central African Rep.	2.5
55=	Chile	2.5
55=	Colombia	2.5
55=	Costa Rica	2.5
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Bahamas's Health

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

Compared to The Americas (2025)₂₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₆
1	Curaço	49.7
2	Aruba	49.9
3	US Virgin Islands	51.9
	...
22	Ecuador	95.6
23	Argentina	97.0
24	St Vincent & Grenadines	97.5
25	Bahamas	99.1
26	Peru	100.3
27	Jamaica	101.6
28	Panama	102.5
29	St Lucia	102.8
30	El Salvador	103.8
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=44.

Health (2025)₂₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₆
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
111	St Vincent & Grenadines	97.5
112	Turkmenistan	98.7
113	Kyrgyzstan	98.8
114	Bahamas	99.1
115	Guam	99.3
116	Oman	100.0
117	Peru	100.3
118	Ukraine	100.6
	World Avg	97.60
q=213.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man₂₇. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Cook Islands, The Marshall Islands and Niue₂₇.

25 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on 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, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Balkans₂₇, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Australasia₂₇.

For more, see:

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

Health:

The Bahamas does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. The Bahamas comes in the best 20 for its suicide rate₂₈ (amongst the best in The Americas). It does better than average in its immunizations take-up₂₉, its smoking rate₃₀, its alcohol consumption rate₃₁ and in its adolescent birth rate₃₂. The Bahamas still has work to do. The Bahamas does worse than average in terms of its average life expectancy₁₁, its fertility rate₁₄ and in the prevalence of overweight adults₃₃. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in terms of its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₄ (one of the highest in The Americas). The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the past 40 years. Life expectancy in the Bahamas improved by just +1.1yrs in the 30 years from 1990, significantly less than almost everywhere else in the world. In the 2010s, it was one of only 12 countries that saw their life expectancy drop. The Bahamas's peak fertility rate was 4.87 in 1961.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		2021 Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
98	Georgia	71.7
99	St Kitts & Nevis	71.7
100	Ukraine	71.6
101	Bahamas	71.6
102	Tajikistan	71.6
103	Seychelles	71.3
104	St Lucia	71.1
105	Tonga	71.0
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better₃₁
Pos.		2016 Per Capita₃₁
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
69	Honduras	4.0
70	Jamaica	4.2
71	Sri Lanka	4.3
72=	Bahamas	4.4
72=	Ecuador	4.4
74	Bolivia	4.8
75=	Costa Rica	4.8
75=	Guinea-Bissau	4.8
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₄
Pos.		2022₁₄
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
108	Switzerland	1.39
109	St Lucia	1.39
110	Turkmenistan	2.62
111	Bahamas	1.38
112	Albania	1.38
113	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.35
114	Jamaica	1.34
115	Micronesia	2.67
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking Rates Lower is better₃₀
Pos.		2014₃₀
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
57	Comoros	289
58	Congo, (Brazzaville)	294
59	Bolivia	299
60	Bahamas	301
61	Sierra Leone	310
62	Sri Lanka	322
63	Mexico	329
64	Barbados	333
	The Americas Avg	457
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate₂₈
Pos.		2013 Per 100k₂₈
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
4	Jordan	0.2
5	Maldives	0.7
6	Azerbaijan	1.3
7	S. Africa	1.8
8	Bahamas	2.5
9	Peru	2.9
10	Kuwait	3.6
11	Armenia	3.9
12	Dominican Rep.	4.6
	The Americas Avg	13.57
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better₃₄
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₄
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
152	Trinidad & Tobago	152
153	Mozambique	153
154	Cape Verde	154
155	Bahamas	155
156	Libya	156
157	Papua New Guinea	157
158	Belize	158
159	Algeria	159
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better₃₃
Pos.		1976 %₃₃
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
140=	Belarus	38.2
140=	Croatia	38.2
142	Germany	38.7
143=	Bahamas	38.8
143=	Egypt	38.8
145	Libya	38.9
146	Macedonia	39.2
147	Saudi Arabia	39.4
	The Americas Avg	30.7
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better₃₅
Pos.		2022 %₃₅
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
187	Kiribati	46.2%
188	St Kitts & Nevis	46.6%
189	Marshall Islands	47.3%
190	Bahamas	47.6%
191	French Polynesia	48.4%
192	Samoa	61.2%
193	Tuvalu	63.9%
194	Niue	66.5%
	The Americas Avg	32.0%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better₃₂
Pos.		2022 Per 1000₃₂
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
76	Mauritius	24.0
77	Jordan	24.9
78	Mongolia	25.0
79	Bahamas	25.1
80	Morocco	25.5
81	Fiji	26.1
82	Slovakia	26.6
83	Moldova	27.2
	The Americas Avg	48.1
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better₂₉
Pos.		2015 Avg %₂₉
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
42	Poland	96.5
43	Libya	96.4
44	St Kitts & Nevis	96.3
45	Bahamas	96.2
46	Maldives	96.2
47	Tajikistan	96.1
48	Rwanda	96.1
49	Sao Tome & Principe	96.0
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Bahamas's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#bahamas #biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Americas (2025)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₆
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
	...
26	St Vincent & Grenadines	92.0
27	Trinidad & Tobago	94.5
28=	St Kitts & Nevis	96.9
29	Bahamas	100.9
30	Antigua & Barbuda	103.2
31	St Lucia	103.6
32	USA	103.8
33	Haiti	105.8
34	Suriname	108.5
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₆
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
149	Russia	99.2
150	Myanmar (Burma)	99.9
151	Kuwait	100.5
152	Bahamas	100.9
153	Azerbaijan	101.2
154	Mauritania	101.2
155	Oman	101.8
156	Iraq	102.8
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₃₇. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

" Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

With respect to its responsibility towards the environment, the Bahamas is 152nd in the world. This is derived from 21 data sets. The Bahamas does better than average in terms of its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₃₈. The Bahamas does worse than average for its environmental performance₃₉. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 in terms of reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₀ (amongst the worst in The Americas).

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better₃₈
Pos.		Total₃₈
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
93=	Tonga	0.0%
93=	Barbados	0.0%
93=	Turkmenistan	0.0%
93=	Bahamas	0.0%
93=	San Marino	0.0%
93=	Afghanistan	0.0%
93=	Vatican City	0.0%
93=	Vanuatu	0.0%
	The Americas Avg	-2.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better₃₉
Pos.		2018₃₉
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
95	Kiribati	55.3
96	Bahrain	55.2
97	Nicaragua	55.0
98	Bahamas	55.0
99	Kyrgyzstan	54.9
100	Nigeria	54.8
101	Kazakhstan	54.6
102	Samoa	54.5
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
86	Zambia	61%
87	Indonesia	61%
88	Maldives	61%
89	Bahamas	60%
90	Malawi	60%
91	Monaco	60%
92	Burkina Faso	59%
93	Benin	59%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

The Bahamas are particularly vulnerable to the antics of rich corporatins and countries, and the effects of climate change - it was one of the 31 countries that signed the Basel Convention during its first year, one of the 30 who signed the Convention on Biological Diversity on its first day, and one of the early adopters of the Kyoto Protocol in 1999.

Meat Consumption Lower is better₄₀
Pos.		2021 kg₄₀
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
177	Israel	107.7
178	St Vincent & Grenadines	109.5
179	Australia	110.2
180	Bahamas	111.9
181	Argentina	115.5
182	Mongolia	115.6
183	Nauru	125.9
184	USA	126.8
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

In the 2010s, the Bahamas's meat consumption per person was the 7th-highest in the world, putting unnecessary strain on water supplies and the environment. In that decade, it reduced its consumption significantly.₄₀

7. Bahamas's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #technology #the_internet

Compared to The Americas (2020)₄₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₁
1=	Canada	21.8
2	USA	26.4
3	Argentina	38.2
	...
17	Bolivia	79.5
18=	Antigua & Barbuda	79.6
19	St Vincent & Grenadines	80.0
20	Bahamas	83.5
21	Dominica	84.0
22	St Lucia	86.3
23=	Dominican Rep.	87.1
23=	Panama	87.1
25	Venezuela	89.0
	The Americas Avg	81.34
q=35.

Modernity & Learning (2020)₄₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₁
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
94	Egypt	80.5
95	Libya	82.0
96	Lebanon	82.1
97	Bahamas	83.5
98	Dominica	84.0
99	Philippines	85.1
100	Jordan	86.1
101	St Lucia	86.3
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₄₂. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₄₂. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₄₃.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”
Bill Emmott (2017)₄₄

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄₂, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄₂.

For more, see:

"Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education:

Secondary Education Higher is better₄₅
Pos.		2018₄₅
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
44	Israel	89.1%
45	Sweden	88.9%
46	Mongolia	88.8%
47	Bahamas	88.4%
48	Ireland	88.3%
49	Netherlands	88.3%
50	Cuba	87.4%
51	Poland	85.3%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better₄₆
Pos.		2021 Years₄₆
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
112	Gabon	13.0
113	Vietnam	13.0
114	Togo	13.0
115	Bahamas	12.9
116	Nepal	12.9
117	St Lucia	12.9
118	Libya	12.9
119	Venezuela	12.8
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better₃₄
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₄
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
111	Togo	111
112	Belize	112
113	Algeria	113
114	Bahamas	114
115	Bahrain	115
116	Kazakhstan	116
117	Sri Lanka	117
118	Rwanda	118
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users Higher is better₄₇
Pos.		2016₄₇
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
27	France	86%
28	S. Korea	86%
29	Australia	85%
30	Bahamas	85%
31	Puerto Rico	83%
32=	Singapore	83%
32=	Slovakia	83%
34	Spain	82%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better₄₈
Pos.		2017 Ratio₄₈
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
109=	Qatar	0.0
109=	Kuwait	0.0
109=	Guernsey	0.0
109=	Bahamas	0.0
109=	Antigua & Barbuda	0.0
109=	Venezuela	0.0
109=	Kazakhstan	0.0
109=	New Caledonia	0.0
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

8. Bahamas's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#bahamas #charitability #corruption #culture #equality #health #human_development #inequality #life_expectancy #peace #politics

Compared to The Americas (2020)₄₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₉
1	Canada	23.1
2	Barbados	46.9
3	Costa Rica	47.3
	...
11	Panama	78.4
12	Belize	78.8
13	Dominica	79.6
14	Bahamas	79.7
15	Brazil	83.5
16	Guatemala	84.2
17	St Lucia	84.2
18	Dominican Rep.	84.9
19	Guyana	84.9
	The Americas Avg	79.19
q=33.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020)₄₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₉
1	Denmark	11.2
2	Norway	13.9
3	Netherlands	14.4
	...
80	Panama	78.4
81	Belize	78.8
82	Dominica	79.6
83	Bahamas	79.7
84	Sri Lanka	79.8
85	Senegal	79.9
86	China	80.6
87	Kyrgyzstan	81.7
	World Avg	78.12
q=180.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 22 datasets, including multiple decades of data on World Giving Index, resisting corruption, overall happiness, Creativity and Culture, Open Trading, Aid and Development, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, Inequality in Life Expectancy, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

"Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

National Culture:

The Bahamas has a good long-term record on keeping corruption low, but things have been getting worse over the last ten years.

Corruption Higher is better₅₀
Pos.		2022 Points₅₀
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
27	UAE	67.0
28=	Chile	67.0
29	Barbados	65.0
30	Bahamas	64.0
31=	S. Korea	63.0
31=	Israel	63.0
33	Lithuania	62.0
34=	Portugal	62.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better₃₄
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₄
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
49	Seychelles	49
50	Grenada	50
51	Chile	51
52	Bahamas	52
53	UAE	53
54	Thailand	54
55	Macedonia	55
56	Mauritania	56
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better₃₄
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₄
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
124	Lithuania	124
125	St Lucia	125
126	Chad	126
127	Bahamas	127
128	Liberia	128
129	Sierra Leone	129
130	Kenya	130
131	Kazakhstan	131
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability:

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better₃₄
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₄
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
91	Congo, DR	91
92	Pakistan	92
93	Estonia	93
94	Bahamas	94
95	Mauritania	95
96	Nicaragua	96
97	Peru	97
98	Czechia	98
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better₃₄
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₄
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
145	Chad	145
146	Central African Rep.	146
147	El Salvador	147
148	Bahamas	148
149	Marshall Islands	149
150	Burundi	150
151	Zimbabwe	151
152	Grenada	152
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Economic Inequality and Poverty:

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better₅₁
Pos.		2019₅₁
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
52	Romania	6.30
53	Saudi Arabia	6.40
54	Oman	6.70
55	Bahamas	6.80
56	Sri Lanka	7.00
57=	Costa Rica	7.10
57=	Russia	7.10
59	Albania	7.20
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

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 below₅₂:

Christian	96%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.3%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	3.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Protestant 67.6% (Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%), Roman Catholic 13.5%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census)₅₃.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union produced a report in 2012 entitled "Freedom of Thought" (2012)₅₄, 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 The Bahamas states:

“The constitution and other laws and policies protect religious freedom. The constitution specifically forbids infringement of a person's freedom to choose and change religion and provides for the right to practice the religion or belief of one's choice. However, the constitution also requires the government to respect Christian values. And political and public discourse often invokes the country's strong Christian heritage and Christian values.
The government meets regularly with religious leaders, both publicly and privately, to discuss societal, political, and economic issues. Religion is recognized as an academic subject at government schools and is included in mandatory standardized achievement and certificate tests. The country's Christian heritage has a strong influence on religion classes in government-supported schools, which focus on the study of Christian philosophy, Biblical texts, and, to a lesser extent, comparative and non-Christian religions presented in a Christian context. The constitution allows students, or their guardians in the case of minors, to decline to participate in religious education and observance in schools.”
"Freedom of Thought" by IHEU (2012)₅₅

Links:

A List of All Religions and Belief Systems