China (People's Republic of China)

China People's Republic of China
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	64th best
Capital	Beijing
Land Area	9 327 490km21
Location	Asia
Population	1.4b2
Life Expectancy	78.21yrs (2017)3
GNI	$17 504 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	CN, CHN, 1565
Internet Domain	.cn6
Currency	Yuan Renminbi (CNY)7
Telephone	+868

1. Overview
2. China National and Social Development
3. China's Demographics and Migration
4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. China's Health
6. China's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. China's Modernity and Learning
8. China's Culture, Peace and Inequality
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

#china

“For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Antique yet up-to-the-minute, outwardly urban but quintessentially rural, conservative yet path-breaking, space-age but old-fashioned, China is a land of mesmerising contradictions.

China is modernising at a head-spinning pace, but slick skyscrapers and Lamborghini showrooms are little more than dazzling baubles. ... After three decades of full-throttle development and socialist iconoclasm, you won´t find history at every turn, but travel selectively in China and rich seams of antiquity pop into view amid tumble-down chunks of the Great Wall, temple-topped mountains, quaint villages and water towns.

Culinary exploration is also an enticing aspect of Middle Kingdom travel: wolf down Peking duck, size up a sizzling lamb kebab in Kaifeng or gobble down Lánzhōu noodles on the Silk Road. And don´t forget about what´s cooking along China´s frontier lands - always an excellent reason to get off the beaten path.

And China is vast. Off-the-scale massive. You simply have to get outside: island-hop in Hong Kong, gaze over the epic grasslands of Inner Mongolia or squint up at the mind-blowing peaks of the Himalayas.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. China 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
	...
76	Iran	0.774
77	Ukraine	0.773
78	Macedonia	0.770
79	China	0.768
80=	Moldova	0.767
80=	Palau	0.767
80=	Dominican Rep.	0.767
83	Cuba	0.764
	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
	...
69	Dominican Rep.	$17 990
70	Mexico	$17 896
71	Nauru	$17 730
72	China	$17 504
73	Thailand	$17 030
74	Antigua & Barbuda	$16 792
75	Botswana	$16 198
76	Macedonia	$15 918
	Asia Avg	$22 215
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	29.7
2	Norway	33.6
3	Switzerland	35.2
	...
61	Trinidad & Tobago	78.3
62	Northern Cyprus	79.1
63	Vietnam	79.7
64	China	79.7
65	Jamaica	79.8
66	Dominica	80.3
67	Philippines	80.5
68	Mexico	80.8
	Asia Avg	92.0
	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. China's Demographics and Migration

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

Population Datasets:

China's population is predicted to fall to 1 393 076 000 by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 1.18. 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
4	Indonesia	267.7m
5	Pakistan	212.2m
6	Brazil	209.5m
7	Nigeria	195.9m
8	Bangladesh	161.4m
9	Russia	145.7m
10	Japan	127.2m
11	Mexico	126.2m
12	Ethiopia	109.2m
	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
	...
39	UAE	78.7
40	Kuwait	78.7
41	Antigua & Barbuda	78.5
42	China	78.2
43	Czechia	77.7
44	Croatia	77.6
45	Barbados	77.6
46	USA	77.2
	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
	...
137	Jordan	2.79
138	Kyrgyzstan	2.80
139	Aruba	1.18
140	China	1.18
141	Algeria	2.83
142	Spain	1.16
143	Malta	1.15
144	Egypt	2.88
	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
	...
127	Israel	22.9
128	Sri Lanka	23.7
129	Moldova	24.7
130	China	25.3
131	Mauritius	25.9
132	Uruguay	26.8
133	Cyprus	26.9
134	Chile	27.0
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
188	N. Korea	0.2%
189	Sri Lanka	0.2%
190	Myanmar (Burma)	0.1%
191	Madagascar	0.1%
192	Indonesia	0.1%
193	Cuba	0.1%
194	Vietnam	0.1%
195	China	0.1%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
185	Qatar	0.7%
186	Nigeria	0.6%
187	Maldives	0.6%
188	China	0.6%
189	Japan	0.6%
190	Oman	0.5%
191	Madagascar	0.4%
192	Montenegro	0.0%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#antisemitism #australia #china #china_antisemitism #equality #freedom #gender_equality #germany #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #russia #syria #tolerance #USA

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
128	Tajikistan	106.4
129	Kenya	106.8
130	Morocco	107.0
131	China	107.2
132	Mozambique	107.6
133	Indonesia	107.7
	Asia Avg	103.00
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

The concept of Human Rights has not been accepted by the Chinese government. Although outright draconian abuse only exists in terms of censorship and political limitations, there are many areas where human rights are more generically denied. Since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012, a "broad and sustained offensive on human rights" has ensued, according to Human Rights Watch's 2017 report₁₉. Forced confessions and televised sham trials were used to harass and silence human rights supporters and "the government also tried to eliminate the country's few independent human rights news websites by jailing their founders"₁₉. The government remains "hostile to women's rights activism" even though "women and girls in China continue to confront sexual abuse and harassment, employment discrimination, and domestic violence"₂₀. China's censorship of Internet access is already one of the most draconian worldwide and these controls were made even stronger in 2017₁₉.

China does worse than average when it comes to commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₁, LGBT equality₂₂, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₃, its average Freedom in the World rating and in freethought₂₄. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 in supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₅ and in supporting press freedom₂₆ (one of the worst in Asia).

"Foreign governments did little in 2017 to push back against China's worsening rights record at home and abroad"₁₉. China and Russia both worked together to prevent and delay investigations of widespread human rights abuses in Syria by the International Criminal Court₂₇. Australia and Germany both applied some pressure, and although the USA followed suit, their efforts were undermined by their own President Trump's applause of President Xi.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in China

5. China's Health

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

Compared to Asia (2025)28
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank28
1	Japan	41.9
2	Hong Kong	47.0
3	Singapore	49.2
4	S. Korea	50.4
5	N. Korea	52.0
6=	Sri Lanka	53.0
7	China	57.9
8	Malaysia	63.7
9	Vietnam	65.3
10	Brunei	66.9
11	Thailand	69.3
12	Israel	78.0
13	Cyprus	78.2
	Asia Avg	80.90
q=50.

Health (2025)28
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank28
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
20	France	56.9
21	Sweden	57.0
22	New Caledonia	57.9
23	China	57.9
24	Channel Islands	58.4
25	Belgium	62.8
26	Australia	62.9
27	Luxembourg	63.4
	World Avg	96.49
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 Man₂₉. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, The Cook Islands and S. Sudan₂₉.

27 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 Mediterranean₂₉, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Melanesia and Australasia₂₉.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Health Datasets:

China does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. China does the best in its immunizations take-up₃₀. It does better than average in the prevalence of overweight adults₃₁, its average life expectancy₁₁, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₂ and in its adolescent birth rate₃₃. But, there's bad news too. China does worse than average for its smoking rate₃₄, its alcohol consumption rate₃₅ and in its fertility rate₁₄. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the last 40 years. Life expectancy in China improved by +10yrs in the 30 years from 1990, better than the global average of +7.9yrs. China is amongst only 41 countries who have seen their fertility rate drop by more than 4 since the 1960s. Its peak fertility rate was 7.51 in 1963; this long preceded the 1-child-rule period.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
39	UAE	78.7
40	Kuwait	78.7
41	Antigua & Barbuda	78.5
42	China	78.2
43	Czechia	77.7
44	Croatia	77.6
45	Barbados	77.6
46	USA	77.2
	Asia Avg	73.48
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better35
Pos.		2016 Per Capita35
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
104	Dominican Rep.	6.9
105=	Antigua & Barbuda	7.0
105=	Niue	7.0
107	China	7.2
108=	Paraguay	7.2
109	Mongolia	7.4
110=	Albania	7.5
110=	Burundi	7.5
	Asia Avg	3.9
	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
	...
137	Jordan	2.79
138	Kyrgyzstan	2.80
139	Aruba	1.18
140	China	1.18
141	Algeria	2.83
142	Spain	1.16
143	Malta	1.15
144	Egypt	2.88
	Asia Avg	2.17
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better34
Pos.		Total %34
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
105	Sweden	22.7%
106	Afghanistan	22.7%
107	Luxembourg	23.0%
108	China	23.4%
109	Poland	23.6%
110	Argentina	23.8%
111	India	24.4%
112	USA	24.4%
	Asia Avg	22.8%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better32
Pos.		2017 Rank32
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
45	Mexico	45
46	Malaysia	46
47	Czechia	47
48	China	48
49	Singapore	49
50	Ecuador	50
51	Israel	51
52	Slovakia	52
	Asia Avg	64.4
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better31
Pos.		1976 %31
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
38	Benin	9.8
39	Togo	10.0
40	Cape Verde	10.1
41	China	10.2
42	Central African Rep.	10.3
43	Sierra Leone	10.4
44	Equatorial Guinea	10.5
45	Comoros	10.8
	Asia Avg	23.1
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better36
Pos.		2022 %36
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
23	Laos	7.8%
24	Congo, (Brazzaville)	8.0%
25	S. Sudan	8.0%
26	China	8.2%
27	Guinea	8.3%
28	Senegal	8.7%
29	Philippines	8.7%
30	Mozambique	8.8%
	Asia Avg	21.1%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health Datasets:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better33
Pos.		2022 Per 100033
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
48	Montenegro	9.7
49	UK	10.0
50	Latvia	10.5
51	China	11.1
52	Belarus	11.2
53	Malta	11.5
54	Algeria	11.6
55	Saudi Arabia	11.6
	Asia Avg	25.9
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better30
Pos.		2015 Avg %30
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	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. China's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #china #climate_change #deforestation #energy #environmentalism #food #internationalism #japan #meat #over-exploitation #pakistan #sustainability #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to Asia (2025)37
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank37
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Nepal	47.9
3	India	49.5
	...
14	Yemen	71.9
15	Pakistan	72.0
16	Turkey	75.0
17	China	75.2
18	Afghanistan	75.7
19	Syria	77.4
20	Iran	79.0
21	UAE	81.8
22	Singapore	83.3
	Asia Avg	86.44
q=51.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)37
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank37
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
70	Chad	74.4
71	UK	74.4
72	Turkey	75.0
73	China	75.2
74	Belgium	75.3
75	Cape Verde	75.6
76	Afghanistan	75.7
77	New Zealand	75.8
	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"₃₈. 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).

China comes 73rd in the world in terms of its responsibility towards the environment. This is computed from 21 data sets. China comes in the best 20 in its forested percent change 2000-2020₃₉. It does better than average in terms of its score on the Green Future Index₄₀ (one of the highest in Asia) and in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. But, things still need to improve in China. China does worse than average in terms of reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₁, reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₁, its environmental performance₄₂ and in energy to GDP efficiency₄₃. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₄ (amongst the lowest in Asia).

Environmental Performance Higher is better42
Pos.		201842
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
117	Zambia	51.0
118	Grenada	50.9
119	Tanzania	50.8
120	China	50.7
121	Thailand	49.9
122	Micronesia	49.8
123	Libya	49.8
124	Ghana	49.7
	Asia Avg	54.5
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better43
Pos.		2022 Avg43
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
133	S. Korea	1.67
134	Tajikistan	1.67
135	Mongolia	1.68
136	China	1.68
137	UAE	1.73
138	Zimbabwe	1.74
139	Saudi Arabia	1.76
140	Serbia	1.79
	Asia Avg	1.50
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
61	Congo, DR	65%
62	Sri Lanka	65%
63	Madagascar	65%
64	China	64%
65	Malaysia	64%
66	Botswana	64%
67	El Salvador	64%
68	Iran	64%
	Asia Avg	55.4%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

China was one of the 19 countries that signed the Basel Convention on its very first day, and one of the 30 who signed the Convention on Biological Diversity on its first day.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better44
Pos.		2011 %44
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
134	Tunisia	19.3%
135	Czechia	16.0%
136	Estonia	15.9%
137	China	15.1%
138	Denmark	14.9%
139	Libya	14.6%
140	Iceland	13.1%
141	Uzbekistan	11.3%
	Asia Avg	37.9%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better41
Pos.		2021 kg41
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
108	Bulgaria	61.8
109	Moldova	61.9
110	Costa Rica	62.2
111	China	63.6
112	Uruguay	62.8
113	Jamaica	63.4
114	Slovakia	63.5
115	China	63.6
	Asia Avg	46.7
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

Green Future Index Higher is better40
Pos.		2023 Score40
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
	...
24	Costa Rica	5.3
25	S. Africa	5.2
26	Uruguay	5.1
27	China	5.1
28	Japan	5.1
29	Hungary	5.1
30	Chile	5.1
31	Czechia	5.0
	Asia Avg	4.3
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

The 2023 edition of the Green Futures Index found that China's nuclear energy production growth has recently been higher than any of the other countries it reviewed (except Japan and Pakistan), helping its transition towards sustainability.₄₅

7. China's Modernity and Learning

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

Compared to Asia (2020)46
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank46
1	S. Korea	22.2
2	Japan	24.7
3	Israel	29.5
	...
12	UAE	64.3
13	Georgia	65.6
14	Bahrain	66.2
15	China	71.4
16	Kuwait	74.7
17	Qatar	74.8
18	Thailand	75.0
19	Uzbekistan	76.5
20	Vietnam	76.9
	Asia Avg	78.26
q=49.

Modernity & Learning (2020)46
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank46
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
67	Moldova	68.9
68	Costa Rica	69.8
69	Tunisia	70.8
70	China	71.4
71	Fiji	71.5
72	Cuba	72.8
73	Trinidad & Tobago	74.5
74	Kuwait	74.7
	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 Denmark₄₇. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₄₇. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₄₈.

“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)₄₉

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 Europe₄₇, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄₇.

For more, see:

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

Modernity and Education Datasets:

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.2950
2	Israel	4.1150
3	Japan	3.5850
	...
119=	Honduras	0.0451
119=	Guatemala	0.0452
119=	Bahrain	0.0453
119=	Colombia	0.0453
123	Iraq	0.0354
124=	El Salvador	0.0352
124=	China	0.0353
126	Lesotho	0.0154
	Asia Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education Higher is better55
Pos.		201855
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
61	Italy	79.6%
62	Hong Kong	79.4%
63	Chile	79.3%
64	China	78.6%
65	Belize	78.6%
66	Malta	78.2%
67	Fiji	76.9%
68	S. Africa	76.5%
	Asia Avg	66.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better56
Pos.		2021 Years56
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
78	Moldova	14.4
79	Serbia	14.4
80	Luxembourg	14.4
81	China	14.2
82	Romania	14.2
83	Antigua & Barbuda	14.2
84	Morocco	14.2
85	Sri Lanka	14.1
	Asia Avg	13.5
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better32
Pos.		2017 Rank32
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
67	India	67
68	Lebanon	68
69	Senegal	69
70	China	70
71	Burundi	71
72	Tunisia	72
73	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	73
74	Chile	74
	Asia Avg	97.1
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading Higher is better57
Pos.		2015 Score57
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
	...
7=	Canada	1571
8	Finland	1568
9	S. Korea	1557
10	China	154358
11=	Ireland	1528
11=	Slovenia	1528
13	Germany	1524
14=	Netherlands	1524
	Asia Avg	1398
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity Lower is better59
Pos.		2018 %59
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
4=	Switzerland	9
4=	Denmark	9
6	Germany	10
7=	UK	10
7=	Sweden	10
7=	Japan	10
7=	Finland	10
11	Latvia	11
12=	France	11
	Asia Avg	55.8
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ Higher is better60
Pos.		200660
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
4=	Japan	105
4=	Taiwan	105
4=	China	105
7	Italy	102
8=	Iceland	101
8=	Switzerland	101
8=	Mongolia	101
11	Netherlands	100
12=	Norway	100
	Asia Avg	90.4
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information Datasets:

Internet Users Higher is better61
Pos.		201661
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
91=	Serbia	54%
92	Maldives	54%
93	Georgia	53%
94	China	52%
95=	Vietnam	52%
95=	S. Africa	52%
97	Dominican Rep.	52%
98	Uzbekistan	51%
	Asia Avg	48.7%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

Freedom On The Internet Lower is better62
Pos.		201262
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
	...
40	Vietnam	73
41=	Ethiopia	75
41=	Myanmar (Burma)	75
43	Uzbekistan	77
44	Syria	83
45	China	85
46	Cuba	86
47	Iran	90
	Asia Avg	56.6
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

IT Security Lower is better63
Pos.		201363
1=	Ireland	0.11
1=	Luxembourg	0.11
1=	Belize	0.11
	...
69	Rwanda	1.50
70	Tanzania	1.50
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

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better64
Pos.		2017 Ratio64
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
56	Egypt	0.4
57	Mexico	0.4
58	Bhutan	0.4
59	China	0.3
60	Iceland	0.3
61	Turkey	0.3
62=	Uruguay	0.3
62=	Moldova	0.3
	Asia Avg	2.11
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Digital Quality of Life Higher is better65
Pos.		202465
1	Germany	77.9%
2	Finland	76.9%
3	France	73.9%
	...
42	Argentina	56.2%
43	UAE	55.8%
44	Chile	55.0%
45	China	54.8%
46	Uruguay	54.8%
47	Ukraine	54.4%
48	Serbia	53.5%
49	Turkey	52.2%
	Asia Avg	46.4%
	World Avg	48.4%
q=121.

8. China's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#capitalism #charitability #charity #china #corruption #culture #economics #equality #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #indonesia #inequality #life_expectancy #morals #peace #politics #poverty #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism

Compared to Asia (2020)66
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank66
1	Singapore	20.2
2	Taiwan	37.2
3	Hong Kong	40.5
	...
21	Vietnam	76.6
22	Philippines	76.8
23	Sri Lanka	79.8
24	China	80.6
25	Kyrgyzstan	81.7
26	Armenia	82.2
27	Bahrain	82.3
28	Uzbekistan	82.9
29	Nepal	83.4
	Asia Avg	79.59
q=49.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020)66
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank66
1	Denmark	11.2
2	Norway	13.9
3	Netherlands	14.4
	...
83	Bahamas	79.7
84	Sri Lanka	79.8
85	Senegal	79.9
86	China	80.6
87	Kyrgyzstan	81.7
88	Armenia	82.2
89	Bahrain	82.3
90	Uzbekistan	82.9
	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 Datasets:

World Giving Index Higher is better67
Pos.		2022 %67
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
50=	Ghana	43.0
51	Sweden	42.0
52=	Colombia	42.0
52=	China	42.0
52=	Ecuador	42.0
55	Bulgaria	41.0
56=	Slovakia	41.0
56=	Germany	41.0
	Asia Avg	37.9
	World Avg	39.6
q=125.

Corruption Higher is better68
Pos.		2022 Points68
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
62	Malaysia	47.0
63	Armenia	46.0
64=	Romania	46.0
65	China	45.0
66=	Sao Tome & Principe	45.0
66=	Montenegro	45.0
66=	Cuba	45.0
69	Jamaica	44.0
	Asia Avg	39.98
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

When the Corruption Perception Index was launched in 1995, China had the 2nd-worst score of the 50-or-so countries for which they gathered data, after Indonesia. And in 2015, a poll "found 84% thought corrupt officials were a big problem, and 44% think a 'very big problem' - no issue tested higher"₆₉. Despite that, in the 2022 Corruption Perception Index, China came 65th-best in the world; which although not a newsworthy accomplishment, is hovering at the entrance to the top-third of countries in the world. Many observers such as Transparency International think that the true scale of the problem is higher₆₉, but being hidden by the inability of civilians to observe the government.

Happiness Higher is better70
Pos.		2024 Score70
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
65	Peru	5.9
66	Russia	5.9
67	Cyprus	5.9
68	China	5.9
69	Hungary	5.9
70	Trinidad & Tobago	5.9
71	Montenegro	5.9
72=	Croatia	5.9
	Asia Avg	5.41
	World Avg	5.58
q=147.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better32
Pos.		2017 Rank32
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
108	Lesotho	108
109	Georgia	109
110	Kuwait	110
111	China	111
112	Swaziland	112
113	Argentina	113
114	Qatar	114
115	Afghanistan	115
	Asia Avg	99.0
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better32
Pos.		2017 Rank32
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
110	Ecuador	110
111	Malawi	111
112	Laos	112
113	China	113
114	S. Africa	114
115	Cape Verde	115
116	Russia	116
117	Angola	117
	Asia Avg	86.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability Datasets:

Global Peace Index Lower is better71
Pos.		2023 Score71
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
77	Jamaica	1.99
78	Bolivia	2.00
79	Nepal	2.01
80	China	2.01
81	Tunisia	2.01
82	Equatorial Guinea	2.01
83	Dominican Rep.	2.02
84=	Morocco	2.02
	Asia Avg	2.17
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better32
Pos.		2017 Rank32
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
37	Germany	37
38	Togo	38
39	Argentina	39
40	China	40
41	Canada	41
42	Azerbaijan	42
43	Senegal	43
44	Switzerland	44
	Asia Avg	76.0
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better32
Pos.		2017 Rank32
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
106	Namibia	106
107	Tunisia	107
108	Cape Verde	108
109	China	109
110	Kazakhstan	110
111	Jordan	111
112	Libya	112
113	Belize	113
	Asia Avg	92.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better72
Pos.		2019 Score72
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
106	Greece	4.17
107	Germany	4.25
108	Lebanon	4.40
109	China	4.47
110	S. Africa	4.51
111	Israel	4.53
112	Iran	4.72
113	Chad	4.76
	Asia Avg	3.60
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets:

Some observers such as Transparency International are worried about inequality in China, citing the vastly different fortunes of those in government favour to the rest of society. Their concerns aren't matched by the large-scale statistics; TI's own Corruption Perception Index in 2022 placed China just inside the top third of the world. But the numbers never tell the full story, and China's huge population can easily mask problems. Here's what TI say:

“China [...] has suffered some of the highest levels of both income and wealth inequality in the world over the last decade. The country is polarised, with 200 of the wealthiest individuals now sharing over a quarter of the country's wealth - the majority of which have succeeded as a result of an economic system that favour[s] relationships and patronage with the ruling elite. A 2015 national survey by the Pew Research Centre found 84% thought corrupt officials were a big problem, and 44% think a 'very big problem' - no issue tested higher.”

"The Fifth Column: Understanding the relationship between corruption and conflict"
Transparency International (2017)₆₉

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better73
Pos.		201973
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
65	Uruguay	7.90
66=	Thailand	7.90
66=	Georgia	7.90
66=	China	7.90
69	Argentina	8.60
70=	Barbados	8.70
70=	Armenia	8.70
72	Tunisia	9.00
	Asia Avg	11.80
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better74
Pos.		2023 %74
1	Slovakia	24.1%75
2	Slovenia	24.3%75
3	Belarus	24.4%76
	...
87=	Liberia	35.3%77
87=	Ivory Coast	35.3%75
89	Marshall Islands	35.5%78
90=	China	35.7%75
90=	Sierra Leone	35.7%79
90=	Mali	35.7%75
93	Vietnam	36.1%80
94=	Indonesia	36.1%81
	Asia Avg	33.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better82
Pos.		2018 Severity82
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
21	Macedonia	.010
22	Guyana	.014
23	Dominican Rep.	.015
24	China	.016
25	Brazil	.01683
26	Belize	.017
27	Ecuador	.018
28	Jamaica	.018
	Asia Avg	.084
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #china #confucianism #eastern_religion #religion_in_china #taoism

Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Chinese folk religion are the four main forms of religion in China; their beliefs and practices have intermingled and interchanged over thousands of years, and most local communities combine parts of all of them_{84,85,86,87,88}. China's earliest dynasties continued folk practices that have existed since pre-history, with religious leaders being shamans and guides speaking on behalf of the spirit world₈₉ and a multitude of local gods and practices, and some of those ancient practices persist today in rural areas. Despite liberalisation over the past several decades, large numbers of Chinese - two thirds - do not consider themselves religious at all₉₀ and most new religious movements are suppressed_91,92.

For more, see:

• "Religion in China" by Vexen Crabtree (2022).