Micronesia (Federated States of Micronesia)

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

By Vexen Crabtree 2025

Micronesia Federated States of Micronesia
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	162nd best
Capital	Palikir
Land Area	3 170km²₁
Location	Australasia, Micronesia
Groupings	Small Islands
Population	0.1m₂
Life Expectancy	70.71yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$3 696 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	FM, FSM, 583₅
Internet Domain	.fm₆
Currency	Dollar (USD)₇
Telephone	+691₈

1. Overview

“In 1979 the Federated States of Micronesia, a UN Trust Territory under US administration, adopted a constitution. In 1986, independence was attained under a Compact of Free Association with the US, which was amended and renewed in 2004. Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on US aid.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“The four unique states of Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk and Yap have distinct cultures, traditions and identities as colourful and diverse as the multitudes of coral formations that live in their fringing reefs. Known collectively as the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), these four states are otherwise unrelated, and travellers looking to experience a variety of lifestyles are in luck.
Kosrea is a Pacific paradise and arguably FSM´s most beautiful island. Its people are true believers, and here everything shuts down on Sunday and full focus is given to vibrant all-singing, all-dancing church ceremonies (with a relaxed island twist).
Pohnpei is home to mysterious ancient ruins and a plethora of lush landforms, and retains a system of chiefs and clan titles - a distinct style of governance that still exerts significant social and political influence.
Chuuk is renowned for its wreck diving, and while it is just coming to terms with international tourism, the uncompromising nature of the Chuukese holds firm.
Last, but not least, Yap is a fiercly traditional state retaining a true island spirit. Its people retain their architecture, customs, religions and gigantic stone money - it´s an eternally fascinating place.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Micronesia 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
	...
131	Marshall Islands	0.639
132	India	0.633
133	Ghana	0.632
134	Micronesia	0.628
135	Guatemala	0.627
136	Kiribati	0.624
137	Honduras	0.621
138	Sao Tome & Principe	0.618
	Australasia Avg	0.70
	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
	...
154	Nepal	$3 877
155	Myanmar	$3 851
156	Zimbabwe	$3 810
157	Micronesia	$3 696
158	Cameroon	$3 621
159	Sudan	$3 575
160	Benin	$3 409
161	Senegal	$3 344
	Australasia Avg	$12 519
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂
1	Denmark	27.3
2	Norway	30.5
3	Switzerland	32.2
	...
159	Kiribati	113.7
160	Ivory Coast	114.2
161	Tuvalu	114.3
162	Micronesia	114.6
163	Swaziland	115.0
164	Libya	115.1
165	Sierra Leone	116.3
166	Turkmenistan	116.6
	Australasia Avg	95.6
	World Avg	88.8
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. Micronesia's Demographics and Migration

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

Population Datasets:

Micronesia's population is predicted to rise to 128 767 by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.67. 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
	...
177	Samoa	0.2m
178	St Lucia	0.2m
179	Kiribati	0.1m
180	Micronesia	0.1m
181	Grenada	0.1m
182	St Vincent & Grenadines	0.1m
183	Tonga	0.1m
184	Seychelles	97 096
	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
	...
106	Mongolia	71.0
107	Uzbekistan	70.9
108	El Salvador	70.7
109	Micronesia	70.7
110	Venezuela	70.6
111	Jamaica	70.5
112	Belize	70.5
113	Vanuatu	70.4
	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
	...
112	Albania	1.38
113	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.35
114	Jamaica	1.34
115	Micronesia	2.67
116	Canada	1.33
117	Marshall Islands	2.67
118=	Mauritius	1.32
118=	Finland	1.32
	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
	...
75	Bangladesh	10.6
76=	Nepal	10.8
76=	Bhutan	10.8
76=	Micronesia	10.8
79=	Honduras	11.0
79=	Turkmenistan	11.0
79=	Maldives	11.0
82	Mongolia	11.8
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants₁₆
Pos.		2017 %₁₆
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
108	Cape Verde	2.8%
109	Burundi	2.8%
110	Chile	2.7%
111	Micronesia	2.6%
112	Azerbaijan	2.6%
113	Kiribati	2.6%
114	Samoa	2.5%
115	Zimbabwe	2.4%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants₁₇
Pos.		2010 %₁₇
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
28	Portugal	20.8%
29	Lesotho	20.5%
30	El Salvador	20.5%
31	Micronesia	19.7%
32	Belarus	18.4%
33	Eritrea	18.0%
34	Croatia	17.1%
35	Liechtenstein	17.1%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Micronesia's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

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

Compared to Australasia (2025)₁₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈
1	New Zealand	12.9
2	Australia	16.8
3	Kiribati	70.1
4	Marshall Islands	75.0
5	Tuvalu	76.7
6	Micronesia	78.2
7	Palau	80.7
8	Nauru	82.3
9	Fiji	86.9
10	Samoa	95.7
11	Vanuatu	98.7
12	Tonga	101.3
13	Solomon Islands	108.9
	Australasia Avg	79.23
q=14.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)₁₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈
1	Sweden	5.9
2	Norway	8.0
3	Denmark	8.1
	...
77	Albania	77.0
78	Macedonia	77.3
79	Dominican Rep.	77.6
80	Micronesia	78.2
81	Georgia	78.7
82	St Kitts & Nevis	79.1
83	Northern Cyprus	79.1
84	Colombia	79.2
	World Avg	86.35
q=198.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark₁₉. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are N. Korea, Somalia and Eritrea₁₉.

25 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, combatting 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 The Middle East, Africa and Asia₁₉.

For more, see:

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

Human Rights & Tolerance Datasets:

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
15=	New Zealand	1.0
15=	Netherlands	1.0
15=	Germany	1.0
15=	Micronesia	1.0
15=	Iceland	1.0
15=	Marshall Islands	1.0
15=	Ireland	1.0
15=	Italy	1.0
	Australasia Avg	1.8
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better₂₀
Pos.		2009 Treaties₂₀
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
183=	Tonga	6
183=	Pakistan	6
185=	Tuvalu	5
185=	Micronesia	5
185=	Singapore	5
185=	Nauru	5
189=	Marshall Islands	4
189=	Myanmar	4
	Australasia Avg	8.7
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better₂₁
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty₂₁
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
183	Papua New Guinea	15.23
184	Brunei	15.29
185	Tonga	15.55
186	Micronesia	15.55
187	Somalia	15.71
188	Kiribati	15.80
189	Solomon Islands	15.81
190	Nauru	16.16
	Australasia Avg	14.35
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Gender Equality Datasets:

See:

"Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
172	Zimbabwe	1978
173=	Marshall Islands	1979
173=	Palau	1979
173=	Micronesia	1979
176=	Iraq	1980
176=	Vanuatu	1980
178	Liechtenstein	1984
179=	Djibouti	1986
	Australasia Avg	1962
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Prejudice Datasets:

LGBT Equality Higher is better₂₂
Pos.		2017 Score₂₂
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
87=	Nauru	20
87=	Marshall Islands	20
87=	Guinea-Bissau	20
87=	Micronesia	20
87=	Armenia	20
92	Mozambique	17
93=	Laos	15
93=	Haiti	15
	Australasia Avg	07.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better₂₃
Pos.		2021₂₃
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
16=	St Kitts & Nevis	1.8
16=	Namibia	1.8
16=	Mozambique	1.8
16=	Micronesia	1.8
16=	USA	1.8
16=	Slovenia	1.8
16=	Palau	1.8
16=	Burkina Faso	1.8
	Australasia Avg	2.6
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Micronesia's Health

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

Compared to Australasia (2025)₂₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₄
1	Australia	53.1
2	New Zealand	58.4
3	Fiji	100.6
	...
8	Solomon Islands	120.6
9	Tuvalu	124.3
10	Samoa	125.4
11=	Micronesia	126.0
12	Papua New Guinea	129.9
13	Kiribati	136.8
14	Nauru	141.8
15	Marshall Islands	144.5
16	Cook Islands	153.8
	Australasia Avg	112.00
q=16.

Health (2025)₂₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₄
1	Monaco	12.4
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	San Marino	30.6
	...
159	Zimbabwe	125.1
160	Samoa	125.4
161	Laos	125.9
162=	Micronesia	126.0
162=	Mauritania	126.0
164	Togo	126.2
165	Lesotho	127.0
166	Ethiopia	127.1
	World Avg	96.86
q=204.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and San Marino₂₅. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are Angola, Somalia and S. Sudan₂₅.

36 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, its immunizations take-up and childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far). The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₂₅, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Melanesia₂₅.

For more, see:

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

Health Datasets:

Micronesia is a pretty unhealthy country. Micronesia does better than average in terms of its alcohol consumption rate₂₆. But unfortunately Micronesia gets most other things wrong. It does worse than average in its adolescent birth rate₂₇, its average life expectancy₁₁ (still good for Australasia), its fertility rate₁₄, childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far)₂₈ and in its immunizations take-up₂₉ (one of the lowest in Australasia). And finally, it falls into the worst 20 when it comes to the prevalence of overweight adults₃₀. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the past 40 years. Life expectancy in Micronesia improved by +3.7yrs in the 30 years from 1990, less than the global average of +7.9yrs. Micronesia's peak fertility rate was 6.94 in 1970.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		2021 Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
106	Mongolia	71.0
107	Uzbekistan	70.9
108	El Salvador	70.7
109	Micronesia	70.7
110	Venezuela	70.6
111	Jamaica	70.5
112	Belize	70.5
113	Vanuatu	70.4
	Australasia Avg	70.11
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better₂₆
Pos.		2016 Per Capita₂₆
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
46	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.1
47	Mozambique	2.4
48=	Samoa	2.5
48=	Micronesia	2.5
48=	Guatemala	2.5
51	Congo, DR	2.6
52=	Uzbekistan	2.7
52=	Ghana	2.7
	Australasia Avg	4.3
	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
	...
112	Albania	1.38
113	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.35
114	Jamaica	1.34
115	Micronesia	2.67
116	Canada	1.33
117	Marshall Islands	2.67
118=	Mauritius	1.32
118=	Finland	1.32
	Australasia Avg	2.82
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Overweight Adults Lower is better₃₀
Pos.		1976 %₃₀
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
179	Qatar	49.0
180	Malta	49.6
181	Kiribati	50.0
182=	Micronesia	51.4
182=	Tuvalu	51.4
184	Niue	51.7
185	Kuwait	52.2
186	Tonga	53.2
	Australasia Avg	48.8
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better₃₁
Pos.		2022 %₃₁
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
183	Egypt	43.0%
184	Qatar	43.8%
185	Kuwait	45.4%
186	Micronesia	45.6%
187	Kiribati	46.2%
188	St Kitts & Nevis	46.6%
189	Marshall Islands	47.3%
190	Bahamas	47.6%
	Australasia Avg	49.3%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health Datasets:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better₂₇
Pos.		2022 Per 1000₂₇
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
96	Vietnam	35.0
97	Uruguay	35.2
98	Romania	35.4
99	Micronesia	35.7
100	Costa Rica	35.7
101	St Lucia	36.3
102	St Kitts & Nevis	36.8
103	Trinidad & Tobago	37.7
	Australasia Avg	40.2
	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
	...
160	Lebanon	79.4
161	San Marino	79.3
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
	Australasia Avg	86.4
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Infant Mortality (2020s) Lower is better₂₈
Pos.		Total Per 1000₂₈
1	San Marino	2.11
2	Finland	2.59
3	Luxembourg	2.60
	...
126	Guatemala	29.19
127	Azerbaijan	29.20
128	Iraq	29.99
129	Micronesia	30.24
130	Syria	30.62
131	Tajikistan	31.41
132	Bhutan	32.24
133	Bolivia	33.37
	Australasia Avg	25.09
	World Avg	32.19
q=195.

6. Micronesia's Responsibility Towards The Environment

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

Compared to Australasia (2025)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₂
1	New Zealand	75.8
2	Australia	76.6
3	Fiji	89.1
4	Vanuatu	93.0
5	Tonga	96.1
6	Papua New Guinea	104.5
7	Samoa	107.0
8	Kiribati	111.4
9	Micronesia	114.6
10	Cook Islands	119.6
11	Solomon Islands	121.6
12	Marshall Islands	123.1
13	Palau	124.5
	Australasia Avg	93.28
q=16.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₂
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
173	Kazakhstan	109.8
174	Barbados	110.1
175	Kiribati	111.4
176	Micronesia	114.6
177	Bhutan	115.3
178	Belarus	116.0
179	Uzbekistan	116.1
180	Cook Islands	119.6
	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"₃₃. 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).

Micronesia ranks 176th in the world with regard to its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is computed using 21 data sets. Micronesia does better than average in its forested percent change 2000-2020₃₄. However Micronesia performs less well in most areas. It does worse than average in its environmental performance₃₅ (amongst the lowest in Australasia), reducing annual meat consumption per person₃₆ and in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment.

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better₃₄
Pos.		Total₃₄
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
72	Czechia	1.5%
73	Slovakia	1.3%
74	Portugal	1.0%
75	Micronesia	0.9%
76	Iraq	0.9%
77	Russia	0.7%
78	French Polynesia	0.6%
79	Germany	0.6%
	Australasia Avg	0.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better₃₅
Pos.		2018₃₅
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
119	Tanzania	50.8
120	China	50.7
121	Thailand	49.9
122	Micronesia	49.8
123	Libya	49.8
124	Ghana	49.7
125	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	49.5
126	Senegal	49.5
	Australasia Avg	55.2
	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%
	...
161	Cambodia	47%
162	Kyrgyzstan	46%
163	Libya	46%
164	Micronesia	46%
165	Cape Verde	46%
166	Guinea-Bissau	46%
167	Bosnia & Herzegovina	45%
168	Laos	44%
	Australasia Avg	48.2%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Micronesia is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and was one of the early adopters of the Kyoto Protocol in 1999.

Meat Consumption Lower is better₃₆
Pos.		2021 kg₃₆
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
121	Romania	67.1
122	Malta	67.8
123	Switzerland	68.0
124	Micronesia	70.4
125	Denmark	70.5
126	Seychelles	70.6
127	S. Africa	71.6
128	Kazakhstan	71.8
	Australasia Avg	74.2
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

7. Micronesia's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #technology #the_internet

Compared to Australasia (2020)₃₇
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₇
1	New Zealand	15.2
2	Australia	16.6
3	Palau	47.4
	...
5	Fiji	71.5
6	Samoa	99.8
7	Marshall Islands	111.1
8	Vanuatu	125.6
9	Kiribati	127.3
10	Micronesia	133.6
11	Tuvalu	138.2
12	Solomon Islands	154.5
13	Papua New Guinea	158.4
	Australasia Avg	97.01
q=13.

Modernity & Learning (2020)₃₇
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₇
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
154	Honduras	132.2
155	Ivory Coast	132.4
156	Senegal	132.6
157	Micronesia	133.6
158	Lesotho	133.7
159	Angola	133.8
160	Congo, (Brazzaville)	135.5
161	Burkina Faso	136.5
	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 Denmark₃₈. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₃₈. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₃₉.

“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)₄₀

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 Europe₃₈, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₃₈.

For more, see:

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

Modernity and Education Datasets:

Length of Schooling Higher is better₄₁
Pos.		2021 Years₄₁
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
142	Kiribati	11.8
143	Nauru	11.7
144	Tajikistan	11.7
145	Micronesia	11.5
146	Vanuatu	11.5
147	Cambodia	11.5
148	Lebanon	11.3
149	Rwanda	11.2
	Australasia Avg	13.4
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Technology and Information Datasets:

Internet Users Higher is better₄₂
Pos.		2016₄₂
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
128	Kyrgyzstan	34%
129	Egypt	33%
130	Cuba	32%
131	Micronesia	31%
132	Vanuatu	31%
133	Syria	30%
134	Sri Lanka	29%
135	Samoa	29%
	Australasia Avg	44.3%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better₄₃
Pos.		2017 Ratio₄₃
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
123=	Mongolia	0.0
123=	Samoa	0.0
123=	Albania	0.0
123=	Micronesia	0.0
123=	Algeria	0.0
123=	Djibouti	0.0
123=	Guyana	0.0
123=	Namibia	0.0
	Australasia Avg	1.55
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

8. Micronesia's Culture, Peace and Inequality

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

National Culture Datasets:

Passport Reach (2020s) Higher is better₄₄
Pos.		Total Q₄₄
1	Singapore	192.2
2	Japan	192.0
3	S. Korea	190.7
	...
84	Kiribati	123.5
85	Palau	120.8
86	Moldova	120.7
87	Micronesia	119.7
88	Bosnia & Herzegovina	119.0
89	Russia	117.7
90	Georgia	117.5
91	Albania	117.0
	Australasia Avg	123.4
	World Avg	108.8
q=195.

Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets:

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better₄₅
Pos.		2019₄₅
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
115=	Trinidad & Tobago	14.90
116	Philippines	15.30
117	Iraq	15.90
118	Micronesia	16.10
119	Tajikistan	16.70
120=	Dominican Rep.	17.00
120=	Sao Tome & Principe	17.00
122=	Bhutan	17.10
	Australasia Avg	13.47
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better₄₆
Pos.		2023 %₄₆
1	Slovakia	24.1%₄₇
2	Slovenia	24.3%₄₇
3	Belarus	24.4%₄₈
	...
115	Tuvalu	39.1%₄₉
116	Suriname	39.2%₅₀
117	Morocco	39.5%₅₁
118	Micronesia	40.1%₅₁
119	Jamaica	40.2%₄₇
120	Peru	40.3%₅₀
121	Tanzania	40.5%₅₂
122	Uruguay	40.6%₅₀
	Australasia Avg	34.8%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

Income inequality data is rarely available for Micronesia (country) - only for 2 years between 1980 and 2019.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Pew Forum polling over the decades has found the following adherency rates:₅₃:

	2010	2020
Christian	98.8%	98.8%
Unaffiliated	0.701%	0.685%
Other	0.418%	0.418%
Buddhist	<0.1%	<0.1%
Hindu	<0.1%	<0.1%
Muslim	<0.1%	<0.1%
Jewish	None	None

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 52.7%, Protestant 41.7% (Congregational 40.1%, Baptist 0.9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 0.7%), other 3.8%, none or unspecified 0.8% (2000 Census)₅₄.

Links:

A List of All Religions and Belief Systems