The United States of America

USA United States of America
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	27th best
Capital	Washington
Land Area	9 147 420km21
Location	North America, The Americas
Population	327.1m2
Life Expectancy	77.20yrs (2017)3
GNI	$64 765 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	US, USA, 8405
Internet Domain	.us6
Currency	Dollar (USD)7
Telephone	+18

1. Introduction
2. USA National and Social Development
3. USA's Demographics and Migration
4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. USA's Health
6. USA's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. USA's Modernity and Learning
8. National Culture
9. Peace Versus Instability
10. Economic Inequality and Poverty
11. Religion and Beliefs
12. USA Topics
13. Links

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1. Introduction

“The great American experience is about so many things: bluegrass and beaches, snow-covered peaks and redwood forests, restaurant-loving cities and big open skies. America is the birthplace of LA, Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, Boston and New York City -each a brimming metropolis whose name alone conjures a million different notions of culture, cuisine and entertainment. Look more closely, and the American quilt unfurls in all its surprising variety: the eclectic music scene of Austin, the easygoing charms of antebellum Savannah, the ecoconsciousness of free-spirited Portland, the magnificent waterfront of San Francisco, and the captivating old quarters of New Orleans, still rising up from its waterlogged ashes.

This is a country of road trips and great open skies, where four million miles of highways lead past red-rock deserts, below towering mountain peaks, and across fertile wheat fields that roll off toward the horizon. The sun-bleached hillsides of the Great Plains, the lush rainforests of the Pacific Northwest and the scenic country lanes of New England are a few fine starting points for the great American road trip.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₉

2. USA National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)10
Pos.		Higher is better Value10
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
18	UK	0.929
19=	Japan	0.925
19=	S. Korea	0.925
21	USA	0.921
22	Israel	0.919
23=	Malta	0.918
23=	Slovenia	0.918
25	Austria	0.916
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)10
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $10
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
4	Luxembourg	$84 649
5	Ireland	$76 169
6	Switzerland	$66 933
7	USA	$64 765
8	Norway	$64 660
9	Brunei	$64 490
10	Hong Kong	$62 607
11	UAE	$62 574
12	Denmark	$60 365
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index11
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank11
1	Denmark	27.4
2	Norway	27.6
3	Sweden	30.4
	...
24	Czechia	49.3
25	Malta	50.7
26	Portugal	50.8
27	USA	51.3
28	Uruguay	52.0
29	Monaco	52.2
30	Hungary	53.6
31	S. Korea	53.7
	The Americas Avg	81.5
	World Avg	89.7
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: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. USA's Demographics and Migration

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

Population:

The USA's population is predicted to rise to 361.68 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.67. 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 8.86.₁₂

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 better10
Pos.		2021 Years10
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
43	Czechia	77.7
44	Croatia	77.6
45	Barbados	77.6
46	USA	77.2
47	Estonia	77.1
48	Costa Rica	77.0
49	Saudi Arabia	76.9
50	Albania	76.5
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best13
Pos.		202213
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
48=	Suriname	2.32
48=	Cambodia	2.32
50	Azerbaijan	1.67
51	USA	1.67
52	Honduras	2.34
53	New Zealand	1.66
54	S. Africa	2.34
55	Turks & Caicos Islands	1.66
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better14
Pos.		2016 Per 10014
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
150	Serbia	32.7
151	Hungary	32.9
152	Romania	33.6
153	USA	33.8
154	New Zealand	34.9
155	UK	35.0
156	Barbados	35.6
157	Lithuania	36.0
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

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

Migration:

Immigrants15
Pos.		2017 %15
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
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%
37	Estonia	14.7%
38	Gabon	13.8%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants16
Pos.		2010 %16
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
176	Solomon Islands	1.0%
177	India	0.9%
178	Papua New Guinea	0.9%
179	USA	0.8%
180	Namibia	0.7%
181	Ethiopia	0.7%
182	Tanzania	0.7%
183	Brazil	0.7%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#antisemitism #egypt #equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance #usa #usa_antisemitism

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)17
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank17
1	Sweden	8.5
2	Denmark	13.5
3	Norway	13.5
	...
35	Malta	46.6
36	Bulgaria	46.8
37	Hong Kong	46.8
38	USA	47.6
39	Latvia	51.7
40	Lithuania	52.2
	The Americas Avg	71.8
	World Avg	87.8
q=200.

The USA performs very well in ensuring human rights and freedom compared to most other countries. The USA comes in the best 20 in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₁₈ (amongst the lowest in The Americas), the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₁₉ (amongst the best in The Americas), eliminating modern slavery₂₀ and in freethought₂₁ (one of the best in The Americas). It does better than average when it comes to supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₂ (amongst the best in The Americas), commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₃ (amongst the best in The Americas), supporting press freedom₂₄, LGBT equality₂₅, opposing gender inequality₂₆ (amongst the best in The Americas) and in its average Freedom in the World rating. But, things could still be better. The USA does worse than average in terms of its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₇ (one of the worst in The Americas). The country is deeply divided; 1% of the population draws 20% of the country's entire income₂₈. Trump-era politics has driven back human rights concerns, and is ushering in an era of intolerance and inequality, especially for LGBT folk, the poor, women and other minorities₂₉ and has been vocally supportive of authoritarian strong-man regimes that also have poor human rights records. Despite Trump, on some occasions, the USA still manages to encourage human rights, most notably in cutting $100 million and holding back another $195 million of its aid to Egypt, citing human rights violations₃₀ and 'threatening targeted sanctions against the Burmese military officials behind the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya minority'₂₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in USA

5. USA's Health

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

Compared to The Americas (2020)31
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank31
1	St Martin	67.5
2	Antigua & Barbuda	74.9
3	Grenada	77.3
	...
9=	Peru	87.0
10	Barbados	87.8
11=	Trinidad & Tobago	89.6
12	USA	89.9
13	St Kitts & Nevis	90.8
14=	Panama	90.9
15	Canada	92.6
16	Honduras	92.8
17	St Vincent & Grenadines	92.9
	The Americas Avg	92.7
q=36.

Health (2020)31
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank31
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Maldives	41.7
3	Sri Lanka	43.1
	...
77=	Macedonia	89.6
77=	Trinidad & Tobago	89.6
79	Hungary	89.9
80=	USA	89.9
81	Croatia	90.3
82	St Kitts & Nevis	90.8
83=	Seychelles	90.9
83=	Panama	90.9
	World Avg	95.1
q=198.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, The Maldives and Sri Lanka₃₂. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, The Marshall Islands and Nigeria₃₂.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and The Mediterranean₃₂, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Australasia₃₂.

For more, see:

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

Health:

The USA does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. The USA comes in the best 20 in terms of its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₃ (one of the lowest in The Americas). It does better than average in its average life expectancy₁₀ (although the USA is unique for a modern country, in that this is now declining₃₄), its fertility rate₁₃ and in its adolescent birth rate₂₆ (one of the best in The Americas). But, things could still be better. The USA does worse than average for its suicide rate₃₅, its immunizations take-up₃₆, its smoking rate₃₇ and in its alcohol consumption rate₃₈ (amongst the highest in The Americas). The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years. Life expectancy in the USA improved by +3.8yrs in the 30 years from 1990, less than the global average of +7.9yrs. The USA's peak fertility rate was 3.65 in 1960.

Poor Health Culture and Social Care in the USA led to improvements in life expectancy ceasing in 2010, and it is now alone in the rich world for having a declining rate.

Life Expectancy Higher is better10
Pos.		2021 Years10
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
43	Czechia	77.7
44	Croatia	77.6
45	Barbados	77.6
46	USA	77.2
47	Estonia	77.1
48	Costa Rica	77.0
49	Saudi Arabia	76.9
50	Albania	76.5
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better38
Pos.		2016 Per Capita38
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
145=	Argentina	9.8
145=	Georgia	9.8
145=	Namibia	9.8
145=	USA	9.8
149	St Lucia	9.9
150=	Swaziland	9.9
151	Spain	10.0
152	S. Korea	10.2
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best13
Pos.		202213
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
48=	Suriname	2.32
48=	Cambodia	2.32
50	Azerbaijan	1.67
51	USA	1.67
52	Honduras	2.34
53	New Zealand	1.66
54	S. Africa	2.34
55	Turks & Caicos Islands	1.66
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking Rates Lower is better37
Pos.		201437
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
122	Brunei	1 023
123	Algeria	1 024
124	Latvia	1 041
125	USA	1 083
126	Finland	1 083
127	Portugal	1 113
128	Moldova	1 114
129	Lithuania	1 124
	The Americas Avg	457
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate35
Pos.		2013 Per 100k35
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
50	Singapore	20.6
51	India	20.8
52	Trinidad & Tobago	21.7
53	USA	22.2
54	Chile	22.4
55	Canada	22.7
56	Iceland	23.5
57	New Zealand	23.6
	The Americas Avg	13.57
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
7	Germany	7
8	Canada	8
9	Netherlands	9
10	USA	10
11	Luxembourg	11
12	Finland	12
13	Australia	13
14	UAE	14
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better39
Pos.		2016 %39
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
174=	Libya	66.8
175	UAE	67.8
176=	Lebanon	67.9
176=	USA	67.9
178	Jordan	69.6
179	Saudi Arabia	69.7
180	Qatar	71.7
181	Kuwait	73.4
	The Americas Avg	57.4
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better26
Pos.		2015 Per 100026
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
65	Djibouti	21.5
66	Albania	21.7
67=	Moldova	22.6
67=	USA	22.6
69	Armenia	23.0
70	Jordan	23.2
71	Russia	23.4
72	New Zealand	23.6
	The Americas Avg	56.6
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better36
Pos.		2015 Avg %36
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
95	Georgia	93.1
96	New Zealand	92.9
97	Nauru	92.9
98	USA	92.8
99	Latvia	92.8
100	Romania	92.7
101	France	92.6
102=	El Salvador	92.4
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. USA's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#australia #biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #energy #food #hong_kong #meat #over-exploitation #sustainability #the_environment #USA #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Americas (2023)40
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank40
1	Uruguay	48.0
2	Peru	48.2
3	Costa Rica	49.6
	...
27	Bahamas	93.0
28	Barbados	97.0
29	Jamaica	99.7
30=	Guyana	108.0
31	USA	111.0
32	Grenada	111.3
33	Suriname	115.3
34	St Vincent & Grenadines	121.0
35	Haiti	131.0
	The Americas Avg	80.1
q=35.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2023)40
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank40
1	Japan	33.2
2	Philippines	45.0
3	Uruguay	48.0
	...
158	Lesotho	109.7
159	Sao Tome & Principe	110.3
160	Turkmenistan	110.8
161	USA	111.0
162	Grenada	111.3
163	Congo, (Brazzaville)	111.8
164	Croatia	112.0
165	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	114.3
	World Avg	85.7
q=188.

The USA is positioned 161st in the world in terms of its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is calculated from 7 data sets. The USA comes in the best 20 for its score on the Green Future Index₄₁ (one of the best in The Americas). It does better than average for its environmental performance₄₂ (one of the highest in The Americas) and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₃. But, things still need to improve in The USA. The USA does worse than average in energy to GDP efficiency₄₄ (one of the lowest in The Americas). It falls into the worst-performing 20 when it comes to the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₅ (amongst the lowest in The Americas) and in how quickly it ratified the 1993 Convention on Biological Diversity. And finally, it is second-from-the-bottom in reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₆.

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better43
Pos.		Total43
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
65	Albania	2.5%
66	Luxembourg	2.3%
67	Georgia	2.2%
68	USA	2.1%
69	Ukraine	1.9%
70	Australia	1.7%
71	Austria	1.6%
72	Czechia	1.5%
	The Americas Avg	-2.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better42
Pos.		201842
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
24	Cyprus	72.6
25	Canada	72.2
26	Portugal	71.9
27	USA	71.2
28	Slovakia	70.6
29	Lithuania	69.3
30=	Bulgaria	67.9
30=	Costa Rica	67.9
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Higher is better44
Pos.		201444
1	Hong Kong	26.32
2	Sri Lanka	20.00
3	Panama	17.86
	...
74	Armenia	07.69
75	New Zealand	07.63
76=	Kuwait	07.58
76=	USA	07.58
78	Czechia	07.46
79=	Tajikistan	07.46
80	Thailand	07.41
81	Cambodia	07.35
	The Americas Avg	10.78
	World Avg	09.29
q=119.

Convention on Biological Diversity Earlier is better
Pos.		Total Signed
1=	China	1993 Dec 29
1=	Guinea	1993 Dec 29
1=	Cook Islands	1993 Dec 29
	...
190	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2007 Jan 08
191	Brunei	2008 Jul 27
192	Iraq	2009 Oct 26
193	Somalia	2009 Dec 10
194	Palestine	2015 Apr 02
195	Andorra	2015 May 05
196	USA
197	Vatican City
	The Americas Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better45
Pos.		2011 %45
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
127	UAE	20.8%
128	Norway	20.5%
129	Botswana	20.4%
130	USA	19.7%
131	Kuwait	19.6%
132	Zimbabwe	19.6%
133	Latvia	19.5%
134	Tunisia	19.3%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better46
Pos.		2021 kg46
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
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
185	Hong Kong	146.9
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

In the 2010s, USA's meat consumption per person was the 3rd-highest in the world, after Hong Kong and Australia, putting unnecessary strain on water supplies and the environment.₄₆

Green Future Index Higher is better41
Pos.		2023 Score41
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
	...
16	Luxembourg	5.6
17	Greece	5.6
18	Portugal	5.5
19	USA	5.4
20=	Switzerland	5.4
20=	Poland	5.4
22	Austria	5.4
23	Bulgaria	5.3
	The Americas Avg	4.6
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

The 2023 edition of the Green Futures Index found that the USA is doing the best at creating green buildings, helping to reduce energy requirements and emissions₄₇.

7. USA's Modernity and Learning

#australia #canada #education #english #intelligence #it_security #maths #modernity #politics #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #singapore #technology #the_internet #USA

Compared to The Americas (2020)48
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank48
1	Canada	21.9
2	USA	28.2
3	Argentina	43.6
4	Chile	50.8
5	Barbados	54.2
6	Brazil	54.9
7	St Kitts & Nevis	56.7
8	Puerto Rico	57.5
9	Mexico	60.7
10	Uruguay	66.8
11	Costa Rica	68.0
12=	Peru	68.5
12=	Grenada	68.5
	The Americas Avg	81.3
q=41.

Modernity & Learning (2020)48
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank48
1	Finland	7.7
2	Taiwan	10.0
3	Switzerland	14.7
	...
24	Hungary	25.3
25	Singapore	26.1
26	France	26.2
27	USA	28.2
28	Latvia	28.2
29	Israel	31.3
30	Hong Kong	32.6
31	Lithuania	32.8
	World Avg	82.7
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

In 1990-1992, education in the USA was the 3rd-longest in the world, at 15.4+ years, beaten only by Australia and Canada, although by the 2020s it had been overtaken by 30 other countries.₄₉

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.2950
2	Israel	4.1150
3	Japan	3.5850
	...
8	Austria	3.0051
9	Switzerland	2.9652
10	Germany	2.8450
11	USA	2.7453
12	Belgium	2.4650
13	Slovenia	2.3950
14	France	2.2650
15	Australia	2.2554
	The Americas Avg	0.47
	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%
	...
22	Russia	95.9%
23	Croatia	95.7%
24	Azerbaijan	95.6%
25	USA	95.6%
26	Norway	95.4%
27	S. Korea	95.2%
28	Bulgaria	95.1%
29	Lithuania	94.9%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	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
	...
28	Canada	16.4
29	Bahrain	16.3
30	Lithuania	16.3
31	USA	16.3
32	Italy	16.2
33	Czechia	16.2
34	Latvia	16.2
35	Saudi Arabia	16.1
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
35	Barbados	35
36	Estonia	36
37	Luxembourg	37
38	USA	38
39	Portugal	39
40	Spain	40
41	Italy	41
42	Slovakia	42
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	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
	...
28	Russia	1476
29	Spain	1475
30	Czechia	1472
31	USA	1463
32	Latvia	1460
33	Italy	1456
34	Luxembourg	1450
35	Iceland	1443
	The Americas Avg	1287
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity Lower is better58
Pos.		2018 %58
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
48=	Romania	50
49	Georgia	51
50=	Armenia	53
50=	USA	53
52	Bosnia & Herzegovina	54
53=	Greece	56
53=	Paraguay	56
55	Lebanon	57
	The Americas Avg	65.4
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ Higher is better59
Pos.		200659
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
26=	France	98
26=	Australia	98
26=	Denmark	98
26=	USA	98
26=	Latvia	98
26=	Hungary	98
32	Ukraine	97
33=	Russia	97
	The Americas Avg	85.3
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users Higher is better60
Pos.		201660
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
17	Estonia	91%
18	Japan	91%
19	New Zealand	89%
20=	USA	89%
20=	Canada	89%
20=	Belgium	89%
23	Czechia	88%
24	Germany	88%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

Freedom On The Internet Lower is better61
Pos.		201261
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
4	Australia	18
5	Hungary	19
6=	Philippines	23
6=	Italy	23
8	UK	25
9=	S. Africa	26
9=	Argentina	26
11	Ukraine	27
12=	Brazil	27
	The Americas Avg	39.3
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

IT Security Lower is better62
Pos.		201362
1=	Ireland	0.11
1=	Luxembourg	0.11
1=	Belize	0.11
	...
74	Sri Lanka	1.67
75	Oman	1.72
76	Iraq	1.84
77	Bangladesh	1.87
78	Sudan	1.98
79	India	2.10
80	Russia	2.42
81	USA	3.68
	The Americas Avg	0.84
	World Avg	0.98

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better63
Pos.		2017 Ratio63
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
4	USA	35.0
5	Greece	33.5
6	Luxembourg	32.4
7	India	26.8
8	Portugal	26.6
9	Ireland	26.1
10	UK	24.7
11	Japan	22.1
12	France	18.8
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

8. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

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

World Giving Index Higher is better66
Pos.		2022 %66
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
4	Australia	55.0
5	New Zealand	54.0
6	Myanmar (Burma)	52.0
7=	Sierra Leone	51.0
7=	Canada	51.0
9	Zambia	50.0
10=	Ukraine	49.0
10=	Ireland	49.0
12	Czechia	48.0
	The Americas Avg	43.7
	World Avg	39.6
q=125.

Corruption Higher is better67
Pos.		2022 Points67
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
21	France	72.0
22	Austria	71.0
23	Seychelles	70.0
24	USA	69.0
25=	Taiwan	68.0
25=	Bhutan	68.0
27	UAE	67.0
28=	Chile	67.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness Higher is better68
Pos.		2018 Score68
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
	...
15	Germany	7.0
16	Belgium	6.9
17	Luxembourg	6.9
18	USA	6.9
19	UK	6.8
20	UAE	6.8
21	Czechia	6.7
22	Malta	6.6
	The Americas Avg	6.05
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
64	Mexico	64
65	S. Africa	65
66	Lebanon	66
67	USA	67
68	Guyana	68
69	Bosnia & Herzegovina	69
70	Tonga	70
71	Trinidad & Tobago	71
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
59	Senegal	59
60	Kyrgyzstan	60
61	Qatar	61
62	USA	62
63	Congo, DR	63
64	Honduras	64
65	S. Korea	65
66	Benin	66
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

9. Peace Versus Instability

#afghanistan #extremism #france #human_development #iraq #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism #UK #USA

Despite invasions of Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003), the USA was not actually the country involved with the highest number of inter-state wars between 1946 and 2003; it had 16. France managed 3 more, at 19, and the UK totalled 21₆₉.

In the last few years, armed shootings, violent crime, civil unrest and unruly protests caused the USA to deteriorate on the Global Peace Index; these events culminated in Trump's supporters storming the governmental Capitol building on the 6th of Jan 2021. The USA now sits in the lowest quarter worldwide in 2021₇₀.

Global Peace Index Lower is better71
Pos.		2023 Score71
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
128	Burundi	2.39
129	Haiti	2.40
130	S. Africa	2.41
131	USA	2.45
132	Brazil	2.46
133	Eritrea	2.51
134	Palestine	2.54
135	Lebanon	2.58
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
69	Bulgaria	69
70	Zimbabwe	70
71	Spain	71
72	USA	72
73	Cyprus	73
74	Jamaica	74
75	Guyana	75
76	Fiji	76
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
26	Chile	26
27	Panama	27
28	Portugal	28
29	USA	29
30	Singapore	30
31	Greece	31
32	Bulgaria	32
33	S. Korea	33
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	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
	...
126	Mozambique	5.54
127	Ukraine	5.55
128	Niger	5.60
129	USA	5.69
130	Kenya	5.76
131	Sudan	5.81
132	Colombia	5.91
133	Thailand	6.03
	The Americas Avg	2.16
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

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

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better73
Pos.		201973
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
48	Malaysia	6.10
49=	Bulgaria	6.10
50	Chile	6.30
51=	USA	6.30
51=	Romania	6.30
53	Saudi Arabia	6.40
54	Oman	6.70
55	Bahamas	6.80
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	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
	...
126=	Malaysia	40.7%75
127	Bolivia	40.9%75
128	Haiti	41.1%77
129	USA	41.3%78
130	Djibouti	41.6%79
131	Papua New Guinea	41.9%80
132	Cameroon	42.2%75
133	Cape Verde	42.4%81
	The Americas Avg	44.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#afterlife #atheism #belief #buddhism #christianity #god #heaven #hell #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religion_in_usa #religiosity #secularisation #universalism #usa

Religiosity (2018)58
Pos.		Lower is better %58
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
48=	Romania	50
49	Georgia	51
50=	Armenia	53
50=	USA	53
52	Bosnia & Herzegovina	54
53=	Greece	56
53=	Paraguay	56
55	Lebanon	57
56	Panama	61
57	Venezuela	67
58	Turkey	68
59=	Bolivia	71
59=	Botswana	71
61	Brazil	72
62=	Egypt	72
63	Algeria	73
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)82
Pos.		Higher is better %82
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
38=	Kazakhstan	12
38=	China	12
38=	Uruguay	12
41	USA	10
42	Trinidad & Tobago	9
43	Albania	8
44=	Dominican Rep.	7
44=	Croatia	7
44=	Kyrgyzstan	7
44=	Cambodia	7
48	Moldova	6
49=	Italy	6
50	Laos	5
51=	Ireland	5
51=	Mozambique	5
53	Zimbabwe	4
	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 below₈₃:

Christian	78.3%
Muslim	0.9%
Hindu	0.6%
Buddhist	1.2%
Folk Religion	0.2%
Jewish	1.8%
Unaffiliated	16.4%

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 83% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 53% 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

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)₈₄.

The Afterlife: Ipsos-NA in 2011 gathered some statistics on USA₈₅. Despite the large numbers of Christians, not many have traditional beliefs in the afterlife - just 41%. Some people don't know what to believe (20%). Some believe that upon death, you simply cease to exist (11%). Also, 4% specifically believe in heaven but not in hell (which is nice - making them possible "universalists"). 4% believe in reincarnation.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: As far as developed countries go, the USA has particular problems with religious tolerance. Although the legal system is fair in many ways and you should expect tolerance, "the actions of local governments and private businesses suggest otherwise"₈₆ and the amount of discrimination is "massive" (according to a congressional report in 1999)₈₇.

Of the 5% of Americans who said they do not believe in God in 2007, only a quarter labelled themselves as atheist. 3 in 20 of American who tell pollsters that they don't believe in God also still call themselves Christian, another 1 in 20 still call themselves Jewish₈₈.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?
• Human Rights and Freedom in USA: 4.3. Freedom of Thought

12. USA Topics

• The USA Versus the Environment: Republican Recklessness 1980s-2000s (2022)

• Human Rights and Freedom in USA (2019)

• United States of America: Foreign Aid (2017)

• USA: Contempt for United Nations and International Folly (2003)

• USA: Supporting Obnoxious Regimes (2003)

• Why People Hate the USA: A Summary of Anti-Americanism (2001)