The Human Truth Foundation

The United States of America

http://www.humantruth.info/usa.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

#atheism #australia #canada #egypt #hong_kong #USA

USA
United States of America
StatusIndependent State
Social and Moral Index36th best
CapitalWashington
Land Area9 147 420km21
LocationNorth America, The Americas
Population327.1m2
Life Expectancy77.20yrs (2017)3
GNI$64 765 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 CodesUS, USA, 8405
Internet Domain.us6
CurrencyDollar (USD)7
Telephone+18

1. Introduction

Book CoverThe 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
1Switzerland0.962
2Norway0.961
3Iceland0.959
...
18UK0.929
19=Japan0.925
19=S. Korea0.925
21USA0.921
22Israel0.919
23=Malta0.918
23=Slovenia0.918
25Austria0.916
The Americas Avg0.75
World Avg0.72
q=191.
Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)10
Pos.Higher is better
PPP $10
1Liechtenstein$146 830
2Singapore$90 919
3Qatar$87 134
4Luxembourg$84 649
5Ireland$76 169
6Switzerland$66 933
7USA$64 765
8Norway$64 660
9Brunei$64 490
10Hong Kong$62 607
11UAE$62 574
12Denmark$60 365
The Americas Avg$16 628
World Avg$20 136
q=193.
Social & Moral
Development Index
11
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank11
1Norway28.6
2Denmark30.0
3Sweden30.7
...
33Malta56.5
34Liechtenstein57.1
35Chile57.2
36USA57.3
37Slovakia58.7
38Cyprus59.0
39Greece59.5
40Latvia64.4
The Americas Avg81.6
World Avg86.8
q=195.

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 #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population

Population:

The USA's population is predicted to rise to 361.68 million by 2030. These millions of extra people will all need space to live, food to eat, energy to consume, and will increase the burden on the planet's resources. This country has a fertility rate of 2.08. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Population2
Pos.2018
Population2
1China1.4b
2India1.4b
3USA327.1m
4Indonesia267.7m
5Pakistan212.2m
6Brazil209.5m
7Nigeria195.9m
8Bangladesh161.4m
9Russia145.7m
10Japan127.2m
11Mexico126.2m
12Ethiopia109.2m
World Avg39.0m
q=195.
Life Expectancy
Higher is better
10
Pos.2021
Years10
1Monaco85.9
2Hong Kong85.5
3Japan84.8
...
43Czechia77.7
44Croatia77.6
45Barbados77.6
46USA77.2
47Estonia77.1
48Costa Rica77.0
49Saudi Arabia76.9
50Albania76.5
World Avg71.28
q=195.
Fertility Rate
2.0 is best
12
Pos.201312
1N. Korea2.00
2Brunei1.99
3St Vincent & Grenadines2.01
...
11Sweden1.93
12Tunisia1.93
13St Lucia1.93
14USA2.08
15Ireland2.10
16Iceland2.10
17Denmark1.88
18Bahamas1.88
World Avg2.81
q=180.
Old-Age Dependency Ratio
Lower is better
13
Pos.2016
Per 10013
1Uganda04.3
2Mali04.5
3=Chad04.7
...
150Serbia32.7
151Hungary32.9
152Romania33.6
153USA33.8
154New Zealand34.9
155UK35.0
156Barbados35.6
157Lithuania36.0
World Avg18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants14
Pos.2017
%14
1UAE88.4%
2Kuwait75.5%
3Qatar65.2%
...
31San Marino15.7%
32Bahamas15.6%
33Maldives15.4%
34USA15.3%
35Norway15.1%
36Germany14.8%
37Estonia14.7%
38Gabon13.8%
World Avg9.4%
q=195.
Emigrants15
Pos.2010
%15
1Dominica104.8%
2Palestine68.4%
3Samoa67.3%
...
176Solomon Islands1.0%
177India0.9%
178Papua New Guinea0.9%
179USA0.8%
180Namibia0.7%
181Ethiopia0.7%
182Tanzania0.7%
183Brazil0.7%
World Avg11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance #usa

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)16
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank16
1Sweden9.0
2Norway14.5
3Denmark14.5
...
34Malta46.1
35Bulgaria46.3
36Cyprus46.5
37USA47.3
38Switzerland49.5
39Brazil52.1
The Americas Avg73.9
World Avg87.9
q=199.
The USA does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. The USA comes in the best 20 in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice17 (amongst the best in The Americas), the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)18 (amongst the best in The Americas) and in freethought19 (one of the best in The Americas). It does better than average in supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms20 (amongst the lowest in The Americas), commentary in Human Rights Watch reports21 (amongst the best in The Americas), supporting press freedom22, LGBT equality23 and in opposing gender inequality24 (one of the best in The Americas). The USA has aggressively supported human rights in many parts of the world25 and hosts (and encourages) a large number of international human rights organisations. This persisted in not only the Clinton and Obama administrations (where it was a central concern) but even in the Bush eras26. The USA does not succeed in everything, however. The USA does worse than average in terms of its nominal commitment to Human Rights27 (amongst the lowest in The Americas) and in speed of uptake of HR treaties28 (one of the highest in The Americas). The country is deeply divided; 1% of the population draws 20% of the country's entire income29. 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 minorities30 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 violations31 and 'threatening targeted sanctions against the Burmese military officials behind the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya minority'30.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

5. USA's Health

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

Compared to The Americas (2020)32
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank32
1Antigua & Barbuda75.6
2=Brazil82.1
3Cuba82.4
...
12=El Salvador90.5
13St Kitts & Nevis91.8
14Bahamas92.3
15=USA92.4
16Costa Rica93.8
17Peru96.5
18St Vincent & Grenadines96.8
19Dominica98.0
20=Panama98.1
The Americas Avg96.2
q=35.
Health (2020)32
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank32
1Monaco13.0
2Hong Kong18.3
3Maldives41.0
...
92Rwanda91.9
93Bahamas92.3
94=Lithuania92.4
94=USA92.4
96Latvia93.1
97Cambodia93.3
98Ethiopia93.3
99Sao Tome & Principe93.6
World Avg93.5
q=196.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Hong Kong and The Maldives33. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, S. Sudan and Palau33.

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 Mediterranean33, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa33.

For more, see:

Health:

The USA does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. The USA comes in the best 20 in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance34 (one of the lowest in The Americas) and in its fertility rate12. It does better than average when it comes to its average life expectancy10 (although the USA is unique for a modern country, in that this is now declining39) and in its adolescent birth rate24 (amongst the best in The Americas). But, things still need to improve in The USA. The USA does worse than average in its suicide rate35, its immunizations take-up36, its smoking rate37 and in its alcohol consumption rate38 (one of the highest in The Americas). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the last 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.

Source:39

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 better
10
Pos.2021
Years10
1Monaco85.9
2Hong Kong85.5
3Japan84.8
...
43Czechia77.7
44Croatia77.6
45Barbados77.6
46USA77.2
47Estonia77.1
48Costa Rica77.0
49Saudi Arabia76.9
50Albania76.5
The Americas Avg72.58
World Avg71.28
q=195.
Alcohol Consumption
Lower is better
38
Pos.2016
Per Capita38
1Bangladesh0.0
2Kuwait0.0
3Libya0.0
...
145=Argentina9.8
145=Georgia9.8
145=Namibia9.8
145=USA9.8
149St Lucia9.9
150=Swaziland9.9
151Spain10.0
152S. Korea10.2
The Americas Avg6.9
World Avg6.2
q=189.
Fertility Rate
2.0 is best
12
Pos.201312
1N. Korea2.00
2Brunei1.99
3St Vincent & Grenadines2.01
...
11Sweden1.93
12Tunisia1.93
13St Lucia1.93
14USA2.08
15Ireland2.10
16Iceland2.10
17Denmark1.88
18Bahamas1.88
The Americas Avg2.29
World Avg2.81
q=180.
Smoking Rates
Lower is better
37
Pos.201437
1Guinea 15
2Solomon Islands 26
3Kiribati 28
...
122Brunei1 023
123Algeria1 024
124Latvia1 041
125USA1 083
126Finland1 083
127Portugal1 113
128Moldova1 114
129Lithuania1 124
The Americas Avg 457
World Avg 819
q=182.
Suicide Rate35
Pos.2013
Per 100k35
1Haiti0
2Grenada0
3Egypt0.1
...
50Singapore20.6
51India20.8
52Trinidad & Tobago21.7
53USA22.2
54Chile22.4
55Canada22.7
56Iceland23.5
57New Zealand23.6
The Americas Avg13.57
World Avg20.93
q=91.
Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance
Lower is better
34
Pos.2017
Rank34
1Sweden1
2Ireland2
3Denmark3
...
7Germany7
8Canada8
9Netherlands9
10USA10
11Luxembourg11
12Finland12
13Australia13
14UAE14
The Americas Avg94.3
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Overweight Adults
Lower is better40
Pos.2016
%40
1Vietnam18.3
2India19.7
3Bangladesh20.0
...
174=Libya66.8
175UAE67.8
176=Lebanon67.9
176=USA67.9
178Jordan69.6
179Saudi Arabia69.7
180Qatar71.7
181Kuwait73.4
The Americas Avg57.4
World Avg49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate
Lower is better
24
Pos.2015
Per 100024
1N. Korea0.5
2S. Korea1.6
3Switzerland2.9
...
65Djibouti21.5
66Albania21.7
67=Moldova22.6
67=USA22.6
69Armenia23.0
70Jordan23.2
71Russia23.4
72New Zealand23.6
The Americas Avg56.6
World Avg47.9
q=185.
Infant Immunizations 2011-2015
Higher is better
36
Pos.2015
Avg %36
1=Hungary99.0
1=China99.0
3Uzbekistan98.9
...
95Georgia93.1
96New Zealand92.9
97Nauru92.9
98USA92.8
99Latvia92.8
100Romania92.7
101France92.6
102=El Salvador92.4
The Americas Avg91.3
World Avg88.3
q=194.

6. USA's Responsibility Towards The Environment

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

Compared to The Americas (2023)41
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank41
1Uruguay48.0
2Peru48.2
3Costa Rica49.6
...
27Bahamas93.0
28Barbados97.0
29Jamaica99.7
30=Guyana108.0
31USA111.0
32Grenada111.3
33Suriname115.3
34St Vincent & Grenadines121.0
35Haiti131.0
The Americas Avg80.1
q=35.
Responsibility Towards The Environment (2023)41
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank41
1Japan33.2
2Philippines45.0
3Uruguay48.0
...
158Lesotho109.7
159Sao Tome & Principe110.3
160Turkmenistan110.8
161USA111.0
162Grenada111.3
163Congo, (Brazzaville)111.8
164Croatia112.0
165Timor-Leste (E. Timor)114.3
World Avg85.7
q=188.
The USA ranks 161st in the world regarding its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is calculated from 7 data sets. The USA comes in the best 20 when it comes to its score on the Green Future Index42 (one of the best in The Americas). It does better than average in terms of its environmental performance43 (one of the best in The Americas) and in its forested percent change 1990-201544. But, things could still be better. The USA does worse than average in energy to GDP efficiency45 (amongst the lowest in The Americas). It falls into the worst 20 when it comes to the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population46 (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 annual meat consumption per person47.

Forest Area Change 1990-2015
Higher is better
44
Pos.2015
%44
1Iceland+205.6
2Bahrain+144.4
3Uruguay+131.3
...
62Ukraine+04.1
63Croatia+03.8
64Iraq+03.3
65USA+02.7
66Georgia+02.6
67Austria+02.5
68Finland+01.8
69Ivory Coast+01.8
The Americas Avg-00.2
World Avg+02.8
q=184.
Environmental Performance
Higher is better
43
Pos.201843
1Switzerland87.4
2France84.0
3Denmark81.6
...
24Cyprus72.6
25Canada72.2
26Portugal71.9
27USA71.2
28Slovakia70.6
29Lithuania69.3
30=Bulgaria67.9
30=Costa Rica67.9
The Americas Avg58.8
World Avg56.4
q=180.
Energy to GDP Efficiency
Higher is better45
Pos.201445
1Hong Kong26.32
2Sri Lanka20.00
3Panama17.86
...
74Armenia07.69
75New Zealand07.63
76=Kuwait07.58
76=USA07.58
78Czechia07.46
79=Tajikistan07.46
80Thailand07.41
81Cambodia07.35
The Americas Avg10.78
World Avg09.29
q=119.
Convention on Biological Diversity
Earlier is better
Pos.0
Signed
1=China1993 Dec 29
1=Guinea1993 Dec 29
1=Cook Islands1993 Dec 29
...
190Timor-Leste (E. Timor)2007 Jan 08
191Brunei2008 Jul 27
192Iraq2009 Oct 26
193Somalia2009 Dec 10
194Palestine2015 Apr 02
195Andorra2015 May 05
196USA
197Vatican City
The Americas Avg1899 Dec 30
World Avg1899 Dec 30
q=197.
Rational Beliefs on the Environment
Higher is better46
Pos.2011
%46
1Argentina78.3%
2Greece77.6%
3Brazil77.1%
...
127UAE20.8%
128Norway20.5%
129Botswana20.4%
130USA19.7%
131Kuwait19.6%
132Zimbabwe19.6%
133Latvia19.5%
134Tunisia19.3%
The Americas Avg58.6%
World Avg39.9%
q=145.
Meat Consumption
Lower is better
47
Pos.2021
kg47
1Congo, DR03.0
2Burundi03.5
3Bangladesh04.3
...
178St Vincent & Grenadines109.5
179Australia110.2
180Bahamas111.9
181Argentina115.5
182Mongolia115.6
183Nauru125.9
184USA126.8
185Hong Kong146.9
The Americas Avg70.3
World Avg52.5
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.47

Green Future Index
Higher is better42
Pos.2023
Score42
1Iceland6.7
2Finland6.7
3Norway6.4
...
16Luxembourg5.6
17Greece5.6
18Portugal5.5
19USA5.4
20=Switzerland5.4
20=Poland5.4
22Austria5.4
23Bulgaria5.3
The Americas Avg4.6
World Avg4.8
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 emissions48.

7. USA's Modernity and Learning

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

Compared to The Americas (2020)49
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank49
1Canada21.6
2USA29.3
3Argentina43.8
4Chile51.6
5Barbados54.2
6Brazil55.1
7St Kitts & Nevis56.7
8Puerto Rico57.5
9Mexico59.8
10Grenada68.5
11Costa Rica68.9
12Bermuda69.0
13Trinidad & Tobago69.1
The Americas Avg81.7
q=41.
Modernity & Learning (2020)49
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank49
1Finland8.4
2Taiwan10.0
3Switzerland15.1
...
25Singapore27.9
26Latvia28.2
27France28.8
28USA29.3
29Israel32.2
30Hong Kong32.6
31Poland34.6
32Lithuania35.0
World Avg83.2
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.50

Research & Development
Higher is better
Pos.2016
% RDP PPP
1S. Korea4.2951
2Israel4.1151
3Japan3.5851
...
8Austria3.0052
9Switzerland2.9653
10Germany2.8451
11USA2.7454
12Belgium2.4651
13Slovenia2.3951
14France2.2651
15Australia2.2555
The Americas Avg0.47
World Avg0.84
q=126.
Secondary Education
Higher is better
56
Pos.201856
1=Luxembourg100.0%
1=Estonia100.0%
1=Austria100.0%
...
22Russia95.9%
23Croatia95.7%
24Azerbaijan95.6%
25USA95.6%
26Norway95.4%
27S. Korea95.2%
28Bulgaria95.1%
29Lithuania94.9%
The Americas Avg63.0%
World Avg63.0%
q=169.
Length of Schooling
Higher is better
57
Pos.2021
Years57
1Australia21.1
2New Zealand20.3
3Greece20.0
...
28Canada16.4
29Bahrain16.3
30Lithuania16.3
31USA16.3
32Italy16.2
33Czechia16.2
34Latvia16.2
35Saudi Arabia16.1
The Americas Avg14.2
World Avg13.5
q=193.
Intellectual Endeavours
Lower is better
34
Pos.2017
Rank34
1Ukraine1
2Czechia2
3Hungary3
...
35Barbados35
36Estonia36
37Luxembourg37
38USA38
39Portugal39
40Spain40
41Italy41
42Slovakia42
The Americas Avg99.8
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Maths, Science & Reading
Higher is better
58
Pos.2015
Score58
1Singapore1655
2Hong Kong1598
3Japan1586
...
28Russia1476
29Spain1475
30Czechia1472
31USA1463
32Latvia1460
33Italy1456
34Luxembourg1450
35Iceland1443
The Americas Avg1287
World Avg1389
q=70.
Religiosity
Lower is better
59
Pos.2018
%59
1China3
2Estonia6
3Czechia7
...
48=Romania50
49Georgia51
50=Armenia53
50=USA53
52Bosnia & Herzegovina54
53=Greece56
53=Paraguay56
55Lebanon57
The Americas Avg65.4
World Avg54.3
q=106.
IQ
Higher is better60
Pos.200660
1=Hong Kong108
1=Singapore108
3S. Korea106
...
26=France98
26=Australia98
26=Denmark98
26=USA98
26=Latvia98
26=Hungary98
32Ukraine97
33=Russia97
The Americas Avg85.3
World Avg85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users
Higher is better
61
Pos.201661
1Iceland100%
2Faroe Islands99%
3Norway98%
...
17Estonia91%
18Japan91%
19New Zealand89%
20=USA89%
20=Canada89%
20=Belgium89%
23Czechia88%
24Germany88%
The Americas Avg56.4%
World Avg48.1%
q=201.
Freedom On The Internet
Lower is better
62
Pos.201262
1Estonia10
2USA12
3Germany15
4Australia18
5Hungary19
6=Philippines23
6=Italy23
8UK25
9=S. Africa26
9=Argentina26
11Ukraine27
12=Brazil27
The Americas Avg39.3
World Avg46.7
q=47.
IT Security
Lower is better
63
Pos.201363
1=Ireland0.11
1=Luxembourg0.11
1=Belize0.11
...
74Sri Lanka1.67
75Oman1.72
76Iraq1.84
77Bangladesh1.87
78Sudan1.98
79India2.10
80Russia2.42
81USA3.68
The Americas Avg0.84
World Avg0.98
IPv6 Uptake
Higher is better
64
Pos.2017
Ratio64
1Belgium55.4
2Germany41.8
3Switzerland35.1
4USA35.0
5Greece33.5
6Luxembourg32.4
7India26.8
8Portugal26.6
9Ireland26.1
10UK24.7
11Japan22.1
12France18.8
The Americas Avg3.36
World Avg3.82
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 better
65
Pos.2022
%65
1Indonesia68.0
2Kenya61.0
3USA59.0
4Australia55.0
5New Zealand54.0
6Myanmar (Burma)52.0
7=Sierra Leone51.0
7=Canada51.0
9Zambia50.0
10=Ukraine49.0
10=Ireland49.0
12Czechia48.0
The Americas Avg43.7
World Avg39.6
q=125.
Corruption
Higher is better
66
Pos.2022
Points66
1Denmark90.0
2=Finland87.0
2=New Zealand87.0
...
21France72.0
22Austria71.0
23Seychelles70.0
24USA69.0
25=Taiwan68.0
25=Bhutan68.0
27UAE67.0
28=Chile67.0
The Americas Avg42.97
World Avg42.98
q=180.
Happiness
Higher is better
67
Pos.2018
Score67
1Finland7.6
2Norway7.6
3Denmark7.6
...
15Germany7.0
16Belgium6.9
17Luxembourg6.9
18USA6.9
19UK6.8
20UAE6.8
21Czechia6.7
22Malta6.6
The Americas Avg6.05
World Avg5.38
q=156.
Creativity & Culture
Lower is better
34
Pos.2017
Rank34
1Belgium1
2Netherlands2
3Estonia3
...
64Mexico64
65S. Africa65
66Lebanon66
67USA67
68Guyana68
69Bosnia & Herzegovina69
70Tonga70
71Trinidad & Tobago71
The Americas Avg80.2
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Open Trading, Aid & Development
Lower is better
34
Pos.2017
Rank34
1Ireland1
2Denmark2
3Sweden3
...
59Senegal59
60Kyrgyzstan60
61Qatar61
62USA62
63Congo, DR63
64Honduras64
65S. Korea65
66Benin66
The Americas Avg100.5
World Avg82.0
q=163.

9. Peace Versus Instability

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

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 202168.

Global Peace Index
Lower is better
69
Pos.2023
Score69
1Iceland1.12
2Denmark1.31
3Ireland1.31
...
128Burundi2.39
129Haiti2.40
130S. Africa2.41
131USA2.45
132Brazil2.46
133Eritrea2.51
134Palestine2.54
135Lebanon2.58
The Americas Avg2.13
World Avg2.07
q=163.
Peacekeeping & Security
Lower is better
34
Pos.2017
Rank34
1Samoa1
2S. Africa2
3Tunisia3
...
69Bulgaria69
70Zimbabwe70
71Spain71
72USA72
73Cyprus73
74Jamaica74
75Guyana75
76Fiji76
The Americas Avg82.3
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Refugees & UN Treaties
Lower is better
34
Pos.2017
Rank34
1Austria1
2Germany2
3Netherlands3
...
26Chile26
27Panama27
28Portugal28
29USA29
30Singapore30
31Greece31
32Bulgaria32
33S. Korea33
The Americas Avg91.5
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Impact of Terrorism
Lower is better
70
Pos.2019
Score70
1Togo0.00
2Mongolia0.00
3Swaziland0.00
...
126Mozambique5.54
127Ukraine5.55
128Niger5.60
129USA5.69
130Kenya5.76
131Sudan5.81
132Colombia5.91
133Thailand6.03
The Americas Avg2.16
World Avg2.78
q=150.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

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

Inequality in Life Expectancy
Lower is better71
Pos.201971
1Iceland2.40
2=Singapore2.50
2=Hong Kong2.50
...
48Malaysia6.10
49=Bulgaria6.10
50Chile6.30
51=USA6.30
51=Romania6.30
53Saudi Arabia6.40
54Oman6.70
55Bahamas6.80
The Americas Avg12.03
World Avg14.59
q=184.
Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient)
Lower is better72
Pos.2017
%72
1Ukraine25.0
2=Belarus25.4
2=Slovenia25.4
...
103Kenya40.8
104Malaysia41.0
105Haiti41.1
106=USA41.5
106=Ivory Coast41.5
108Djibouti41.6
109=Papua New Guinea41.9
109=Turkey41.9
The Americas Avg45.2
World Avg38.1
q=152.

11. Religion and Beliefs

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

Religiosity (2018)59
Pos.Lower is better
%59
1China3
2Estonia6
3Czechia7
...
48=Romania50
49Georgia51
50=Armenia53
50=USA53
52Bosnia & Herzegovina54
53=Greece56
53=Paraguay56
55Lebanon57
56Panama61
57Venezuela67
58Turkey68
59=Bolivia71
59=Botswana71
61Brazil72
62=Egypt72
63Algeria73
World Avg54.3
q=106.
Disbelief In God (2007)73
Pos.Higher is better
%73
1Vietnam81
2Japan65
3Sweden64
...
38=Kazakhstan12
38=China12
38=Uruguay12
41USA10
42Trinidad & Tobago9
43Albania8
44=Dominican Rep.7
44=Croatia7
44=Kyrgyzstan7
44=Cambodia7
48Moldova6
49=Italy6
50Laos5
51=Ireland5
51=Mozambique5
53Zimbabwe4
World Avg9.9
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 below74:

Christian78.3%
Muslim0.9%
Hindu0.6%
Buddhist1.2%
Folk Religion0.2%
Jewish1.8%
Unaffiliated16.4%

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:

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.)75.

The Afterlife: Ipsos-NA in 2011 gathered some statistics on USA76. 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"77 and the amount of discrimination is "massive" (according to a congressional report in 1999)78.

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 Jewish79.

Links:

12. USA Topics