the DON JONES INDEX… 

 

GAINS POSTED in GREEN

LOSSES POSTED in RED

 

      11/27/25…   15,579.00

  11/20/25…   15,403.98

    6/27/13...    15,000.00

 

(THE DOW JONES INDEX: 12/4/25... 47,@; 11/27/25... 47,427.12; 6/27/13… 15,000.00)

 

LESSON for DECEMBER 4th, 2025 – “AMERICA by the NUMBERS…!”

 

Halloween and Thanksgiving over, Christmas still to come, the mass media consumed by sly selling stories and news of major impact to Don Jones... gumment shutdown, off year elections, wars in Ukraine, the MidEast and Haiti – now largely supplanted by events only important to some (the ICE migrant battles, Venezuelan drug cartels, dancing with the stars) or old wars and old chaos leftover from Trump 1.0 and Old White Joe still slogging on... we’re going to take a closer look at how the pollsters, statisticians and think tankers view America’s status in the world as 2025 enters its last month.

The first such encountered, and probably most indicative, would the annual Happiness Index, first prepared and released back in 2002 by the World Population Review.  The most recent findings (2024) placed Finland atop the list, with Afghanistan at the bottom.  (ATTACHMENT ONE)

“The citizens of Finland have strong feelings of communal support and mutual trust that not only helped secure the #1 ranking but also helped the country as a whole navigate the COVID-19 pandemic,” the World Poppers found... the next three finishers also being small, cold republics.  At the bottom was Afghanistan – ranked least happy due to “a low life expectancy rate, low gross domestic product rates per capita, and perhaps most importantly, the recent Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.”

Since 2002, the World Happiness Report has used statistical analysis to determine the world’s happiest countries - analyzing “comprehensive Gallup polling data from 143 countries for the past three years, specifically monitoring performance in six particular categories: gross domestic product per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make your own life choices, generosity of the general population, and perceptions of internal and external corruption levels.”

In order to properly compare each country’s data, the researchers created a fictional country—christened Dystopia—filled with “the world’s least-happy people.” They then set Dystopia as the rock bottom value in each of the six categories and measured the scores of the real-world countries against this value. All six variables were then blended to create a single combined score for each country.

 

THE HAPPIEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD FOR 2024

Finland took top honors—for the tenth year in a row—with an overall score of 7.741, followed (in order) by Denmark (7.583), Iceland (7.525), Sweden (7.344), Israel (7.341), the Netherlands (7.319), and Norway (7.302).

The citizens of Finland have strong feelings of communal support and mutual trust that not only helped secure the #1 ranking but also helped the country as a whole navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. During that trying time, Finlanders felt strongly that they were free to make their own choices and showed minimal suspicion of government corruption. Both of these factors are strong contributors to overall happiness.

“This is where I always want to come back to and where I want to, you know, grow my kids and grow old myself,” said Aino Virolainen, a digital commerce director who has lived abroad but always wants to return home to Finland. “I think it’s because, you know, the peace and the quietness and the trustworthiness. You know, how we speak directly and the nature, of course. It’s clean and the air is fresh and what’s there not to love?”

Alexandra Peth, a managing director, said Finnish culture prioritizes trust and connection.

“People trust each other in Finland and I think on many levels in the society, we try to support each other,” Peth said. “So I think the system makes it kind of that you can trust it somehow.”  (PBS, ATTACHMENT TWO)

 

The least happy country in the world for 2024 was Afghanistan, whose 143rd-place ranking of 1.721 can be attributed in part to a low life expectancy rate, low gross domestic product rates per capita, and perhaps most importantly, the recent Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Rounding out the bottom five were Lebanon (2.707), Lesotho (3.186), Sierra Leone (3.245), and DR Congo (3.295).

For specifics, let’s follow in the footsteps of Ramallah Lakanwa, who shot two National Guardspeople in DC last week, killing one.  Mr. Lakanwa was an Afghan who chose to support President Joe’s war effort there, serving on the lethal and controversial Zero Force, associated with the Central Intelligence Agency.  Once the war was lost, he and many, many others emigrating to America... to Washington (state) in this case... where, according to Home SecSec Kristi Noem, the red tape snarled his VISA so he was unable to find work and, consequently, lost his mind.  (Others brought up other reasons, but they’re not on the table this week.)

Note: Life expectancies in Afghanistan are the worst in the world, according to the CIA.  The liberal Guardian U.K. allowed some credit to the Taliban for attempting to ameliorate this in a 2011 article, a decade before the Biden withdrawal debacle (ATTACHMENT THREE), after which their reaction to sin or crime or simple dissent became execution. 

The United States' happiness index was ranked 24th globally in the 2025 World Happiness Report, marking a new all-time low, according to the New York Times and Newsweek. The score has declined, particularly among those under 30, and is attributed to factors like increased solo dining and rising "deaths of despair".  One factor highlighted in the report was the increasing number of people who eat alone.  (CBS News, ATTACHMENT FOUR)

"In 2023, roughly 1 in 4 Americans reported eating all of their meals alone the previous day — an increase of 53% since 2003," the report said. "Dining alone has become more prevalent for every age group, but especially for young people." 

Another factor contributing to America's drop in the rankings, as well as the rankings of some European countries, was "the rise in political polarization and votes against 'the system,'" the report said.

 

A French analytics survey, “MIEUX DONNER” (ATTACHMENT FIVE) contended that the happiest countries were also among the most generous; a positive correlation existing between international aid and happiness, suggesting that countries spreading happiness beyond their borders are not only happier but also more benevolent.

Trust and kindness were also noted: People’s perceptions of others’ generosity tending to be pessimistic. “In reality, acts of kindness, like returning a lost wallet, happen more often than expected, which significantly boosts happiness. Trust in others is strongly associated with wellbeing, even more so than factors like income or employment,” while the  cost-effectiveness of charities can be measured and compared with a standardised metric of value: Wellbeing-Years (WELLBYs).

Mieux Donn also noted that specific events and longer-range trends could affect either an individual or a nation’s happiness.  Some of these cited were...

·         Being unemployed reduces life satisfaction by 0.5 points (on a 0-10 scale).

·         Marriage increases life satisfaction by 0.3 points (on a 0-10 scale).

·         Doubling income raises life satisfaction by 0.2 points (on a 0-10 scale).

Charitible giving procedures also raised or lowered national rankings; the Happier Lives Institute reported that the most cost-effective charities found so far “focus on mental health, malnutrition, and lead exposure reduction in low-income countries” – the Happier Lives Institute wanting to add some estimates of well-known charities, but finding this surprisingly hard.

Why? “Lots of big charities are what they call ‘MANGOs’, standing for ‘Multi-Armed NGOs’. For instance, Oxfam runs hundreds of different programmes. In the chapter, they explain the ‘MANGO problem’ is that it is effectively impossible for us to assess these sorts of organisations. So, donors are really guessing about how much good their money does.”

HLI’s ranking of charities found that “the most cost-effective charity in the analysis (Pure Earth) (was) around ~1,000 times better (942 times to be precise) at increasing happiness than the least effective evaluated charity (Football Beyond Borders).”

The virtue rankers also asked and answered: “How much should I give? The largest amount that you can sustain.”

At Mieux Donner, “we promote the 10% pledge, where individuals commit to giving 10% of their income to high-impact charities. We invite people in a variety of situations to consider taking this commitment. While we understand it may not be for everyone, 1% could be a good starting point. If you’re still unsure about pledging, you can try a trial pledge of 1% for a limited period of time.”

The picture in the United States isn’t so rosy - but “in brighter news, global research shows that people are much kinder than we expect.”  (CNN, ATTACHMENT SIX)

“People’s fellow citizens are better than they think they are, and to realize that will make you happier, of course, but it’ll also change the way you think about your neighbors,” said John Helliwell, a founding editor of the World Happiness Report.

“And so you’re more inclined to think of a stranger in the street as simply a friend you haven’t met and not somebody who poses a threat to you,” said Helliwell, who is an economics professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia.

 

THE HAPPIEST COUNTRIES

When it comes to happiness, the Nordic countries (i.e. white, rich and cold) are clearly doing a lot of things right. For the eighth year in a row, Finland is the world’s happiest country, with its neighbors clustered close behind.  (Gallup, ATTACHMENT SEVEN)

“Nordic countries like Finland continue to benefit from universally available and high-quality health, education and social support systems. Inequality of wellbeing is also low,” said Ilana Ron-Levey, managing director at Gallup.

Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden – the top four – remain in the same order as 2024. And Norway is again No. 7.

While social support systems that look out for residents’ welfare are important to Finland’s No. 1 ranking, the people play a role too, according to Helliwell.

“Having a welfare state doesn’t find lost wallets and return them to the owners,” said Helliwell, a longtime lost-wallet researcher, referring to data showing that Nordic nations rank among the top places for the expected and actual return of lost wallets. “Those are individuals caring about the people with whom they live.”

Other factors likely contribute to Finland’s strong performance as well. Helliwell said some Finnish experts point to the unity and trust that came out of the Winter War in 1939-40, also known as the Russo-Finnish War.

“They didn’t win that war, but what they did is they came together and realized even against overwhelming power they could do remarkably well … Sometimes the challenge posed externally can bring you together.”

 

LOWEST RANKING YET FOR THE UNITED STATES

After dropping out of the top 20 for the first time last year, the US ranks No. 24 in the latest World Happiness Report.

“The decline in the U.S. in 2024 was at least partly attributable to Americans younger than age 30 feeling worse about their lives,” said Ron-Levey. “Today’s young people report feeling less supported by friends and family, less free to make life choices and less optimistic about their living standards.”

 

Wikipedia’s history of happiness began in July 2011, when “the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 65/309, also named as Happiness: Towards a Holistic Definition of Development,[6] inviting member countries to measure the happiness of their people and to use the data to help guide public policy.

“The first World Happiness Report was released on 1 April 2012, as a foundational text for the UN High Level Meeting: Well-being and Happiness: Defining a New Economic Paradigm,[7] drawing international attention.[8] On 2 April 2012, this was followed by the first UN High Level Meeting called Wellbeing and Happiness: Defining a New Economic Paradigm,[9] which was chaired by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in addition to that prime minister Jigme Thinley of Bhutan, a nation that adopted gross national happiness instead of gross domestic product as their main development indicator.[10]  (See ATTACHMENT EIGHT... see website for notes)

“The first report outlined the state of world happiness, causes of happiness and misery, and policy implications highlighted by case studies. In 2013, the second World Happiness Report was issued, and in 2015 the third. Since 2016, it has been issued on an annual basis on 20 March, to coincide with the UN's International Day of Happiness.[11]” 

 

WELLBYs

From 2021, the World Happiness Report has supported using WELLBYs (Well-Being-Adjusted Life-Years). It says that QALYs (Quality-Adjusted Life Years) only count a patient's health quality. Instead, WELLBYs should be used. The report says policy-makers should aim to increase the WELLBYs of people alive today and future generations.[15][16][17]

 

METHODOLOGY

The World Happiness Report's use of a single-item indicator of subjective well-being is fundamentally different from more traditional Index approaches which use a range of indicators such as the United Nations' Human Development Index, the OECD Better Life Index of 2011, or the Social Progress Index of 2013. There has also been an ongoing debate regarding single-item and multi-item scales as measures of life satisfaction.[68]

The idea that subjective well-being can be captured by a survey has also been contested by economists, who have identified that people’s assessments of their happiness can be affected by how, for example, their country’s education system grades exams, and that survey questions on subjective well-being are affected by response styles.[69]

Critics have pointed out the difference between evaluations and experiences of well-being.[63][64] For instance Colombia came 37th in the 2018 World Happiness Report rankings but first by daily emotional experience in Gallup's Positive Experience Index.[65] The inconsistencies in the results of different happiness measurement surveys have also been noted, for instance, a Pew survey of 43 countries in 2014 (which excluded most of Europe) had Mexico, Israel, and Venezuela finishing first, second and third.[66] Others point out that the variables of interest used by the World Happiness Report are more appropriate for measuring national-level rather than individual-level happiness.[67]

 

LEGITIMACY

In 2014, British journalist Michael Booth questioned the legitimacy of the Nordic countries' freedom and happiness rankings in his book The Almost Nearly Perfect People. In it, he criticizes Denmark's environmental footprint and notes that the taxes and personal debt levels among its citizens are the highest in the world.[70] He also writes that in Finland, the most common type of prescription medications in the country are antipsychotic. He also points out the country's high alcohol consumption, murder, and suicide rates.[71] Further, he argues that he doesn't think the Danes were the world's happiest people, but instead described them as the "most satisfied".[72]

Perhaps in confirmation, Reuters’ Anne Kauranen balancedwrote (November 25th, ATTACHMENT NINE) that Finland is now “grappling with economic stagnation, rising joblessness and strained public finances,” but had still managed to secure the title of world's happiest country for the eighth year in a row in this year's annual World Happiness Report six months previous.

Its success, experts say, is due in no small part to a generous welfare state - but that is now being trimmed back as ministers confront the surging social costs of an aging population.

"I've been grateful that in Finland there has been a safety net and social security that have supported me financially ... So maybe I'm not more unhappy than I was before," unemployed video producer Juho-Pekka Palomaa told Kauranen.

Finland's export-dependent economy has struggled since the phone business of Nokia, once Europe's most valuable company, collapsed in 2014 after it fumbled the switch to touch-screen smartphones. Sanctions on neighbouring Russia over its war in Ukraine have also hit exports and tourism, while uncertainty over tariffs and global trade present a further challenge.

Poor public finances have already prompted the government to start pruning some parts of the welfare state, including unemployment and housing benefits and some medical facilities.

"I'm honestly terrified for younger people," said Hanna Taimio, 54, another unemployed Finn who joined Palomaa's commemoration and fears she may never work again. "All these cutbacks and downgrades... it's genuinely frightening."

The right-wing coalition government, in office since 2023, aims to "to strengthen public finances and to bring the growing debt under control", Minister of Employment Matias Marttinen told Reuters.

Marttinen called the high jobless rate "an awful situation", but defended the government's decision to make dismissals easier to lower the risks of hiring for companies, to ultimately boost employment.

But there is more to happiness than economics, Reuters added.

The life evaluations that people report in the happiness survey are determined more by factors like resilience and the ability to "deal collaboratively and constructively in bad times" than by national economic conditions, said the World Happiness report's founding editor, emeritus professor John Helliwell.

"Of course, Finland is very high in resilience," he said.

Recent data by analytics company Gallup (above) shows no significant fluctuations in Finns' reported emotional wellbeing since last year. Data from the same survey on life evaluations will be published with the next World Happiness Report next year and the world shall see if there is now a New Number One.

Despite the cut in gumment handouts to the unemployed (and with Finland, so far, lacking the “get tough or get out” American mandatory work requirements for food stamps),  Palomaa still looks forward to enjoying a free community sauna run and funded by volunteers by the Baltic Sea shore in Helsinki.

"The sauna is a place where everyone's so equal ... You cannot say based on someone's appearance what they do for a living, who they are," he said.

 

Aside from spying on and sometimes meddling in foreign affairs, the CIA publishes some of its middle “I” (intelligence) findings in a Factbook that, among other things, ranks the nations of the world by population, income and other ambiances (or their absence) to compile lists from best to worst.  (ATTACHMENT TEN – including A, B, C etc.) Here in this most comprehensive listing of categories (multiple, only some included) and countries (usually well over 200) we find professional judgments by professional judges and, if there is a bias towards America, it might actually be a negative bias in that the image does not always live up to the reality.

Given the tendency of the CIA to embrace and protect secrecy, it’s rather surprising that the spooks would publish and post on the Internet innumerable secret stats regarding America, Americans and the American Way.

This spooky Index noted some of the more pertinent national profiles... these being 10A) Area; 10B) Population; 19C) Population growth rate; 10D) Life Expectancy – the United States ranked 49th with a rate of 80.9 years*; 10E) Migration rate – the United States ranked 39th at Plus 3.0; 10F) GDP rate (total); 10G) GDP rate (per capita) – the United States ranked thirteenth; and 10H) Unemployment – the United States ranked 67th.

*  There is an AI Overview and some pertinent URLs following as relate to life expectancy.

 

Equality, as measured by the GINI coefficient, found the United States ranking 34th (worst).  Unlike the CIA and most other indices, the higher the rank the worse off the country... Americans were slightly less equal among themselves than in Djijouti, slightly more so than in Bolivia.  The world’s most equal countries were Slovakia and Slovenia – the most unequal was Namibia.  (ATTACHMENT ELEVEN)

 

Freedom House (ATTACHMENT TWELVE) rates people’s access to political rights and civil liberties in 208 countries and territories through its annual Freedom in the World report. “Individual freedoms—ranging from the right to vote to freedom of expression and equality before the law—can be affected by state or nonstate actors...” and nations have been ranked FREE (scoring 70 points or higher on a scale of one hundred), PARTLY FREE (32 to 69 points) or NOT FREE (31 or fewer points).  Within their rankings were subcategories of “political rights” (ranked from zero to 40) and civil liberties (zero to 60).

One might think the division between partly and not free would cut off at 30 points, not 31, but their Indix is what it is and, for what it is worth, Algeria, Iraq and Kuwait fall into the most repressive category.

Those happy Finns also earned a perfect 100/100 freedom score, perhaps one of the reason why they are so happy... or maybe it’s because of the drugs and alcohol noted above.

Sweden, Norway and New Zealand scored 99/100 rankings while, at the bottom, Turkmenistan and South Sudan (scoring 1/100) and Sudan proper (2/100) were adjudicated least free nations (North Korea registered a comparatively libertarian 3), but FH also included the “Russian occupied territories of Ukraine” and gave it a quite incomprehensible ranking of minus one.  How the freedom score can fall below zero was not explained – the premise being that, at zero, the government kills everybody, including themselves but, again, they did what they did.

The United States, at 84/100 remains within the FREE category but, notably, trailed the likes of Argentina in the last survey (both have since shifted sharply rightward).  But we beat out those rich snobs in Monaco.

An alternate ranking agency, CEO World, derived different results... perhaps because of its orientation towards defining freedom as the freedom to make money. (ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN) These businesspeople configured the national value slightly differently... while their title indicated a rating for “human freedom”, the subcategories were a nebulous “Situation” and a measured “Travel Risk” (against, perhaps, the possibility of organized or lone wolf terror, revolutions or perhaps even uppity labor unions.

The business orientation was reinforced by their favored nation (out of 197) which was the banking gnome and capital accumulation capitol of Switzerland.  Finland also earned a “good” situation report with “insignificant” travel risk, but finished only in sixth place behind New Zealand, Denmark, Luxembourg and Ireland (despite its bumped up “low” travel risk – perhaps anticipating a possible return of “the troubles.

The United States scored better here than at Freedom House, finishing 20th and with a good situation and insignificant travel risk.  The worst-case countries were all Asian or MidEastern as opposed to the African states on FH naughty list... Syria deemed worst of all.  (Again, there may have been changes since the last reckoning in that Syria ousted a brutal dictator in favor of an Islamist mystery man but... again... there seems to be a distinct dislike of Islamic states (rich or poor, Sunni or Shiite) at CEO World.

While both Saudi Arabia and Egypt were ranked NOT FREE by FH, they were further towards the end at CEO World which, in a notable anomaly, called Cuba the 51st best of its 197 as opposed to its NOT FREE designation.  Perhaps the businesspeople see financial opportunity there, as opposed to China

 

And, because inquiring minds will want to know the interior ranking of American metropolitan areas, and because conservatives frequently allege that liberty leads to license, we have found... and so present to you and the Joneses of America... a ranking of the most sinful cities in America, as compiled by Mental Floss (ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN) and Wallet Hub (ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN)... both of which agree with each other and with popular prejudices that the most sinful municipality is... surprise?... Las Vegas.

Contrary to popular prejudice, however, the big Number Two is not shoddy but sinful Atlantic City, New Jersey... (in fact, the stomping grounds of Trump’s seedier casino alleys and the byways of the Boss is not even ranked at all!)  Whether this is because its resident population is a relatively low 38K m/l (although the sinseekers include Juneau, Alaska with six thousand wicked souls less) or its grimy Jersey nature fails to elicit even offense is a mystery known only to the flossers and walleteers.

Instead, the second most vicious city in America is... Houston (whose own grime is a more oily sheen).  The least sinful is Columbia, Maryland – a planned community that serves wealthy suburbanites who work in Baltimore or D.C. (Washington being named the “angriest city in America”).

 

So, one may well conclude that America is in the toilet and at risk of being flushed down the drain.  There are so many bad omens these days (today, for example, President Trump said that Somali migrants in Minnesota came from Hell, not Africa, and were... thus... DEMONS.  Partisans contend that you cannot demonize actual demons so it is best to blow them up, be they hostile or not.  Not surprisingly, the rest of the world is pivoting towards China... which may rank lower on some indices like freedom and equality, but they still make stuff.

Against this sense of American decline and doom, and an impending death of democracy, the occasional optimist still fights on and, re this: we have an opinium in the New Atlantis (ATTACHMENT SIXTEEN) from

@fill in

 

See graphs, charts and maps from...

OurWorldinData.com/child-mortality and OurWorldinData.com/maternal-mortality

 

 

 

IN the NEWS: NOVEMBER 20TH to NOVEMBER 26TH, 2025

 

Thursday, November 27, 2025

Dow: Closed for Thanksgiving

It’s Thanksgiving.  President Trump pardons turkeys Gobble and Waddle; and Macy’s holds its 99th parade.

  Washington Natl. Guard shooter identified as Ramallah Lakanwa, a former operative with the American CIA’s elite Zero Unit in Afghanistan who came to America with other Afghan collaborators after the Taliban routed our troops in Kabul.  Trump, of course, blames Biden for 1)  the Afghan disaster, and 2) bringing in all of their helpers without “proper” vetting.

   The possible presence of more terrorists – Afghan, other or domestic, leads to high security on the Macy’s parade route, but there are only balloons and a cheering crowd.

   So the only real danger for Thanksgiving is the weather... blizzards in the upper Midwest snarl highways and cause airline delays and cancellations.  An Atlanta flight is halted by a crazy passenger opening the slide on takeoff, but he’s not a terrorist... just crazy.

   While Americans stuff themselves and watch football on TV, Bad Vlad shouts “Nyet!!” to Trump’s TACO on the “peace deal” with Ukraine – now both sides hate the USA.  Jakarta overtakes Tokyo as the world’s most populous city (see above) while Pope Leo’s Thanksgiving message is to “say thank you to somebody” in... Turkey!

 

Friday, November 28, 2025

Dow:  47,716.42

It’s Black Friday.  Most Americans pivot from shopping for stuffing their bellies to shopping for the next round of holidays upcoming.  Also enjoying the holiday... porch pirates.

   Natl. Guardswoman Sarah Beckstrom, 20, dies; 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition.  Charges against Lakanwa are upgraded to murder.  President Trump ramps up war against immigrants, saying that no more Afghans will be accepted into the America and those already here will be re-vetted and, if failing, sent back to Afghanistan (where, Democrats say, they face certain execution).  Migrants from some other “unstable” countries are also to be sent back... Yemen, Somalia and Venezuela noted.

   Ukraine under fire as Putin bombs cities and power plants, auguring a long and freezing winter.  The peace process takes another hit as President Zelenskyy’s Number One Advisor is being investigated for corruption.  Those Uke authorities not fighting in the East raid Andriy Smyrnov’s home.  Also being investigated – the Hong Kong hirise fire (deaths up to 128 with hundreds more missing).

 

Saturday, November 29, 2025

Dow:  Closed

And now... Small Business Saturday!

   Black Friday sales continue through to Cyber Monday and sales are up 5% over 2024 despite Trump’s tariffs.  AI shopping up 725% over the past year, despite the prevalence of scams; retailers are hoping for a total tally of a trillion dollars.

   Worst Midwest blizzard in four years closes roads from Chicago to Minnesota and all the way down to St. Louis.  Airline closings mean that Thanksgiving visitors will have to stay over with relatives for perhaps several days.  Trouble predicted.

   Despite its problems on the battlefield and in the courts, Ukraine strikes back and uses its Sea Baby@ drones to sink Putin’s “shadow fleet” of tankers transporting prohibited fossil fuels to be sold to raise more money for the war.

   While Russian robots continue falling down and breaking down a Chinese “humanois” sets a sort of record by walking for 66 miles.

 

Sunday, November 30, 2025

Dow:  Closed

It’s National Mousse Day.  Also, Woody Allen’s 90th birthday.

   Police warn that burglars, scammers and porch pirates are targeting travelers, as is the weather.  They say not to leave guns in plain sight or announce plans over social media.  New scams target online payments and retailers gouge shoppers with “dynamic pricing”. 

   For talkshow Saturday, HomeSecSec Kristi Noem calls the Washington Post “traitorous” and Biden bears sole responsibility for Lakanwa’s rampage.  She also says wonderful President Trump is being persecuted by “activist” judges.

  In reply, Sen Chris van Hollen (D-Md) says the Trump administration was the last to have vetted Lakanwa who was radicalized either in Afghanistan or America and “collective punishment” of all Afghan migrants (most of whom worked with America) and adds that Hegseth’s bombing of Venezuelan boat people survivors is a war crime, as would be intervention without Congressional declaration of war.

   Tormented Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nb) expresses skepticism on Trump’s plans, including his Ukraine proposal that he calls a “surrender document”.

   On the ABC roundtable, Donna Brazile says Speaker Mike is “underwater”... a firefighter, always putting out fires.  Chris Christie says that Djonald UnPopular is “on the wrong side of issues.”  Voters want him to just shut up.  Faiz Shakir says@  the public wants a check on Donald Trump. That's obviously at play here. You have MAGA folks and independents checking out to the extent that they're moving, they're towards the Democratic side. There is a lot of anger towards Donald Trump. This is a guy you don't trust with power, and engage in many illegal actions. We don't have to document them all right now. Also, he's not on the main highway. He's not thinking about me; he's thinking about Saudi King and rich people. and Frank Lutz says it’s all about affordability – don’t worry about the news, most people have stopped watching.

   And, on “Face the Nation” CBS analyst Samantha Vinograd says Afghan refugees went through extensive vetting but the Afghan regime let those inevitable “bad actors” into the USA.  Kisti Noem says Lakanwa was radicalized because he’d lost his job due to visa red tape.

 

Monday, December 1, 2025 Dow:  47,289.33

@

 

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Dow:  47,474.46

 

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Dow:  47,427.12

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE DON JONES INDEX

 

CHART of CATEGORIES w/VALUE ADDED to EQUAL BASELINE of 15,000

(REFLECTING… approximately… DOW JONES INDEX of June 27, 2013)

 

Gains in indices as improved are noted in GREEN.  Negative/harmful indices in RED as are their designation.  (Note – some of the indices where the total went up created a realm where their value went down... and vice versa.) See a further explanation of categories HERE

 

ECONOMIC INDICES 

 

(60%)

 

CATEGORY

VALUE

BASE

RESULTS by PERCENTAGE

SCORE

OUR SOURCES and COMMENTS

 

INCOME

(24%)

6/17/13 revised 1/1/22

LAST

CHANGE

NEXT

LAST WEEK

THIS WEEK

THE WEEK’S CLOSING STATS...

 

Wages (hrly. Per cap)

9%

1350 points

 11/20/25

  +0.38%

   12/25

1,846.20

1,853.22

https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/average-hourly-earnings 36.67*

* Average hourly earnings for all employees on US private nonfarm payrolls rose by 9 cents, or 0.2% over a month, to $36.67 in September 2025, slowing from an upwardly revised 0.4% gain in August and just below market forecasts of a 0.3% increase. In September, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 8 cents, or 0.3%, to $31.53. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.8% in September, matching August's revised pace and slightly above analysts' estimates of 3.7%. source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

 

Median Inc. (yearly)

4%

600

 11/20/25

+16.72%

 12/4/25

986.80

1,151.83

http://www.usdebtclock.org/   52,347* 363

 

Unempl. (BLS – in mi)

4%

600

 11/20/25

 +0.28%

   10/25*

530.25

530.25

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000/    4.3*  4.4% (SEPT.)

 

Official (DC – in mi)

2%

300

 11/20/25

 +5.58%

 12/4/25

215.11

203.10

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    7,722 730

 

Unofficl. (DC – in mi)

2%

300

  11/20/25

  -6.12%

 12/4/25

229.26

243.27

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    14,135 141

 

Workforce Participation

   Number

   Percent

2%

300

  11/20/25

 

  +0.16%

  -0.00015%

 12/4/25

297.14

297.14

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    In 163,956 977 Out 104,418 447

Total: 268,174

61.138

 

WP %  (ycharts)*

1%

150

  11/20/25

   -0.16%

   10/25*

150.71

150.71

https://ycharts.com/indicators/labor_force_participation_rate  62.30 *

 

OUTGO

(15%)

 *  U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

census.gov Notification
Due to the lapse of federal funding, portions of this website are not being updated. Any inquiries submitted via www.census.gov will not be answered until appropriations are enacted.

 

Total Inflation

7%

1050

 11/20/25

 +0.4%

   10/25*

927.45

927.45

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.3

 

Food

2%

300

 11/20/25

 +0.5%

   10/25*

262.59

262.59

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.2

 

Gasoline

2%

300

 11/20/25

 +1.9%

   10/25*

255.11

255.11

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +4.1

 

Medical Costs

2%

300

 11/20/25

  -0.1%

   10/25*

274.20

274.20

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.3

 

Shelter

2%

300

 11/20/25

 +0.4%

   10/25*

250.63

250.63

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.2

 

WEALTH

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

census.gov Notification
Due to the lapse of federal funding, portions of this website are not being updated. Any inquiries submitted via www.census.gov will not be answered until appropriations are enacted.

 

Dow Jones Index

2%

300

  11/20/25

 +0.245%

 12/4/25

360.20

361.08

https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/index/   47,427.12

 

Home (Sales)

(Valuation)

1%

1%

150

150

  11/20/25

+1.015%

  -1.75%

    10/25*

125.77

272.70

125.77

272.70

https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics

Sales (M):  4.10 Valuations (K):  415.2*

 

Millionaires  (New Category)

1%

150

  11/20/25

 +0.07%

 12/4/25

134.30

134.40

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    23,873 879

 

Paupers (New Category)

1%

150

  11/20/25

 +0.027%

 12/4/25

133.42

133.46

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    37,234 230

 

*Due to the lapse of federal funding, portions of this website are not being updated. Any inquiries submitted via www.census.gov will not be answered until appropriations are enacted.

 

GOVERNMENT

(10%)

 

Revenue (trilns.)

2%

300

  11/20/25

  +0.08%

 12/4/25

458.71

459.06

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    5,265 267

 

Expenditures (tr.)

2%

300

  11/20/25

  +0.04%

 12/4/25

295.38

295.25

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    7,033 035

 

National Debt tr.)

3%

450

  11/20/25

  +0.33%

 12/4/25

354.24

353.07

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    38,347 434

 

Aggregate Debt (tr.)

3%

450

  11/20/25

  +0.19%

 12/4/25

377.76

377.05

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    105,567 624

 

 

TRADE

(5%)

 

Foreign Debt (tr.)

2%

300

  11/20/25

   +0.27%

 12/4/25

258.57

257.88

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    9,411 417

 

Exports (in billions)

1%

150

 11/20/25

   +1.15%

   10/25*

174.76

174.76

*https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html  280.8

 

Imports (in billions))

1%

150

 11/20/25

    -5.94%

   10/25*

151.56

151.56

*https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html  340.4

 

Trade Surplus/Deficit (blns.)

1%

150

 11/20/25

  -23.12%

   10/25*

253.88

253.88

*https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html    59.6

 

 

U.S. flag  *An official website of the United States government

census.gov 

  Notification:  Due to the lapse of federal funding, portions of this website are not being updated. Any inquiries submitted via www.census.gov will not be answered until appropriations are enacted.

 

 

SOCIAL INDICES 

 

(40%)

 

Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died of wounds Thursday. Her counterpart, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe,

 

ACTS of MAN

(12%)

 

 

 

 

World Affairs

3%

450

 11/20/25

       -0.2%

 12/4/25

470.08

469.14

American critics, even some Republicans, point out hypocrisy in Trump pardoning former  Honduran President Jose Orlando Hernandez for drug dealing and corruption. Pope Leo travels Thanksgiving weekend to... Turkey!

 

War and terrorism

2%

300

 11/20/25

       -0.2%

 12/4/25

288.34

287.76

DC shooting upgraded to murder after guardswoman Beckstrom dies, colleague Wolf still critical.  Politicians play blame game.  Putin says no deal on Ukraine because corruption proves Zelenskyy is “illegitimate”.  War crimes investigators probe Israeli killing of  surrendering Palestinians and Hegseth orders to kill Venezuelan boat survivors.

 

Politics

3%

450

 11/20/25

          nc

 12/4/25

460.68

460.68

Dealmaker Witkoff and tagalong Jared off to Moscow to present Trump’s revised peace plan to Mad Vlad. 

 

Economics

3%

450

 11/20/25

       +0.2

 12/4/25

429.64

430.50

Shutdown stock stats find biggest drop in value of the dollar since summer.  Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday sales up over 2024 despite tariffs.  TVconmystics say best deals are on appliances, tech, gift cards and clothing..  Campbell’s exec fired for saying its soups are for “poor people”. 

 

Crime

1%

150

 11/20/25

       -0.2%

 12/4/25

209.35

208.93

Four killed (three children) 10 wounded by shootings at family party in Stockton, CA.  Thieves steal rare wine in Virginia.

 

ACTS of GOD

(6%)

 

 

 

 

Environment/Weather

3%

450

 11/20/25

      -0.1%

 12/4/25

284.37

284.09

2025 hurricane season ends with no strikes on the USA (but destruction in Jamaica),  Midwest blizzards snarl holiday traffic on land and air.  Worst storm in Chicago in four years.

 

Disasters

3%

450

 11/20/25

      +0.1%

 12/4/25

459.77

460.23

Hong Kong hirise fire blamed on cheap bamboo scaffolding; 8 sloppy contractors arrested.  Over 1,000 killed in South Asian flooding.  Two California children survive coyote attack.

 

LIFESTYLE/JUSTICE INDEX

(15%)

 

 

 

 

Science, Tech, Education

4%

600

 11/20/25

      +0.1%

 12/4/25

615.43 

616.05

Chinese robot walks 66 miles, Russian android keeps falling down.  AI will triple energy consumption by 2030.  Lightning detected on Mars. 

 

Equality (econ/social)

     4%

600

 11/20/25

      +0.2%

 12/4/25

671.73

673.07

Lauren Sanchez (Bezos) donates another “transformative” $100M grant to help the homeless – especially pregnant women – and she’s trumped (but not by Donald, by the Dell family which donates six billion to young children after they’re born).

 

Health

4%

600

 11/20/25

      -0.2%

 12/4/25

419.24

418.40

New H3N2 flu strain in Japan and the U.K. migrating to USA.  RFK Junior’s MWAAHAA HHS says Covid vaxxing kills children.  TV docs decry politicalization.  Holiday candy bark recalled for containing wheat and peanuts.

 

Freedom and Justice

3%

450

 11/20/25

      -0.1%

 12/4/25

481.61

481.13

Replacement DA drops Fani Willis case against Trump.  Jury hears Megan Thee Stallion’s deepfake slander.  Wrongfully conviced Louisiana man free after 30 years on Death Row.

 

CULTURAL and MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS

(6%)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cultural incidents

3%

450

 11/20/25

      +0.1%

 12/4/25

571.70

572.27

“Zootopia Two” has record US and worldwide B.O.  Kennedy Center’s 12/23 gala to honor George Strait, Sylvester Stallone and K.I.S.S,

   RIP: golfer Fuzzy Zoeller, @  R(etire)IP: rassler John Cena to be a full time actor.

 

Miscellaneous incidents

4%

450

 11/20/25

      +0.2%

 12/4/25

542.32

543.40

@

 

 

 

The Don Jones Index for the week of November 20th through November 26th, 2025 was UP 175.02 points

The Don Jones Index is sponsored by the Coalition for a New Consensus: retired Congressman and Independent Presidential candidate Jack “Catfish” Parnell, Chairman; Brian Doohan, Administrator.  The CNC denies, emphatically, allegations that the organization, as well as any of its officers (including former Congressman Parnell, environmentalist/America-Firster Austin Tillerman and cosmetics CEO Rayna Finch) and references to Parnell’s works, “Entropy and Renaissance” and “The Coming Kill-Off” are fictitious or, at best, mere pawns in the web-serial “Black Helicopters” – and promise swift, effective legal action against parties promulgating this and/or other such slanders.

Comments, complaints, donations (especially SUPERPAC donations) always welcome at feedme@generisis.com or: speak@donjonesindex.com.

 

ATTACHMENT ONE – FROM

WORLD POPULATION REVIEW – HAPPINESS INDEX 2024

 

Finland

7.74

Denmark

7.58

Iceland

7.53

Sweden

7.34

Israel

7.34

Netherlands

7.32

Norway

7.3

Luxembourg

7.12

Australia

7.06

Switzerland

7.06

New Zealand

7.03

Costa Rica

6.96

Kuwait

6.95

Austria

6.91

Canada

6.9

Belgium

6.89

Ireland

6.84

Czechia

6.82

Lithuania

6.82

United Kingdom

6.75

Slovenia

6.74

United States

6.73

United Arab Emirates

6.73

Germany

6.72

Mexico

6.68

France

6.61

Uruguay

6.61

Saudi Arabia

6.59

Singapore

6.52

Taiwan

6.5

Romania

6.49

El Salvador

6.47

Estonia

6.45

Poland

6.44

Spain

6.42

Serbia

6.41

Chile

6.36

Panama

6.36

Malta

6.35

Italy

6.32

Guatemala

6.29

Nicaragua

6.28

Brazil

6.27

Slovakia

6.26

Latvia

6.23

Uzbekistan

6.2

Argentina

6.19

Kazakhstan

6.19

Cyprus

6.07

Japan

6.06

South Korea

6.06

Philippines

6.05

Vietnam

6.04

Portugal

6.03

Hungary

6.02

Thailand

5.98

Malaysia

5.98

Paraguay

5.98

China

5.97

Honduras

5.97

Bahrain

5.96

Croatia

5.94

Greece

5.93

Bosnia and Herzegovina

5.88

Libya

5.87

Peru

5.84

Jamaica

5.84

Dominican Republic

5.82

Moldova

5.82

Mauritius

5.82

Russia

5.79

Bolivia

5.78

Ecuador

5.73

Montenegro

5.71

Colombia

5.7

Mongolia

5.7

Venezuela

5.61

Indonesia

5.57

Bulgaria

5.46

Armenia

5.46

South Africa

5.42

North Macedonia

5.37

Algeria

5.36

Hong Kong

5.32

Albania

5.3

Tajikistan

5.28

Mozambique

5.22

Republic of the Congo

5.22

Georgia

5.19

Iraq

5.17

Nepal

5.16

Laos

5.14

Gabon

5.11

Ivory Coast

5.08

Guinea

5.02

Turkey

4.98

Senegal

4.97

Iran

4.92

Azerbaijan

4.89

Nigeria

4.88

Palestine

4.88

Ukraine

4.87

Cameroon

4.87

Namibia

4.83

Morocco

4.8

Pakistan

4.66

Niger

4.56

Burkina Faso

4.55

Mauritania

4.51

Gambia

4.49

Kenya

4.47

Chad

4.47

Tunisia

4.42

Benin

4.38

Uganda

4.37

Myanmar

4.35

Cambodia

4.34

Ghana

4.29

Liberia

4.27

Madagascar

4.23

Mali

4.23

Togo

4.21

Jordan

4.19

India

4.05

Egypt

3.98

Sri Lanka

3.9

Bangladesh

3.89

Ethiopia

3.86

Tanzania

3.78

Comoros

3.57

Yemen

3.56

Zambia

3.5

Eswatini

3.5

Malawi

3.42

Botswana

3.38

Zimbabwe

3.34

DR Congo

3.3

Sierra Leone

3.25

Lesotho

3.19

Lebanon

2.71

Afghanistan

1.72

 

·         Happiness rankings are three-year averages. For example, 2023 rankings compile data from 2020-2022, while 2022 rankings compile data from 2019-2021.

·         Happiness rankings are determined by analyzing comprehensive Gallup polling data from 149 countries in six particular categories: gross domestic product per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make your own life choices, generosity of the general population, and perceptions of internal and external corruption levels.

·         The following countries lack survey information in 2022, so their 2023 averages are based on the 2020 and 2021 survey: Zambia, Uganda, Turkey, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Slovakia, Singapore, Serbia, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Myanmar, Montenegro, Malaysia, Laos, Iraq, China, Burkina Faso, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bahrain, Algeria

·         The following countries lack survey information in 2021, so their 2022 averages are based on the 2019 and 2020 survey: Yemen, Turkmenistan, Rwanda, Palestine, Niger, Mauritania, Madagascar, Luxembourg, Libya, Liberia, Lesotho, Kuwait, , Guatemala, Gambia, Eswatini, Comoros, Chad, Botswana, Belarus, Azerbaijan.

Snapshot

·         Happiness is measured using six categories including GDP per capita, social support, and healthy life expectancy, among others.

·         Northern European countries dominate the top of the happiness rankings, reflecting strong social support systems and high standards of living.

·         Finland is ranked as the happiest country in the world in 2024, with Denmark and Iceland following closely behind.

Since 2002, the World Happiness Report has used statistical analysis to determine the world’s happiest countries. In its 2024 update, the report concluded that Finland is the happiest country in the world. To determine the world’s happiest country, researchers analyzed comprehensive Gallup polling data from 143 countries for the past three years, specifically monitoring performance in six particular categories: gross domestic product per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make your own life choices, generosity of the general population, and perceptions of internal and external corruption levels.

In order to properly compare each country’s data, the researchers created a fictional country—christened Dystopia—filled with “the world’s least-happy people.” They then set Dystopia as the rock bottom value in each of the six categories and measured the scores of the real-world countries against this value. All six variables were then blended to create a single combined score for each country. Six out of the top seven happiest countries in the world for 2024 were Northern European countries. Finland took top honors—for the tenth year in a row—with an overall score of 7.741, followed (in order) by Denmark (7.583), Iceland (7.525), Sweden (7.344), Israel (7.341), the Netherlands (7.319), and Norway (7.302).

The Top 10 Happiest Countries in the World (World Happiness Score 2024)

The least happy country in the world for 2024 was Afghanistan, whose 143rd-place ranking of 1.721 can be attributed in part to a low life expectancy rate, low gross domestic product rates per capita, and perhaps most importantly, the recent Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Rounding out the bottom five are Lebanon (2.707), Lesotho (3.186), Sierra Leone (3.245), and DR Congo (3.295).

The Top 7 Happiest Countries in the World for 2024

1. Finland

Finland ranks as the world’s happiest country based on the 2024 report, with a score of 7.741 out of a total possible score of 10. The citizens of Finland have strong feelings of communal support and mutual trust that not only helped secure the #1 ranking but also helped the country as a whole navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. During that trying time, Finlanders felt strongly that they were free to make their own choices and showed minimal suspicion of government corruption. Both of these factors are strong contributors to overall happiness.

2. Denmark

The second-happiest country in the world is Denmark, which scores 7.583. Denmark’s values for each of the six variables are quite comparable to those of Finland. In fact, Denmark has even outscored the leader in multiple categories, including GDP per capita and generosity. The country also scored the highest in happiness among older adults (60+).

3. Iceland

Iceland ranks as 2024’s third-happiest country in the entire world, with a total score of 7.525. Of the top seven happiest countries around the globe, Iceland boasts the highest feeling of social support. Iceland also had the second-highest generosity score in the top seven, though it’s worth noting that it ranked only 11th worldwide. Iceland is also a happier country for the youngsters at #4 than Finland (#7) and Denmark (#5).

4. Sweden

Fourth-place Sweden (7.344) ranks only #18 for happiness among the younger people (aged below 30). Yet, it is also #4 in older adults’ happiness. In fact, according to the report, along with Norway, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Spain, Sweden is a country where the old are now significantly happier than the young, while in Portugal, Greece, and Israel the opposite is true.

5. Israel

Fifth in the ranks of the happiest countries with a score of 7.341, Israel showed emotional resilience in the wake of the October 7th attack. Israel occupies the second spot for the happiness of the young people, just behind Lithuania. However, conversely to Sweden and Norway, the older Israelis are significantly less happy than their young fellow citizens, the country ranking #18 for senior citizens’ happiness.

6. Netherlands

Edging out Norway for the honor of sixth-happiest country in the world is the Netherlands (also known as Holland to many tulip lovers), with a score of 7.319. The Netherlands scored higher in the generosity category than any other top-seven country and also had the highest GDP.

7. Norway

The citizens of seventh-place Norway (7.302) feel they are being well cared for by their government thanks to universal healthcare and free college tuition. Norwegians also enjoy a healthy work-life balance, working an average of 27 hours per week vs. 36 hours per week in the United States. Additionally, Norway has a low crime rate and a strong sense of community among its citizens—a quality it shares with many in the top seven.

Honorable Mention: Bhutan

Bhutan was previously excluded from the 2021 report due to a technicality: each country’s scores were based upon detailed Gallup polls, but Gallup did not conduct polling in Bhutan during the required timeframe. In the 1970s, the 4th King of Bhutan stated, “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestic Product.” Since then, the idea of Gross National Happiness (GNH) has influenced Bhutan’s development policy. Its GNH Index value increased from 0.743 in 2010 to 0.781 in 2022. With a focus on mindfulness and well-being, Bhutan may soon give some of its Northern European counterparts a run for their money in terms of people’s happiness.

 

 

 

 

A2  FROM PBS

Finland ranked happiest country in the world. The U.S. falls to its lowest-ever position

World Mar 20, 2025 12:39 PM EST

 

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland is the happiest country in the world for the eighth year in a row, according to the World Happiness Report 2025 published Thursday.

Other Nordic countries are also once again at the top of the happiness rankings in the annual report published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. Besides Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden remain the top four and in the same order.

Aino Virolainen, a digital commerce director, has lived abroad but always wants to return home to Finland.

“This is where I always want to come back to and where I want to, you know, grow my kids and grow old myself,” Virolainen said Thursday. “And I think it’s because, you know, the peace and the quietness and the trustworthiness. You know, how we speak directly and the nature, of course. It’s clean and the air is fresh and what’s there not to love?”

Country rankings were based on answers people give when asked to rate their own lives. The study was done in partnership with the analytics firm Gallup and the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

“Happiness isn’t just about wealth or growth — it’s about trust, connection and knowing people have your back,” said Jon Clifton, the CEO of Gallup. “If we want stronger communities and economies, we must invest in what truly matters: each other.”

SHARING MEALS AND HAVING SOMEBODY TO COUNT ON

Researchers say that beyond health and wealth, some factors that influence happiness sound deceptively simple: sharing meals with others, having somebody to count on for social support, and household size. In Mexico and Europe, for example, a household size of four to five people predicts the highest levels of happiness, the study said.

Believing in the kindness of others is also much more closely tied to happiness than previously thought, according to the latest findings.

As an example, the report suggests that people who believe that others are willing to return their lost wallet is a strong predictor of the overall happiness of a population.

Nordic nations rank among the top places for expected and actual return of lost wallets, the study found.

Alexandra Peth, a managing director, said Finnish culture prioritizes trust and connection.

“People trust each other in Finland and I think on many levels in the society, we try to support each other,” Peth said. “So I think the system makes it kind of that you can trust it somehow.”

Overall, researchers said that global evidence on the perceived and actual return of lost wallets shows that people are much too pessimistic about the kindness of their communities compared to reality — actual rates of wallet return are around twice as high as people expect.

THE U.S. FALLS TO ITS LOWEST-EVER POSITION IN THE HAPPINESS RANKING

While European countries dominate the top 20 in the ranking, there were some exceptions. Despite the war with Hamas, Israel came in at eighth. Costa Rica and Mexico entered the top 10 for the first time, ranking at sixth and 10th respectively.

When it comes to decreasing happiness — or growing unhappiness — the United States has dropped to its lowest-ever position at 24, having previously peaked at 11th place in 2012. The report states that the number of people dining alone in the United States has increased 53% over the past two decades.

The United Kingdom, at position 23, is reporting its lowest average life evaluation since the 2017 report.

Afghanistan is again ranked as the unhappiest country in the world, with Afghan women saying their lives are especially difficult.

Sierra Leone in western Africa is the second unhappiest, followed by Lebanon, ranking third from the bottom.

Almost one-fifth of young adults globally have no social support

In a concerning development, the study said that 19% of young adults across the world reported in 2023 that they have no one they could count on for social support. That is a 39% increase compared to 2006.

All countries are ranked according to their self-assessed life evaluations averaged over 2022 to 2024.

Experts in economics, psychology, sociology and beyond then seek to explain the variations across countries and over time using factors such as gross domestic product per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, a sense of freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption.

Jouni Purhonen, a Helsinki resident, called Finns “really calm.”

“So we have the time to think about things like live our life really peacefully and I guess easily, if you will,” Purhonen said.

Kirsten Grieshaber reported from Berlin.

 

 

A3 ATTACHMENT – FROM  the GUARDIAN U.K.

AFGHANISTAN LIFE EXPECTANCY RISING AS HEALTHCARE IMPROVES, SURVEY SHOWS

Better access to healthcare in last decade has resulted in Afghans living longer and the infant mortality rate being cut

Wed 30 Nov 2011 10.15 EST

 

Afghans are living longer, fewer infants are dying and more women are surviving childbirth because healthcare has dramatically improved around the country in the past decade, according to a national survey.

It indicates that increased access to healthcare, more hospitals, clinics and doctors have significantly contributed to an overall improvement in the health of most Afghans.

"There have been many changes in the health sector and that is why we have so many positive changes," said Bashir Noormal, director general of the Afghan Public Health Institute.

Conducted by the Afghan health ministry in 2010, the survey was sponsored and funded by international organisations such as Unicef, the World Health Organisation, the US government and the British Department for International Development. It was the most comprehensive to date in Afghanistan, despite the exclusion of some rural areas in the south where international forces are fighting insurgents.

It showed that estimated life expectancy is up to between 62 and 64 years for both men and women. That compares with previous studies showing life expectancy from 47 to 50 – the latter figure reported by the WHO in 2009.

The survey also showed infant mortality had been cut in half in recent years, down to 97 deaths per 1,000 live births. It said one in 10 children in Afghanistan dies before they are five years old while previous surveys, carried out about five years ago, showed that one child in five died before reaching that age. The 2009 WHO study reported 199 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Women are also far more likely to survive pregnancy today. The survey indicated that the number of women who die from pregnancy related causes has dropped to one in every 50. Afghan women on average have just over five children, it said.

Still, one Afghan women dies about every two hours from pregnancy-related causes and while childhood mortality is decreasing, it remains the highest in the region. "We still have a very long way to go," said the Afghan public health minister, Suraya Dalil.

Recent improvements are visible at Kabul's Malalai Maternity hospital, the oldest and biggest in the capital, where Dr Hafeeza Amar Khail, the facility's medical director, said the hospital was "seeing decreasing mortality every year – last year, the year before and the year before that" and attributed the improvements to constant training.

"We now update doctors, midwives and all the staff of this hospital," she said. "We also have a midwife clinic and supply midwives to the provinces."

In 2003, there were just 450 health facilities in Afghanistan, including hospitals, according to the health ministry. Now, there are more than 1,800. The number of midwives has risen from 400 in 2003 to more than 2,000 in 2010, including many trained by organisations such as Save the Children.

"These encouraging results show that even in the most challenging and difficult environments, dramatic improvements in child mortality can be achieved," said David Skinner, country director for Save the Children.

Since 2003, about 20,000 community health workers have been trained nationwide by various groups and organisations. "As a result of this, and other community-level activities, fewer children are dying from preventable causes like diarrhoea or pneumonia," Skinner said.

The study, however, revealed significant gaps between rural and urban areas and showed that wealth and education play a key role in the level of healthcare Afghans receive.

The Afghan government, experts and sponsors say it also shows that development aid to Afghanistan in the health sector has worked, despite obstacles, bureaucracy and endemic corruption.

They argue that aid must not be reduced as the international community gradually trims the funds it provides the government as it starts drawing down the 130,000 troops currently in the country.

"International aid, which has funded many of the public health programmes in Afghanistan, has made a real difference, saving many children's lives," Skinner said. "Donor governments need to build on this success and continue to invest in Afghanistan in ways that directly benefit ordinary Afghans."

The World Bank said last week that Afghanistan will need billions of dollars in aid for a decade or more, especially if it hopes to fund services such as health. The health ministry receives the majority of its funding from foreign donors, with the biggest being the US, World Bank and European Union.

The World Bank said Afghanistan this year received $15.7bn (Ł10bn) in aid, representing more than 90% of its public spending.

The study surveyed 225,351 households and 47,848 women from ages 12 to 49. Survey organisers acknowledge that although it covered 87% of the country – 98% of the urban population and 84% of the rural one – the survey had data collection problems.

Because of security reasons, it did not include rural areas of three major southern provinces, Kandahar, Helmand and Zabul, which have seen some of the most intense fighting between insurgents and Afghan and Nato troops

 

A4 FROM CBS

2025 World Happiness Report shows U.S. in lowest-ever spot on list

By Nicole Brown Chau  Updated on: March 20, 2025 / 11:30 AM EDT / CBS News

 

The United States this year fell to its lowest-ever place on the World Happiness Report, an annual survey published on International Day of Happiness. The 2025 report highlights the positive effects benevolence and social connections have on people's life satisfaction.

Finland remained the happiest nation for the eighth year in a row, while Mexico and Costa Rico ranked among the top 10 for the first time since the report was first published in 2012. 

This year's report ranks 147 countries by their happiness levels — based on a population's average assessment of their quality of life from 2022 to 2024. Data from the Gallup World Poll, which asks respondents to evaluate their current life, is the primary source for the annual happiness rankings.

Researchers found that the belief in the kindness of others, as well as actively caring about and sharing with others, has strong effects on happiness, according to the report.

"Happiness isn't just about wealth or growth — it's about trust, connection and knowing people have your back," Jon Clifton, the CEO of Gallup, said in a statement.

 

U.S. RANKS 24TH, ITS LOWEST RANKING

The U.S. ranked 24th in the world, one place lower than its 2024 ranking. America previously peaked at 11th place in 2012.

One factor highlighted in the report was the increasing number of people who eat alone.

"In 2023, roughly 1 in 4 Americans reported eating all of their meals alone the previous day — an increase of 53% since 2003," the report said. "Dining alone has become more prevalent for every age group, but especially for young people."

Data reviewed for the report indicates major differences in the rates of meal-sharing around the world, with sharing meals having a positive effect on wellbeing.

Another factor contributing to America's drop in the rankings, as well as the rankings of some European countries, was "the rise in political polarization and votes against 'the system,'" the report said.

"The country-wide evolution of happiness and trust is highly associated with the rise in the likelihood of voting for anti-system parties in Western Europe and the United States," the authors wrote.

Mexico, Costa Rica enter the top 10 for first time

A key reason for the rise in Mexico and Costa Rica's rankings appeared to be family household size.

"Latin American societies, characterized by larger household sizes and strong family bonds, offer valuable lessons for other societies that seek higher and sustainable wellbeing," the report said. 

The report compared Mexico to European countries, explaining that even though it is poorer, "larger households imply a potential advantage to build positive social interactions within the household, which could partially counterbalance the differences in income with Europe."

In Europe, 23% of households were single-person, while in Mexico, only 11% were single-person, according to data cited in the report. 

"In both Mexico and Europe, the highest average life satisfaction is reported by people who live in households with four to five members," the authors wrote. "We also observe an inverted U-shaped relationship. Average life satisfaction is lower for people in single-person households as well as households with six or seven members."

Dropped wallet experiment 

The Gallup World Poll asked people in 2019 if they thought others would return a lost wallet, and found that "people are much too pessimistic about the benevolence of others."

"When wallets were dropped in the street by researchers, the proportion of returned wallets was far higher than people expected," the report said.

The belief that others would return the lost wallets also contributed to a country's ranking.

The Nordic nations, including Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, ranked in the top 10 countries and were among the top places for expected and actual return of lost wallets, the report said.

"The wallet data are so convincing because they confirm that people are much happier living where they think people care about each other," John F. Helliwell, an economist at the University of British Columbia and a founding editor of the World Happiness Report, said in a statement.

Additionally, the researchers found that globally, benevolent acts were 10% more frequent in 2024 than in 2017-2019.

 

AI OVERVIEW

The United States' happiness index was ranked 24th globally in the 2025 World Happiness Report, marking a new all-time low, according to the New York Times and Newsweek. The score has declined, particularly among those under 30, and is attributed to factors like increased solo dining and rising "deaths of despair". 

·         Global ranking: The U.S. dropped to 24th in the 2025 World Happiness Report.

·         Historical data: The U.S. ranked 11th in 2012 but has steadily declined since.

·         Contributing factors: The decline is linked to factors like a significant increase in Americans eating meals alone and a rise in "deaths of despair" (suicide, alcohol, and drug abuse).

·         Age divide: The report noted a stark difference in happiness levels between age groups, with the U.S. ranking 10th for those over 60 but 62nd for those under 30.

·         Data source: The rankings are based on the Gallup World Poll, which uses the Cantril Ladder metric to have people rate their lives on a scale of 0 to 10. 

 

 

A5  FROM MIEUX DONNER

The happiest countries and findings from the World Happiness Report 2025

By Romain Barbe

.

Table of Contents

1.    Key insights:

2.    What are the top 25 happiest countries in 2025?

3.    Some of the world’s happiest countries buy wellbeing for WAY cheaper than others

4.    Some of the world’s happiest countries in 2025 are also the most generous

5.    People are kinder than we think

6.    Giving to others: How to convert your money into greater happiness for others

7.    What You Can Do Today

8.    You might also want to read...

 

Key insights:

 

·         Top happiest countries in 2025: Finland retains its title as the world’s happiest country, with Nordic countries dominating the top spots. The UK and the United States barely make the top 25, while France drops to 33rd.

·         Generosity and happiness: The happiest countries are also among the most generous. A positive correlation exists between international aid and happiness, suggesting that countries spreading happiness beyond their borders are not only happier but also more benevolent.

·         Some countries buy wellbeing more efficiently: Latin American countries like Costa Rica and Mexico outperform wealthier nations in terms of life satisfaction, even though their income levels are lower;

·         Trust and kindness: People’s perceptions of others’ generosity tend to be pessimistic. In reality, acts of kindness, like returning a lost wallet, happen more often than expected, which significantly boosts happiness. Trust in others is strongly associated with wellbeing, even more so than factors like income or employment.

·         There is a specific chapter of the report dedicated to giving to others:

o    The cost-effectiveness of charities can be measured and compared with a standardised metric of value: Wellbeing-Years (WELLBYs).

o    This is the first global review of published evidence about the cost-effectiveness of charities at increasing happiness.

o    The cost-effectiveness of charities varies dramatically. The best charities in our sample are hundreds of times better at increasing happiness per euro than others. The most effective ones may even surprise you, as they tend to outperform larger, more well-known organizations.

o    The message for donors is: you can make a far greater difference at no extra cost by funding more cost-effective charities; you can also give with the confidence that researchers have impartially evaluated the charities for you and compared them by something that really matters: their impact on people’s happiness.

What are the top 25 happiest countries in 2025?

The World Happiness Report, the world’s foremost publication on global wellbeing and how to improve it, have just shared their 2025 rankings, based on self-reported happiness. The report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The Happier Lives Institute, a research organisation about wellbeing, also wrote a chapter for the report! Read on to learn more.

Once again, the Nordic countries claim the top spots, with Finland retaining its title as the world’s happiest country. These wealthy, homogenous, high trust states with generous welfare systems continue to dominate the rankings (we assume it doesn’t have to do with the pickled fish).

The UK and United States may be countries that pride themselves on their exceptionalism, but they are not exceptionally satisfied with life – barely making the top 25, France is ranked 33rd, losing 6 ranks compared to the previous edition.

Happier Lives Institute figure, based on data presented in the 2025 World Happiness Report. The happiness levels are an average of the years 2022, 2023, and 2024. The error bars are 95% confidence intervals.

 

Complete list:

1

Finland

7,736

2

Denmark

7,521

3

Iceland

7,515

4

Sweden

7,345

5

Netherlands

7,306

6

Costa Rica

7,274

7

Norway

7,262

8

Israel

7,234

9

Luxembourg

7,122

10

Mexico

6,979

11

Australia

6,974

12

New Zealand

6,952

13

Switzerland

6,935

14

Belgium

6,910

15

Ireland

6,889

16

Lithuania

6,829

17

Austria

6,810

18

Canada

6,803

19

Slovenia

6,792

20

Czechia

6,775

21

United Arab Emirates

6,759

22

Germany

6,753

23

United Kingdom

6,728

24

United States

6,724

25

Belize

6,711

26

Poland

6,673

27

Taiwan Province of China

6,669

28

Uruguay

6,661

29

Kosovo

6,659

30

Kuwait

6,629

31

Serbia

6,606

32

Saudi Arabia

6,600

33

France

6,593

34

Singapore

6,565

35

Romania

6,563

36

Brazil

6,494

37

El Salvador

6,492

38

Spain

6,466

39

Estonia

6,417

40

Italy

6,415

41

Panama

6,407

42

Argentina

6,397

43

Kazakhstan

6,378

44

Guatemala

6,362

45

Chile

6,361

46

Viet Nam

6,352

47

Nicaragua

6,330

48

Malta

6,316

49

Thailand

6,222

50

Slovakia

6,221

51

Latvia

6,207

52

Oman

6,197

53

Uzbekistan

6,193

54

Paraguay

6,172

55

Japan

6,147

56

Bosnia and Herzegovina

6,136

57

Philippines

6,107

58

Republic of Korea

6,038

59

Bahrain

6,030

60

Portugal

6,013

61

Colombia

6,004

62

Ecuador

5,965

63

Honduras

5,964

64

Malaysia

5,955

65

Peru

5,947

66

Russian Federation

5,945

67

Cyprus

5,942

68

China

5,921

69

Hungary

5,915

70

Trinidad and Tobago

5,905

71

Montenegro

5,877

72

Croatia

5,870

73

Jamaica

5,870

74

Bolivia

5,868

75

Kyrgyzstan

5,858

76

Dominican Republic

5,846

77

Mongolia

5,833

78

Mauritius

5,832

79

Libya

5,820

80

Republic of Moldova

5,819

81

Greece

5,776

82

Venezuela

5,683

83

Indonesia

5,617

84

Algeria

5,571

85

Bulgaria

5,554

86

North Macedonia

5,503

87

Armenia

5,494

88

Hong Kong SAR of China

5,491

89

Albania

5,411

90

Tajikistan

5,411

91

Georgia

5,400

92

Nepal

5,311

93

Lao PDR

5,301

94

Türkiye

5,262

95

South Africa

5,213

96

Mozambique

5,190

97

Gabon

5,120

98

Côte d’Ivoire

5,102

99

Iran

5,093

100

Congo

5,030

101

Iraq

4,976

102

Guinea

4,929

103

Namibia

4,911

104

Cameroon

4,887

105

Nigeria

4,885

106

Azerbaijan

4,875

107

Senegal

4,856

108

State of Palestine

4,780

109

Pakistan

4,768

110

Niger

4,725

111

Ukraine

4,680

112

Morocco

4,622

113

Tunisia

4,552

114

Mauritania

4,542

115

Kenya

4,510

116

Uganda

4,461

117

Gambia

4,423

118

India

4,389

119

Chad

4,384

120

Burkina Faso

4,383

121

Benin

4,357

122

Somalia

4,347

123

Mali

4,345

124

Cambodia

4,341

125

Ghana

4,340

126

Myanmar

4,321

127

Togo

4,315

128

Jordan

4,310

129

Liberia

4,277

130

Madagascar

4,157

131

Zambia

3,912

132

Ethiopia

3,898

133

Sri Lanka

3,891

134

Bangladesh

3,851

135

Egypt

3,817

136

Tanzania

3,800

137

Eswatini

3,774

138

Lesotho

3,757

139

Comoros

3,754

140

Yemen

3,561

141

DR Congo

3,469

142

Botswana

3,438

143

Zimbabwe

3,396

144

Malawi

3,260

145

Lebanon

3,188

146

Sierra Leone

2,998

147

Afghanistan

1,364

 

Some of the world’s happiest countries buy wellbeing for WAY cheaper than others

Richer countries tend to be happier. Nevertheless, several Latin American countries continue to outperform expectations based on income alone. Residents of Costa Rica report higher life satisfaction than Americans (and Mexican life satisfaction is very close to that of the US), despite having less than half the income.

 

Some of the world’s happiest countries in 2025 are also the most generous

Being a happy country is good. But spreading that happiness beyond one’s borders is even better. This year’s World Happiness Report [2] highlights the often-overlooked role of benevolence in improving the lives of the giver and receiver.

One clear way to measure a country’s generosity is through its levels of international aid. In the World Happiness Report (Chapter 2, p. 46), they found a positive correlation between international aid and a country’s happiness. 

Indeed, when we visually look at foreign aid as a share of national income, an interesting pattern emerges: the world’s happiest countries also tend to be among the most generous. 

The connection between helping others and happiness is mirrored on the individual scale. Being more generous is correlated with being happier. Among the generous acts surveyed, donating gives double the happiness boost compared to volunteering or helping strangers (p. 40). Luckily, acts of benevolence may be more common than we imagine.

 

People are kinder than we think

One of our favorite findings from this year’s report suggests that people are worthier of our trust than we realize. 

In Chapter 2 (p. 31), the authors compared survey results about people’s expectations for how often a dropped wallet would be returned with actual return rates from a 40 country experiment. 

They found that the actual return rate across the world was about twice as high as people expected. 

These expectations are also strongly and positively related with wellbeing. Having confidence that a wallet would be returned had a much higher associated effect on happiness than most other factors. 

Believing a wallet would be returned was twice as related to happiness as unemployment and it was correlated with nearly 8 times as much happiness as having one’s income double.

 

THE AUTHORS DRAW OUT THE IMPLICATION: 

“People may be made needlessly unhappy by their unwarranted pessimism.” (p. 31)

Giving to others: How to convert your money into greater happiness for others

The impact charities have on people’s happiness varies hugely. Your donations to charity can go much further – at no extra cost to you – if you contribute to the best organisations.

Let’s unpack this.

1) The first ever review of how much happiness charities can create with a donor’s money

A new chapter of the report aimed to find and review all pre-existing estimates of how much happiness charities produce. The review found 24 charity cost-effectiveness estimates by four different evaluators (interestingly, these evaluators are all UK-based, so the UK is a world-leader in happiness research, if not happiness). 

Wellbeing-years (WELLBYs) [5] are an increasingly accepted method of comparing the value of different interventions, charities, and policies. 1 WELLBY = A 1-point increase on a 0-10 self-reported wellbeing scale (like the one used in the World Happiness Report ranking!) for one person for one year. 

For context, after a year [6] :

·         Being unemployed reduces life satisfaction by 0.5 points (on a 0-10 scale).

·         Marriage increases life satisfaction by 0.3 points (on a 0-10 scale).

·         Doubling income raises life satisfaction by 0.2 points (on a 0-10 scale).

 

2) The best charities are hundreds of times better at increasing happiness per euro.

There’s a huge variation in the wellbeing you can buy per euro donated across charities. 

To put this in perspective, you’re as tall as the average person, and your height represents the cost-effectiveness of the least good charity on the list (this still has a positive impact), the charity on the top of the list would be 5x times taller than the Eiffel Tower! [7]

 

What’s driving the differences in impact across charities?
The short answer is that most cost-effective charities are cheaply providing effective solutions to serious problems faced by people in low and middle income countries (LMICs). Whereas the least cost-effective charities operate in high-income countries (HICs). It costs charities much more to provide the same service in high income countries, and these may have smaller impacts because the need is less and better met by existing services. The report discusses this, and caveats, more in the chapter itself.

Note that the task was to bring together all the work that had already been done. All the research had the same output (WELLBYs per dollar) but the inputs were ‘lumpy’: some analyses were much deeper than others. It was out of scope to renanalyse and to update all the pre-existing estimates. So take this as the first word on the topic, not the last!

3) What are the most cost-effective charities identified so far?

The most cost-effective charities found so far focus on mental health, malnutrition, and lead exposure reduction in low-income countries:

 

Both charities provide low-cost, scalable mental health support in sub-Saharan Africa where the need is great but there is very little provision.

We recognise “Dollars per WELLBY” is not very intuitive. To get a feel for what this means, consider that $20 will, for many, be the cost of a meal out. If you know of a restaurant that will raise your happiness by 1-point for a whole year – more than the difference between being employed and unemployed – then let us know so we can go there! By supporting the best charities, we can make an incredible difference to others at a very small cost to ourselves.

Using the Happier Lives Institute latest research, we published about the charities you can support to increase wellbeing in the world. While not mentioned in this report, the Happier Lives Institute has evaluated the Against Malaria Foundation (AMF). Its impact on well-being is significant, mainly due to the deaths avoided and suffering reduced as a result of malaria prevention. Its effectiveness can vary depending on the philosophical approach adopted. AMF is one of Mieux Donner’s recommendations in our health and poverty category. You can donate and benefit from the associated tax reduction.

4) Why aren’t there any charities I’ve heard of at the top of the list?

In the chapter, what stood out as a gap in the current research is that it didn’t include any well-known charities. The Happier Lives Institute wanted to add some estimates of well-known charities, but they found it surprisingly hard.

Why? Lots of big charities are what they call ‘MANGOs’, standing for ‘Multi-Armed NGOs’. For instance, Oxfam runs hundreds of different programmes. In the chapter, they explain the ‘MANGO problem’ is that it is effectively impossible for us to assess these sorts of organisations. So, donors are really guessing about how much good their money does.

Well-known charities don’t necessarily have a big impact, even if they do more or less one thing. For instance, Happier Lives Institute did a quick estimation of the cost-effectiveness of Guide Dogs UK, not because they wanted to pick on them, but simply because they were one prominent charity that was easier to assess. They estimate that Guide Dogs UK produces a WELLBY for ~$41,000 (i.e., ~2,200 less cost-effective than the average of the top 5 charities, see below). Even though Guide dogs do have a huge impact on the lives of their beneficiaries, training each guide dog costs around $200k [8], making it less cost-effective than other charities that have the same impact for fewer costs.

The HLI did quick cost-effectiveness analyses based on studies of housing (~$35,000 per WELLBY) and cash (~$20,000 per WELLBY) interventions to aid the homeless. These came in at ~2,000 less cost-effective than the top 5 charities, indicating it’s very, very hard to help the homeless cost-effectively.

5) Fund the best charities and centuplicate (or more) your impact at no extra cost!

When the HLI compares the top 5 charities in the sample to the average of the UK charities [9], le(not including Guide Dogs), the top 5 are around 150 times better. The implication is that donating €1,000 to a top charity can have the same impact as donating ~€150,000 to a more typical one. This means that a donation of €1,000 to a leading charity can have the same impact as a donation of around €150,000 to a more traditional charity.

The most cost-effective charity in the analysis (Pure Earth) is around ~1,000 times better (942 times to be precise) at increasing happiness than the least effective evaluated charity (Football Beyond Borders).

But all the charities in their sample had chosen to be evaluated by researchers, so they are probably much better than average. When compared to the average of our quick analyses of Guide Dogs and helping the homeless, the best charity is ~3,500 times better than these popular destinations for our charitable euros. 

 

Does this mean I have to give? The philosopher Dr. Michael Plant, Happier Lives Institute Director and main contributor to this chapter, addresses these questions and more about charitable giving:

·         Do I have to give? You may not be obligated to give, but you should, if you can. However, if you do decide to give, many have the intuition that we should make a bigger, rather than smaller, difference. 

·         Will giving make me happier? Yes [10]. Indeed, in the opening chapter of the world happiness report, they estimate that people who donate tend to get more benefit than performing other benevolent acts such as helping strangers or volunteering. But if you’re not sure if giving will make you happier, you can always try it out!

·         I already give to charity – is it wrong for me to switch to something that would help more? No, not if the point is to help others. But if it makes it easier, consider giving to both the best charities and the ones closest to your heart. 

·         How much should I give? The largest amount that you can sustain.

At Mieux Donner, we promote the 10% pledge, where individuals commit to giving 10% of their income to high-impact charities. We invite people in a variety of situations to consider taking this commitment. While we understand it may not be for everyone, 1% could be a good starting point. If you’re still unsure about pledging, you can try a trial pledge of 1% for a limited period of time.

See the full chapter [11] for more advice.

6) You can do a lot of good, maybe more than you imagined.

Most people [12] think the best charity to help the global poor is around 1.5x as good as the typical charity. 

Based on the evidence presented, the difference between the best and the rest of charities is much, much larger (coarsely illustrated below). We (Mieux Donner) have published an article showing similar evidence on other areas.

 

Before this recent innovation to evaluate charities in terms of wellbeing – using a standardised, scientific approach, that really captures what matters – it was very hard to compare charities, or know how much impact you were having. Before this report, there wasn’t much hard evidence of how big the differences in charity impact were, per euro or per dollar.

But these developments, and what we’ve found, gives us heart. The world feels full of problems that we can do nothing about. But it turns out that we can do something and feel confident we’re making a difference: we can (now) capture charity’s impacts on happiness. What’s more, because impact varies so much between charities, this means we can have a huge, and vastly greater impact, at no extra cost to ourselves – simply by following the evidence and supporting the best charities found so far.

As we write this, the world we thought we knew seems to be falling apart around us. Even if our governments are taking their eye off the ball, we, the citizens of the world, can still do our bit to help the people of the world. Donating to excellent charities not only does a lot of good in itself, but it is also a way of showing that many of us do care, and we are willing to put our money where our mouths are to make the world a better place. 

What You Can Do Today

Your donations have the power to transform lives. You’ve probably heard this for years, maybe your whole life. We think the evidence supports this – IF you choose wisely. By donating to the most effective charities, you can centuplicate (100x – or more!) your impact without spending an additional euro.

What can you do? You can do a lot! Hopefully much more than you imagined.

·         Donate to highly impactful charities to maximize the good you do.

·         Read the full chapter to learn more about the research behind these comparisons.

·         Share this article with others! Spread the word! Tell a friend who you think might be interested and share this on social media. When people find out there are large differences between charities’ impact, they give more effectively! [14] Giving to higher impact causes is a real way we can reach out and meaningfully improve the world.

·         Stay informed by following the Happier Lives Institute’s newsletter and Mieux Donner’s newsletter.

And reach out, if you have any questions.

For Media

If you work in the media, check out the Happier Lives Institute’s press release [15]. Please share these findings and get in touch. Mieux Donner’s team is also happy to answer your questions and put you in contact with different experts.

For researchers

The best may be yet to come. We need much more research into wellbeing cost-effectiveness. Wellbeing cost-effectiveness is an unusual area where barely any work has been done and it has huge, direct practical implications. We hope researchers take up the challenge and use their skills to make a difference.

For policy makers

Use WELLBYs to design and evaluate public programs that maximize societal wellbeing. For more, see this recent research [16] from the London School of Economics.

For foundations

Focus on funding interventions with the greatest potential to transform lives. We offer personalised donation advice, so get in touch if you’re after tailored research to increase your impact. 

This post is informed by the work of the Happier Lives Institute, whose original pieces can be found here and here.

 

 

A6  FROM CNN

World's happiest countries 2025

The world’s happiest country has managed to keep its No. 1 ranking for eight years running. The picture in the United States isn’t so rosy.

 

While Finland once again tops the World Happiness Report’s rankings, the United States — at No. 24 — earned its lowest ranking yet in the 2025 report. The 13th edition of the annual report marks the United Nations International Day of Happiness on March 20.

In the United States and parts of Europe, declining happiness and social trust have contributed significantly to the rise of political polarization and votes against “the system,” the report finds.

The picture in the United States isn’t so rosy - but “in brighter news, global research shows that people are much kinder than we expect.”

“People’s fellow citizens are better than they think they are, and to realize that will make you happier, of course, but it’ll also change the way you think about your neighbors,” said John Helliwell, a founding editor of the World Happiness Report.

“And so you’re more inclined to think of a stranger in the street as simply a friend you haven’t met and not somebody who poses a threat to you,” said Helliwell, who is an economics professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia.

There’s “room for improvement,” Helliwell said, in believing that we’re all part of a larger group that looks out for each other. It’s an important source of happiness that we haven’t properly tapped, he said.

The report draws on Gallup World Poll data from people in more than 140 countries. Countries are ranked on happiness based on their average life evaluations over the three preceding years, in this case 2022 to 2024. The report is a partnership of Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and an editorial board.

The survey asks each participant to score their life as a whole and rankings are based on those life evaluations. The report then looks at six key variables to help explain life evaluations: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption.

 

ATTACHMENT SEVEN – FROM GALLUP

THE HAPPIEST COUNTRIES

When it comes to happiness, the Nordic countries are clearly doing a lot of things right. For the eighth year in a row, Finland is the world’s happiest country, with its neighbors clustered close behind.

“Nordic countries like Finland continue to benefit from universally available and high-quality health, education and social support systems. Inequality of wellbeing is also low,” said Ilana Ron-Levey, managing director at Gallup.

Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden – the top four – remain in the same order as 2024. And Norway is again No. 7.

While social support systems that look out for residents’ welfare are important to Finland’s No. 1 ranking, the people play a role too, according to Helliwell.

“Having a welfare state doesn’t find lost wallets and return them to the owners,” said Helliwell, a longtime lost-wallet researcher, referring to data showing that Nordic nations rank among the top places for the expected and actual return of lost wallets. “Those are individuals caring about the people with whom they live.”

Other factors likely contribute to Finland’s strong performance as well. Helliwell said some Finnish experts point to the unity and trust that came out of the Winter War in 1939-40, also known as the Russo-Finnish War.

“They didn’t win that war, but what they did is they came together and realized even against overwhelming power they could do remarkably well … Sometimes the challenge posed externally can bring you together.”

A less materialistic mindset may also work in Finland’s favor, Helliwell said.

“And these days, to focus on the personal rather than the material is of ever-increasing importance.”

Two Latin American countries — Costa Rica at No. 6 and Mexico at No. 10 — both enter the top 10 for the first time in the 2025 report.

Both countries’ residents have “strong social networks and strong perceptions about the direction of their economy and confidence in leaders and institutions,” Ron-Levey said.

The Netherlands (No. 5), Israel (No. 8) and Luxembourg (No. 9) fill out the top 10.

Lowest ranking yet for the United States

After dropping out of the top 20 for the first time last year, the US ranks No. 24 in the latest World Happiness Report.

“The decline in the U.S. in 2024 was at least partly attributable to Americans younger than age 30 feeling worse about their lives,” said Ron-Levey. “Today’s young people report feeling less supported by friends and family, less free to make life choices and less optimistic about their living standards.”

Last year’s report paid special attention to happiness among different age groups, highlighting declines among the young in numerous countries.

The US isn’t the only English-speaking country with happiness challenges. At No. 23, the United Kingdom reported its lowest average life evaluation since 2017. Canada, which has seen happiness declines over the last decade, remained in the top 20 at No. 18.

While the variables that help explain life evaluations are complex, there is one “balm” that’s within everyone’s reach, Helliwell said.

“Look seriously at the people with whom you are working, with whom you are living, who are on your streets, and put on a rosier set of glasses when you’re dealing with them. And that’ll change your behavior in traffic. It’ll change your behavior in political discussions. It’ll change everything,” Helliwell said.

Talking less and listening more helps with attitude shifts that can lead to more cooperation.

“Negativity is poisonous to happiness,” he said.

World’s 20 happiest countries in 2025:

1. Finland

2. Denmark

3. Iceland

4. Sweden

5. Netherlands

6. Costa Rica

7. Norway

8. Israel

9. Luxembourg

10. Mexico

11. Australia

12. New Zealand

13. Switzerland

14. Belgium

15. Ireland

16. Lithuania

17. Austria

18. Canada

19. Slovenia

20. Czech Republic

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST...

Afghanistan (No. 147) is once again last on the list. Sierra Leone (No. 146), Lebanon (No. 145), Malawi (No. 144) and Zimbabwe (No. 143) make up the rest of the bottom five for happiness.

A8  FROM WIKIPEDIA

Worldwide levels of happiness as measured by the World Happiness Report (2024)

The World Happiness Report is a publication that contains articles and rankings of national happiness, based on respondent ratings of their own lives,[1] which the report also correlates with various (quality of) life factors.[2]

Since 2024, the report has been published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and an independent editorial board.[3] The editorial board consists of the three founding editors, John F. Helliwell, Richard Layard, and Jeffrey D. Sachs, along with Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Lara Aknin, and Shun Wang.[4]

The report primarily uses data from the Gallup World Poll. As of March 2025, Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world for eight years in a row.[5]

History

In July 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 65/309, also named as Happiness: Towards a Holistic Definition of Development,[6] inviting member countries to measure the happiness of their people and to use the data to help guide public policy.

The first World Happiness Report was released on 1 April 2012, as a foundational text for the UN High Level Meeting: Well-being and Happiness: Defining a New Economic Paradigm,[7] drawing international attention.[8] On 2 April 2012, this was followed by the first UN High Level Meeting called Wellbeing and Happiness: Defining a New Economic Paradigm,[9] which was chaired by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in addition to that prime minister Jigme Thinley of Bhutan, a nation that adopted gross national happiness instead of gross domestic product as their main development indicator.[10]

The first report outlined the state of world happiness, causes of happiness and misery, and policy implications highlighted by case studies. In 2013, the second World Happiness Report was issued, and in 2015 the third. Since 2016, it has been issued on an annual basis on 20 March, to coincide with the UN's International Day of Happiness.[11]

Methods and philosophy

The rankings of national happiness are based on a happiness measurement survey undertaken world-wide by the polling company Gallup, Inc. Nationally representative samples of respondents are asked to think of a ladder, with the best possible life for them being a 10, and the worst possible life being a 0. They are then asked to rate their own current lives on that 0 to 10 scale.[12] The report correlates the life evaluation results with various life factors.[2]

Researchers use the reports' life factor variables to explain national-level differences in life evaluation. However, some variables, such as unemployment or inequality, are not considered. That is because comparable data is not yet available across all countries. The reports' variables only show correlation, not causation (see Correlation does not imply causation).[12]

The report measures subjective well-being using the "Cantril ladder" to reflect people’s own views, rather than external judgments. The goal is to free respondents to evaluate their own well-being.[13][14]

The report shows how experts use well-being ratings to assess national progress. The experts are from fields including economics, psychology, survey analysis, and national statistics. Each report is organized by chapters that focus on issues relating to happiness. This includes mental illness, the objective benefits of happiness, the importance of ethics, policy implications, and links with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) approach to measuring subjective well-being and other international and national efforts.

WELLBYs

From 2021, the World Happiness Report has supported using WELLBYs (Well-Being-Adjusted Life-Years). It says that QALYs (Quality-Adjusted Life Years) only count a patient's health quality. Instead, WELLBYs should be used. The report says policy-makers should aim to increase the WELLBYs of people alive today and future generations.[15][16][17]

Annual report topics

The World Happiness Report has been published every year since 2012 (except for 2014).

In addition to ranking countries’ happiness and well-being levels, each report has contributing authors and most focus on a particular theme. The data used to rank countries in each report is drawn from the Gallup World Poll,[18] as well as other sources such as the World Values Survey, in some of the reports. The Gallup World Poll questionnaire[19] measures 14 areas within its core questions: (1) business & economic, (2) citizen engagement, (3) communications & technology, (4) diversity (social issues), (5) education & families, (6) emotions (well-being), (7) environment & energy, (8) food & shelter, (9) government and politics, (10) law & order (safety), (11) health, (12) religion & ethics, (13) transportation, and (14) work.

 

Data is collected from people in over 150 countries. Each variable measured reveals a populated-weighted average score on a scale running from 0 to 10 that is tracked over time and compared against other countries. These variables currently include:

·         real GDP per capita

·         social support

·         healthy life expectancy

·         freedom to make life choices

·         generosity

·         perceptions of corruption

Each country is also compared against a hypothetical nation called Dystopia. Dystopia represents the lowest national averages for each key variable and is, along with residual error, used as a regression benchmark. The six metrics are used to explain the estimated extent to which each of these factors contribute to increasing life satisfaction when compared to the hypothetical nation of Dystopia, but they themselves do not have an effect on the total score reported for each country.[52]

2025 report

The 2025 report features the happiness score averaged over the years 2022–2024.[53]

 

Critics have pointed out the difference between evaluations and experiences of well-being.[63][64] For instance Colombia came 37th in the 2018 World Happiness Report rankings but first by daily emotional experience in Gallup's Positive Experience Index.[65] The inconsistencies in the results of different happiness measurement surveys have also been noted, for instance, a Pew survey of 43 countries in 2014 (which excluded most of Europe) had Mexico, Israel, and Venezuela finishing first, second and third.[66] Others point out that the variables of interest used by the World Happiness Report are more appropriate for measuring national-level rather than individual-level happiness.[67]

Methodology

The World Happiness Report's use of a single-item indicator of subjective well-being is fundamentally different from more traditional Index approaches which use a range of indicators such as the United Nations' Human Development Index, the OECD Better Life Index of 2011, or the Social Progress Index of 2013. There has also been an ongoing debate regarding single-item and multi-item scales as measures of life satisfaction.[68]

The idea that subjective well-being can be captured by a survey has also been contested by economists, who have identified that people’s assessments of their happiness can be affected by how, for example, their country’s education system grades exams, and that survey questions on subjective well-being are affected by response styles.[69]

Legitimacy

In 2014, British journalist Michael Booth questioned the legitimacy of the Nordic countries' freedom and happiness rankings in his book The Almost Nearly Perfect People. In it, he criticizes Denmark's environmental footprint and notes that the taxes and personal debt levels among its citizens are the highest in the world.[70] He also writes that in Finland, the most common type of prescription medications in the country are antipsychotic. He also points out the country's high alcohol consumption, murder, and suicide rates.[71] Further, he argues that he doesn't think the Danes were the world's happiest people, but instead described them as the "most satisfied".[72]

 

ATTACHMENT TEN – from reuters

Finland clings to happiness crown as economic gloom deepens

By Anne Kauranen  November 25, 2025  11:34 AM EST

 

SUMMARY

 

·         Finland is world's happiest country for eighth year, report says

·         But unemployment among the worst in Europe, economy stagnating

·         Government is now pruning some parts of the welfare state

·         Collaborative spirit and resilience help, says report founder

 

HELSINKI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Harsh economic headwinds are sending a chill through the world's happiest country. But after 1,000 days of unemployment, 33-year-old Juho-Pekka Palomaa hasn't let Finland's problems get him down just yet.

Finland is grappling with economic stagnation, rising joblessness and strained public finances, but still managed to secure the title of world's happiest country for the eighth year in a row in this year's annual World Happiness Report.

Its success, experts say, is due in no small part to a generous welfare state - but that is now being trimmed back as ministers confront the surging social costs of an aging population.

"I've been grateful that in Finland there has been a safety net and social security that have supported me financially ... So maybe I'm not more unhappy than I was before," said Palomaa, who marked his 1,000 days of unemployment with a bring-your-own-food protest on the steps of parliament.

"But I don't feel there is very much I can do to change my situation," said the former video producer, who has submitted countless job applications and completed 11 unsuccessful interviews.

While unemployment benefits have been cut, the government has left untouched "almost sacred" pensions, he complained.

NOKIA COLLAPSE, RUSSIA SANCTIONS

Finland's export-dependent economy has struggled since the phone business of Nokia, once Europe's most valuable company, collapsed in 2014 after it fumbled the switch to touch-screen smartphones. Sanctions on neighbouring Russia over its war in Ukraine have also hit exports and tourism, while uncertainty over tariffs and global trade present a further challenge.

The Bank of Finland is forecasting economic growth of 0.3% this year, down from 0.4% in 2024. Unemployment is among the worst in the European Union, and rose to its highest in at least 15 years at 10.3% in October, data from Statistics Finland showed on Tuesday. The rate was more than twice as high - at 22.4% - among 15 to 24-year-olds.

The European Commission is expected to decide on Tuesday whether to propose placing Finland in what it calls an "Excessive Deficit Procedure", after it forecast Finland will have a budget deficit above the 3% EU limit for the next three years.

 

          See: Statistics Finland / Reuters – Anne Kauranen, November 12, 2025 for charts and graphs

 

Finland's general government budgets have been deficitary every year since the global financial crisis in 2009. Last year's deficit at 4.4% was the second biggest in 25 years, falling short of only the 2020 deficit of 5.5% amid the Covid pandemic.

Poor public finances have already prompted the government to start pruning some parts of the welfare state, including unemployment and housing benefits and some medical facilities.

"I'm honestly terrified for younger people," said Hanna Taimio, 54, another unemployed Finn who joined Palomaa's commemoration and fears she may never work again. "All these cutbacks and downgrades... it's genuinely frightening."

The right-wing coalition government, in office since 2023, aims to "to strengthen public finances and to bring the growing debt under control", Minister of Employment Matias Marttinen told Reuters.

Marttinen called the high jobless rate "an awful situation", but defended the government's decision to make dismissals easier to lower the risks of hiring for companies, to ultimately boost employment.

Some critics argue, however, that austerity measures have exacerbated economic challenges and consumer pessimism.

Lauri Holappa, director of the Finnish Centre for New Economic Analysis, pointed to simulations suggesting the fiscal consolidation measures could have even led to an increased public debt rate.

Finland's finance ministry forecasts the Finnish public debt ratio to reach 90% of gross domestic product by 2030, after it has more than doubled in the past 15 years.

FINNS' HAPPINESS HOLDS FIRM

But there is more to happiness than economics.

The life evaluations that people report in the happiness survey are determined more by factors like resilience and the ability to "deal collaboratively and constructively in bad times" than by national economic conditions, said the report's founding editor, emeritus professor John Helliwell.

"Of course, Finland is very high in resilience," he said.

Recent data by analytics company Gallup shows no significant fluctuations in Finns' reported emotional wellbeing since last year. Data from the same survey on life evaluations will be published with the next World Happiness Report next year.

The Happiness Report also takes into account key indicators such as GDP per capita, social support and healthy life expectancy.

Reeling from the financial hit from his long jobless spell, Palomaa has looked to a free community sauna run and funded by volunteers by the Baltic Sea shore in Helsinki.

"The sauna is a place where everyone's so equal ... You cannot say based on someone's appearance what they do for a living, who they are," he said.

When he asked social media followers what to do on his 1,000th day of unemployment, he got a million views and a flood of suggestions - including the bring-your-own-food party he held on the steps of parliament.

"I'm here obviously to celebrate something that I never wanted to celebrate," he said as he shared his home-made pastries in the misty rain.

But "I decided that this is my moment," he said. "I got to seize the moment and do something about it."​

Reporting by Anne Kauranen in Helsinki; Additional reporting by Ilze Filks in Stockholm; Editing by Catherine Evans and Conor Humphries

 

A10 FROM CIA FACTBOOK

ATTACHMENT TEN – FROM the CIA FACTBOOK

 

ATTACHMENT TEN “A” – NATIONS RANKED by AREA

Rank

Country

sq km

1

Russia

17,098,242

2

Antarctica

14,200,000

3

Canada

9,984,670

4

United States

9,833,517

5

China

9,596,960

6

Brazil

8,515,770

7

Australia

7,741,220

8

India

3,287,263

9

Argentina

2,780,400

10

Kazakhstan

2,724,900

11

Algeria

2,381,740

12

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

2,344,858

13

Greenland

2,166,086

14

Saudi Arabia

2,149,690

15

Mexico

1,964,375

16

Indonesia

1,904,569

17

Sudan

1,861,484

18

Libya

1,759,540

19

Iran

1,648,195

20

Mongolia

1,564,116

21

Peru

1,285,216

22

Chad

1,284,000

23

Niger

1,267,000

24

Angola

1,246,700

25

Mali

1,240,192

26

South Africa

1,219,090

27

Colombia

1,138,910

28

Ethiopia

1,104,300

29

Bolivia

1,098,581

30

Mauritania

1,030,700

31

Egypt

1,001,450

32

Tanzania

947,300

33

Nigeria

923,768

34

Venezuela

912,050

35

Namibia

824,292

36

Mozambique

799,380

37

Pakistan

796,095

38

Turkey (Turkiye)

783,562

39

Chile

756,102

40

Zambia

752,618

41

Morocco

716,550

42

Burma

676,578

43

Afghanistan

652,230

44

South Sudan

644,329

45

France

643,801

46

Somalia

637,657

47

Central African Republic

622,984

48

Ukraine

603,550

49

Madagascar

587,041

50

Botswana

581,730

51

Kenya

580,367

52

Yemen

527,968

53

Thailand

513,120

54

Spain

505,370

55

Turkmenistan

488,100

56

Cameroon

475,440

57

Papua New Guinea

462,840

58

Sweden

450,295

59

Uzbekistan

447,400

60

Iraq

438,317

61

Paraguay

406,752

62

Zimbabwe

390,757

63

Japan

377,915

64

Germany

357,022

65

Congo, Republic of the

342,000

66

Finland

338,145

67

Vietnam

331,210

68

Malaysia

329,847

69

Norway

323,802

70

Cote d'Ivoire

322,463

71

Poland

312,685

72

Oman

309,500

73

Italy

301,340

74

Philippines

300,000

75

Ecuador

283,561

76

Burkina Faso

274,200

77

New Zealand

268,838

78

Gabon

267,667

79

Guinea

245,857

80

United Kingdom

243,610

81

Uganda

241,038

82

Ghana

238,533

83

Romania

238,391

84

Laos

236,800

85

Guyana

214,969

86

Belarus

207,600

87

Kyrgyzstan

199,951

88

Senegal

196,722

89

Syria

187,437

90

Cambodia

181,035

91

Uruguay

176,215

92

Suriname

163,820

93

Tunisia

163,610

94

Bangladesh

148,460

95

Nepal

147,181

96

Tajikistan

144,100

97

Greece

131,957

98

Nicaragua

130,370

99

Korea, North

120,538

100

Malawi

118,484

101

Eritrea

117,600

102

Benin

112,622

103

Honduras

112,090

104

Liberia

111,369

105

Bulgaria

110,879

106

Cuba

110,860

107

Guatemala

108,889

108

Iceland

103,000

109

Korea, South

99,720

110

Hungary

93,028

111

Portugal

92,090

112

Jordan

89,342

113

Azerbaijan

86,600

114

Austria

83,871

115

United Arab Emirates

83,600

116

Czechia

78,867

117

Serbia

77,474

118

Panama

75,420

119

Sierra Leone

71,740

120

Ireland

70,273

121

Georgia

69,700

122

Sri Lanka

65,610

123

Lithuania

65,300

124

Latvia

64,589

125

Svalbard

62,045

126

Togo

56,785

127

Croatia

56,594

128

Bosnia and Herzegovina

51,197

129

Costa Rica

51,100

130

Slovakia

49,035

131

Dominican Republic

48,670

132

Estonia

45,228

133

Denmark

43,094

134

Netherlands

41,543

135

Switzerland

41,277

136

Bhutan

38,394

137

Guinea-Bissau

36,125

138

Taiwan

35,980

139

Moldova

33,851

140

Belgium

30,528

141

Lesotho

30,355

142

Armenia

29,743

143

Solomon Islands

28,896

144

Albania

28,748

145

Equatorial Guinea

28,051

146

Burundi

27,830

147

Haiti

27,750

148

Rwanda

26,338

149

North Macedonia

25,713

150

Djibouti

23,200

151

Belize

22,966

152

Israel

21,937

153

El Salvador

21,041

154

Slovenia

20,273

155

New Caledonia

18,575

156

Fiji

18,274

157

Kuwait

17,818

158

Eswatini

17,364

159

Timor-Leste

14,874

160

Bahamas, The

13,880

161

Montenegro

13,812

162

Vanuatu

12,189

163

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

12,173

164

Qatar

11,586

165

Gambia, The

11,300

166

Jamaica

10,991

167

Kosovo

10,887

168

Lebanon

10,400

169

Cyprus

9,251

170

Puerto Rico

9,104

171

West Bank

5,860

172

Brunei

5,765

173

Trinidad and Tobago

5,128

174

French Polynesia

4,167

175

Cabo Verde

4,033

176

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

3,903

177

Samoa

2,831

178

Luxembourg

2,586

179

Comoros

2,235

180

Mauritius

2,040

181

Virgin Islands

1,910

182

Faroe Islands

1,393

183

Hong Kong

1,108

184

Sao Tome and Principe

964

185

Turks and Caicos Islands

948

186

Kiribati

811

187

Bahrain

760

188

Dominica

751

189

Tonga

747

190

Singapore

719

191

Micronesia, Federated States of

702

192

Saint Lucia

616

193

Isle of Man

572

194

Guam

544

195

Andorra

468

196

Northern Mariana Islands

464

197

Palau

459

198

Seychelles

455

199

Curacao

444

200

Antigua and Barbuda

443

201

Barbados

430

202

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

412

203

Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

394

204

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

389

205

Jan Mayen

377

206

Gaza Strip

360

207

Grenada

344

208

Malta

316

209

Maldives

298

210

Cayman Islands

264

211

Saint Kitts and Nevis

261

212

Niue

260

213

Akrotiri and Dhekelia

254

214

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

242

215

Cook Islands

236

216

American Samoa

224

217

Marshall Islands

181

218

Aruba

180

219

Liechtenstein

160

220

British Virgin Islands

151

221

Wallis and Futuna

142

222

Christmas Island

135

223

Jersey

116

224

Montserrat

102

225

Anguilla

91

226

Guernsey

78

227

San Marino

61

228

British Indian Ocean Territory

60

229

Bermuda

54

230

Saint Martin

50

231

Bouvet Island

49

232

Pitcairn Islands

47

233

Norfolk Island

36

234

Sint Maarten

34

235

Macau

28

236

Tuvalu

26

237

Saint Barthelemy

25

238

Nauru

21

239

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

14

240

Tokelau

12

241

Paracel Islands

8

242

Wake Island

7

243

Gibraltar

7

244

Clipperton Island

6

245

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

5

246

Navassa Island

5

247

Spratly Islands

5

248

Coral Sea Islands

3

249

Monaco

2

250

Holy See (Vatican City)

0

 

 

ATTACHMENT TEN “B” – by POPULATION

Rank

Country

Population

Date of Information

1

China

1,416,043,270

2024 est.

2

India

1,409,128,296

2024 est.

3

United States

341,963,408

2024 est.

4

Indonesia

281,562,465

2024 est.

5

Pakistan

252,363,571

2024 est.

6

Nigeria

236,747,130

2024 est.

7

Brazil

220,051,512

2024 est.

8

Bangladesh

168,697,184

2024 est.

9

Russia

140,820,810

2024 est.

10

Mexico

130,739,927

2024 est.

11

Japan

123,201,945

2024 est.

12

Ethiopia

118,550,298

2024 est.

13

Philippines

118,277,063

2024 est.

14

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

115,403,027

2024 est.

15

Egypt

111,247,248

2024 est.

16

Vietnam

105,758,975

2024 est.

17

Iran

88,386,937

2024 est.

18

Turkey (Turkiye)

84,119,531

2024 est.

19

Germany

84,119,100

2024 est.

20

Thailand

69,920,998

2024 est.

21

United Kingdom

68,459,055

2024 est.

22

France

68,374,591

2024 est.

23

Tanzania

67,462,121

2024 est.

24

Italy

60,964,931

2024 est.

25

South Africa

60,442,647

2024 est.

26

Kenya

58,246,378

2024 est.

27

Burma

57,527,139

2024 est.

28

Korea, South

52,081,799

2024 est.

29

Sudan

50,467,278

2024 est.

30

Colombia

49,588,357

2024 est.

31

Uganda

49,283,041

2024 est.

32

Spain

47,280,433

2024 est.

33

Algeria

47,022,473

2024 est.

34

Argentina

46,994,384

2024 est.

35

Iraq

42,083,436

2024 est.

36

Afghanistan

40,121,552

2024 est.

37

Canada

38,794,813

2024 est.

38

Poland

38,746,310

2024 est.

39

Morocco

37,387,585

2024 est.

40

Angola

37,202,061

2024 est.

41

Saudi Arabia

36,544,431

2024 est.

42

Uzbekistan

36,520,593

2024 est.

43

Ukraine

35,661,826

2024 est.

44

Ghana

34,589,092

2024 est.

45

Malaysia

34,564,810

2024 est.

46

Mozambique

33,350,954

2024 est.

47

Peru

32,600,249

2024 est.

48

Yemen

32,140,443

2024 est.

49

Venezuela

31,250,306

2024 est.

50

Nepal

31,122,387

2024 est.

51

Cameroon

30,966,105

2024 est.

52

Cote d'Ivoire

29,981,758

2024 est.

53

Madagascar

29,452,714

2024 est.

54

Australia

26,768,598

2024 est.

55

Niger

26,342,784

2024 est.

56

Korea, North

26,298,666

2024 est.

57

Syria

23,865,423

2024 est.

58

Taiwan

23,595,274

2024 est.

59

Burkina Faso

23,042,199

2024 est.

60

Mali

21,990,607

2024 est.

61

Sri Lanka

21,982,608

2024 est.

62

Malawi

21,763,309

2024 est.

63

Zambia

20,799,116

2024 est.

64

Kazakhstan

20,260,006

2024 est.

65

Chad

19,093,595

2024 est.

66

Senegal

18,847,519

2024 est.

67

Chile

18,664,652

2024 est.

68

Ecuador

18,309,984

2024 est.

69

Guatemala

18,255,216

2024 est.

70

Romania

18,148,155

2024 est.

71

Netherlands

17,772,378

2024 est.

72

Zimbabwe

17,150,352

2024 est.

73

Cambodia

17,063,669

2024 est.

74

Benin

14,697,052

2024 est.

75

Guinea

13,986,179

2024 est.

76

Rwanda

13,623,302

2024 est.

77

Burundi

13,590,102

2024 est.

78

Somalia

13,017,273

2024 est.

79

South Sudan

12,703,714

2024 est.

80

Bolivia

12,311,974

2024 est.

81

Tunisia

12,048,847

2024 est.

82

Belgium

11,977,634

2024 est.

83

Haiti

11,753,943

2024 est.

84

Jordan

11,174,024

2024 est.

85

Cuba

10,966,038

2024 est.

86

Czechia

10,837,890

2024 est.

87

Dominican Republic

10,815,857

2024 est.

88

Azerbaijan

10,650,239

2024 est.

89

Sweden

10,589,835

2024 est.

90

Greece

10,461,091

2024 est.

91

Tajikistan

10,394,063

2024 est.

92

Portugal

10,207,177

2024 est.

93

Papua New Guinea

10,046,233

2024 est.

94

United Arab Emirates

10,032,213

2024 est.

95

Hungary

9,855,745

2024 est.

96

Honduras

9,529,188

2024 est.

97

Belarus

9,501,451

2024 est.

98

Israel

9,402,617

2024 est.

99

Sierra Leone

9,121,049

2024 est.

100

Austria

8,967,982

2024 est.

101

Togo

8,917,994

2024 est.

102

Switzerland

8,860,574

2024 est.

103

Laos

7,953,556

2024 est.

104

Paraguay

7,522,549

2024 est.

105

Libya

7,361,263

2024 est.

106

Hong Kong

7,297,821

2024 est.

107

Bulgaria

6,782,659

2024 est.

108

Nicaragua

6,676,948

2024 est.

109

Serbia

6,652,212

2024 est.

110

El Salvador

6,628,702

2024 est.

111

Eritrea

6,343,956

2024 est.

112

Kyrgyzstan

6,172,101

2024 est.

113

Congo, Republic of the

6,097,665

2024 est.

114

Singapore

6,028,459

2024 est.

115

Denmark

5,973,136

2024 est.

116

Turkmenistan

5,744,151

2024 est.

117

Central African Republic

5,650,957

2024 est.

118

Finland

5,626,414

2024 est.

119

Slovakia

5,563,649

2024 est.

120

Norway

5,509,733

2024 est.

121

Liberia

5,437,249

2024 est.

122

Lebanon

5,364,482

2024 est.

123

Costa Rica

5,265,575

2024 est.

124

Ireland

5,233,461

2024 est.

125

New Zealand

5,161,211

2024 est.

126

Georgia

4,900,961

2024 est.

127

Panama

4,470,241

2024 est.

128

Mauritania

4,328,040

2024 est.

129

Croatia

4,150,116

2024 est.

130

Oman

3,901,992

2024 est.

131

Bosnia and Herzegovina

3,798,671

2024 est.

132

Moldova

3,599,528

2024 est.

133

Uruguay

3,425,330

2024 est.

134

Mongolia

3,281,676

2024 est.

135

West Bank

3,243,369

2024 est.

136

Kuwait

3,138,355

2024 est.

137

Albania

3,107,100

2024 est.

138

Puerto Rico

3,019,450

2024 est.

139

Armenia

2,976,765

2024 est.

140

Jamaica

2,823,713

2024 est.

141

Namibia

2,803,660

2024 est.

142

Lithuania

2,628,186

2024 est.

143

Qatar

2,552,088

2024 est.

144

Gambia, The

2,523,327

2024 est.

145

Gabon

2,455,105

2024 est.

146

Botswana

2,450,668

2024 est.

147

Lesotho

2,227,548

2024 est.

148

Gaza Strip

2,141,643

2024 est.

149

North Macedonia

2,135,622

2024 est.

150

Guinea-Bissau

2,132,325

2024 est.

151

Slovenia

2,097,893

2024 est.

152

Kosovo

1,977,093

2024 est.

153

Latvia

1,801,246

2024 est.

154

Equatorial Guinea

1,795,834

2024 est.

155

Bahrain

1,566,888

2024 est.

156

Timor-Leste

1,506,909

2024 est.

157

Trinidad and Tobago

1,408,966

2024 est.

158

Cyprus

1,320,525

2024 est.

159

Mauritius

1,310,504

2024 est.

160

Estonia

1,193,791

2024 est.

161

Eswatini

1,138,089

2024 est.

162

Djibouti

994,974

2024 est.

163

Fiji

951,611

2024 est.

164

Comoros

900,141

2024 est.

165

Bhutan

884,546

2024 est.

166

Guyana

794,099

2024 est.

167

Solomon Islands

726,799

2024 est.

168

Luxembourg

671,254

2024 est.

169

Suriname

646,758

2024 est.

170

Macau

644,426

2024 est.

171

Cabo Verde

611,014

2024 est.

172

Montenegro

599,849

2024 est.

173

Brunei

491,900

2024 est.

174

Malta

469,730

2024 est.

175

Belize

415,789

2024 est.

176

Bahamas, The

410,862

2024 est.

177

Maldives

388,858

2024 est.

178

Iceland

364,036

2024 est.

179

Vanuatu

318,007

2024 est.

180

New Caledonia

304,167

2024 est.

181

Barbados

304,139

2024 est.

182

French Polynesia

303,540

2024 est.

183

Sao Tome and Principe

223,561

2024 est.

184

Samoa

208,853

2024 est.

185

Guam

169,532

2024 est.

186

Saint Lucia

168,038

2024 est.

187

Curacao

153,289

2024 est.

188

Aruba

125,063

2024 est.

189

Kiribati

116,545

2024 est.

190

Grenada

114,621

2024 est.

191

Tonga

104,889

2024 est.

192

Virgin Islands

104,377

2024 est.

193

Jersey

103,387

2024 est.

194

Antigua and Barbuda

102,634

2024 est.

195

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

100,647

2024 est.

196

Micronesia, Federated States of

99,603

2024 est.

197

Seychelles

98,187

2024 est.

198

Isle of Man

92,269

2024 est.

199

Andorra

85,370

2024 est.

200

Marshall Islands

82,011

2024 est.

201

Dominica

74,661

2024 est.

202

Bermuda

72,800

2024 est.

203

Guernsey

67,787

2024 est.

204

Cayman Islands

66,653

2024 est.

205

Turks and Caicos Islands

60,439

2024 est.

206

Greenland

57,751

2024 est.

207

Saint Kitts and Nevis

55,133

2024 est.

208

Faroe Islands

52,933

2024 est.

209

Northern Mariana Islands

51,118

2024 est.

210

Sint Maarten

46,215

2024 est.

211

American Samoa

43,895

2024 est.

212

Liechtenstein

40,272

2024 est.

213

British Virgin Islands

40,102

2024 est.

214

San Marino

35,095

2024 est.

215

Saint Martin

32,996

2024 est.

216

Monaco

31,813

2024 est.

217

Gibraltar

29,683

2024 est.

218

Palau

21,864

2024 est.

219

Anguilla

19,416

2024 est.

220

Wallis and Futuna

15,964

2024 est.

221

Tuvalu

11,733

2024 est.

222

Nauru

9,892

2024 est.

223

Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

7,943

2024 est.

224

Cook Islands

7,761

2024 est.

225

Saint Barthelemy

7,086

2024 est.

226

Montserrat

5,468

2024 est.

227

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

5,132

2024 est.

228

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

3,142

2021 est.

229

Svalbard

2,556

2025 est.

230

Tokelau

2,453

2024 est.

231

Paracel Islands

2,230

2024 est.

232

Niue

1,815

2024 est.

233

Norfolk Island

1,739

2021 est.

234

Christmas Island

1,692

2021 est.

235

Holy See (Vatican City)

1,000

2024 est.

236

CocosCocos (Keeling) Islands (Keeling) Islands

593

2021 est.

237

Pitcairn Islands

50

2025 est.

 

 

ATTACHMENT TEN “C” - POPULATION GROWTH RATE

Rank

Country

%

Date of Information

1

South Sudan

4.65

2024 est.

2

Niger

3.66

2024 est.

3

Angola

3.33

2024 est.

4

Benin

3.29

2024 est.

5

Equatorial Guinea

3.23

2024 est.

6

Uganda

3.18

2024 est.

7

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

3.11

2024 est.

8

Chad

3.01

2024 est.

9

Mali

2.9

2024 est.

10

Zambia

2.83

2024 est.

11

Burundi

2.81

2024 est.

12

Guinea

2.74

2024 est.

13

Tanzania

2.72

2024 est.

14

Cameroon

2.71

2024 est.

15

Somalia

2.55

2024 est.

16

Sudan

2.55

2024 est.

17

Mozambique

2.54

2024 est.

18

Guinea-Bissau

2.54

2024 est.

19

Nigeria

2.52

2024 est.

20

Senegal

2.46

2024 est.

21

Togo

2.41

2024 est.

22

Burkina Faso

2.4

2024 est.

23

Congo, Republic of the

2.38

2024 est.

24

Ukraine

2.38

2024 est.

25

Gabon

2.37

2024 est.

26

Ethiopia

2.37

2024 est.

27

Venezuela

2.34

2024 est.

28

Liberia

2.32

2024 est.

29

Sierra Leone

2.32

2024 est.

30

Papua New Guinea

2.26

2024 est.

31

Malawi

2.22

2024 est.

32

Afghanistan

2.22

2024 est.

33

Madagascar

2.18

2024 est.

34

Gambia, The

2.16

2024 est.

35

Ghana

2.15

2024 est.

36

Cote d'Ivoire

2.13

2024 est.

37

West Bank

2.07

2024 est.

38

Kenya

2.06

2024 est.

39

Timor-Leste

2.04

2024 est.

40

Gaza Strip

2.02

2024 est.

41

Iraq

1.99

2024 est.

42

Tajikistan

1.92

2024 est.

43

Mauritania

1.92

2024 est.

44

Zimbabwe

1.91

2024 est.

45

Djibouti

1.89

2024 est.

46

Pakistan

1.86

2024 est.

47

British Virgin Islands

1.82

2024 est.

48

Yemen

1.78

2024 est.

49

Turks and Caicos Islands

1.77

2024 est.

50

Central African Republic

1.76

2024 est.

51

Cayman Islands

1.75

2024 est.

52

Oman

1.75

2024 est.

53

Anguilla

1.74

2024 est.

54

Namibia

1.72

2024 est.

55

Saudi Arabia

1.68

2024 est.

56

Syria

1.67

2024 est.

57

Solomon Islands

1.65

2024 est.

58

Rwanda

1.62

2024 est.

59

Israel

1.58

2024 est.

60

Philippines

1.56

2024 est.

61

Vanuatu

1.55

2024 est.

62

Algeria

1.54

2024 est.

63

Luxembourg

1.52

2024 est.

64

Guatemala

1.49

2024 est.

65

Egypt

1.49

2024 est.

66

Panama

1.48

2024 est.

67

Belize

1.47

2024 est.

68

Libya

1.44

2024 est.

69

Uzbekistan

1.43

2024 est.

70

Sao Tome and Principe

1.42

2024 est.

71

Brunei

1.4

2024 est.

72

Botswana

1.34

2024 est.

73

Comoros

1.3

2024 est.

74

Honduras

1.29

2024 est.

75

Laos

1.26

2024 est.

76

Marshall Islands

1.26

2024 est.

77

Haiti

1.23

2024 est.

78

Cabo Verde

1.16

2024 est.

79

Sint Maarten

1.15

2024 est.

80

New Caledonia

1.14

2024 est.

81

Australia

1.13

2024 est.

82

Eritrea

1.12

2024 est.

83

Antigua and Barbuda

1.11

2024 est.

84

Christmas Island

1.11

2014 est.

85

Kuwait

1.1

2024 est.

86

Paraguay

1.09

2024 est.

87

Aruba

1.08

2024 est.

88

Bahamas, The

1.07

2024 est.

89

Suriname

1.07

2024 est.

90

South Africa

1.07

2024 est.

91

Kiribati

1

2024 est.

92

Bolivia

1

2024 est.

93

Cambodia

0.99

2024 est.

94

Malaysia

0.99

2024 est.

95

Cyprus

0.95

2024 est.

96

New Zealand

0.95

2024 est.

97

Nicaragua

0.95

2024 est.

98

Bhutan

0.95

2024 est.

99

Ecuador

0.94

2024 est.

100

Ireland

0.93

2024 est.

101

Turkmenistan

0.92

2024 est.

102

Vietnam

0.89

2024 est.

103

Bangladesh

0.89

2024 est.

104

Iran

0.88

2024 est.

105

Singapore

0.87

2024 est.

106

Kazakhstan

0.86

2024 est.

107

Iceland

0.85

2024 est.

108

Morocco

0.84

2024 est.

109

Bahrain

0.82

2024 est.

110

Argentina

0.79

2024 est.

111

Kyrgyzstan

0.79

2024 est.

112

Tuvalu

0.78

2024 est.

113

Mongolia

0.78

2024 est.

114

Jordan

0.78

2024 est.

115

Dominican Republic

0.76

2024 est.

116

Lesotho

0.76

2024 est.

117

Switzerland

0.75

2024 est.

118

Paracel Islands

0.75

2021 est.

119

Costa Rica

0.74

2024 est.

120

Indonesia

0.73

2024 est.

121

India

0.72

2024 est.

122

Mexico

0.72

2024 est.

123

Burma

0.71

2024 est.

124

Monaco

0.71

2024 est.

125

Canada

0.71

2024 est.

126

Qatar

0.71

2024 est.

127

Eswatini

0.7

2024 est.

128

Nepal

0.7

2024 est.

129

Liechtenstein

0.69

2024 est.

130

Kosovo

0.68

2024 est.

131

United States

0.67

2024 est.

132

Macau

0.67

2024 est.

133

French Polynesia

0.66

2024 est.

134

Samoa

0.65

2024 est.

135

Faroe Islands

0.63

2024 est.

136

Chile

0.61

2024 est.

137

Lebanon

0.61

2024 est.

138

Brazil

0.61

2024 est.

139

Turkey (Turkiye)

0.61

2024 est.

140

United Arab Emirates

0.6

2024 est.

141

Montserrat

0.59

2024 est.

142

Norway

0.59

2024 est.

143

Tunisia

0.58

2024 est.

144

San Marino

0.57

2024 est.

145

Seychelles

0.56

2024 est.

146

Jersey

0.56

2024 est.

147

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0.56

2024 est.

148

Belgium

0.53

2024 est.

149

Sweden

0.51

2024 est.

150

Malta

0.51

2024 est.

151

Peru

0.48

2024 est.

152

Colombia

0.48

2024 est.

153

Isle of Man

0.45

2024 est.

154

United Kingdom

0.45

2024 est.

155

Denmark

0.44

2024 est.

156

Azerbaijan

0.43

2024 est.

157

Fiji

0.4

2024 est.

158

Korea, North

0.4

2024 est.

159

Sri Lanka

0.39

2024 est.

160

Netherlands

0.39

2024 est.

161

Nauru

0.39

2024 est.

162

Palau

0.38

2024 est.

163

El Salvador

0.34

2024 est.

164

Guyana

0.32

2024 est.

165

Bermuda

0.3

2024 est.

166

Saint Martin

0.3

2024 est.

167

Austria

0.3

2024 est.

168

Curacao

0.28

2024 est.

169

Grenada

0.27

2024 est.

170

Uruguay

0.26

2024 est.

171

Saint Lucia

0.26

2024 est.

172

China

0.23

2024 est.

173

Barbados

0.23

2024 est.

174

Wallis and Futuna

0.22

2024 est.

175

Korea, South

0.21

2024 est.

176

Guernsey

0.21

2024 est.

177

France

0.2

2024 est.

178

Finland

0.2

2024 est.

179

Gibraltar

0.17

2024 est.

180

Thailand

0.17

2024 est.

181

Albania

0.16

2024 est.

182

Spain

0.12

2024 est.

183

Hong Kong

0.12

2024 est.

184

Guam

0.11

2024 est.

185

Jamaica

0.1

2024 est.

186

Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

0.1

2024 est.

187

North Macedonia

0.1

2024 est.

188

Trinidad and Tobago

0.1

2024 est.

189

Mauritius

0.07

2024 est.

190

Czechia

0.04

2024 est.

191

Taiwan

0.03

2024 est.

192

Norfolk Island

0.01

2014 est.

193

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0.01

2014 est.

194

Holy See (Vatican City)

0

2014 est.

195

Pitcairn Islands

0

2014 est.

196

Dominica

-0.01

2024 est.

197

Tokelau

-0.01

2019 est.

198

Niue

-0.03

2021 est.

199

Svalbard

-0.03

2019 est.

200

Greenland

-0.05

2024 est.

201

Italy

-0.08

2024 est.

202

Slovakia

-0.08

2024 est.

203

Slovenia

-0.1

2024 est.

204

Saint Barthelemy

-0.11

2024 est.

205

Andorra

-0.12

2024 est.

206

Germany

-0.12

2024 est.

207

Portugal

-0.14

2024 est.

208

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

-0.15

2024 est.

209

Cuba

-0.17

2024 est.

210

Maldives

-0.2

2024 est.

211

Bosnia and Herzegovina

-0.25

2024 est.

212

Hungary

-0.28

2024 est.

213

Tonga

-0.34

2024 est.

214

Northern Mariana Islands

-0.34

2024 est.

215

Greece

-0.35

2024 est.

216

Belarus

-0.42

2024 est.

217

Armenia

-0.42

2024 est.

218

Japan

-0.43

2024 est.

219

Montenegro

-0.44

2024 est.

220

Croatia

-0.46

2024 est.

221

Russia

-0.49

2024 est.

222

Georgia

-0.5

2024 est.

223

Virgin Islands

-0.54

2024 est.

224

Moldova

-0.58

2024 est.

225

Serbia

-0.61

2024 est.

226

Bulgaria

-0.66

2024 est.

227

Micronesia, Federated States of

-0.73

2024 est.

228

Estonia

-0.76

2024 est.

229

Romania

-0.94

2024 est.

230

Poland

-1

2024 est.

231

Lithuania

-1.05

2024 est.

232

Latvia

-1.14

2024 est.

233

Puerto Rico

-1.2

2024 est.

234

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

-1.21

2024 est.

235

American Samoa

-1.54

2024 est.

236

Cook Islands

-2.24

2024 est.

 

 

ATTACHMENT TEN “D” - LIFE EXPECTANCY

Rank

Country

years

Date of Information

1

Monaco

89.8

2024 est.

2

Singapore

86.7

2024 est.

3

Macau

85.3

2024 est.

4

Japan

85.2

2024 est.

5

Canada

84.2

2024 est.

6

San Marino

84.2

2024 est.

7

Hong Kong

84

2024 est.

8

Iceland

84

2024 est.

9

Switzerland

83.9

2024 est.

10

Andorra

83.8

2024 est.

11

Guernsey

83.6

2024 est.

12

Malta

83.6

2024 est.

13

Australia

83.5

2024 est.

14

Luxembourg

83.4

2024 est.

15

Korea, South

83.4

2024 est.

16

Israel

83.1

2024 est.

17

Jersey

83

2024 est.

18

Spain

83

2024 est.

19

Italy

83

2024 est.

20

Liechtenstein

83

2024 est.

21

Sweden

82.9

2024 est.

22

Norway

82.9

2024 est.

23

New Zealand

82.9

2024 est.

24

Austria

82.7

2024 est.

25

France

82.6

2024 est.

26

Anguilla

82.6

2024 est.

27

Cayman Islands

82.5

2024 est.

28

Isle of Man

82.5

2024 est.

29

Bermuda

82.5

2024 est.

30

Belgium

82.3

2024 est.

31

Finland

82.2

2024 est.

32

Slovenia

82.2

2024 est.

33

United Kingdom

82.2

2024 est.

34

Puerto Rico

82.1

2024 est.

35

Denmark

82.1

2024 est.

36

Ireland

82

2024 est.

37

Portugal

81.9

2024 est.

38

Germany

81.9

2024 est.

39

Netherlands

81.9

2024 est.

40

Greece

81.9

2024 est.

41

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

81.8

2024 est.

42

Faroe Islands

81.7

2024 est.

43

Taiwan

81.6

2024 est.

44

Turks and Caicos Islands

81.3

2024 est.

45

Wallis and Futuna

81.1

2024 est.

46

Saint Martin

81

2024 est.

47

Saint Barthelemy

81

2024 est.

48

Gibraltar

80.9

2024 est.

49

United States

80.9

2024 est.

50

Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

80.9

2024 est.

51

Virgin Islands

80.7

2024 est.

52

Bahrain

80.4

2024 est.

53

Qatar

80.3

2024 est.

54

Costa Rica

80.3

2024 est.

55

Chile

80.3

2024 est.

56

Cyprus

80.2

2024 est.

57

British Virgin Islands

80.1

2024 est.

58

Cuba

80.1

2024 est.

59

Curacao

79.9

2024 est.

60

United Arab Emirates

79.9

2024 est.

61

Albania

79.9

2024 est.

62

Sint Maarten

79.7

2024 est.

63

Kuwait

79.6

2024 est.

64

Saint Lucia

79.4

2024 est.

65

New Caledonia

79.3

2024 est.

66

Panama

79.2

2024 est.

67

Lebanon

79.2

2024 est.

68

Barbados

79

2024 est.

69

French Polynesia

78.9

2024 est.

70

Uruguay

78.9

2024 est.

71

Brunei

78.9

2024 est.

72

Argentina

78.8

2024 est.

73

Paraguay

78.8

2024 est.

74

Dominica

78.7

2024 est.

75

China

78.7

2024 est.

76

Czechia

78.6

2024 est.

77

Bosnia and Herzegovina

78.5

2024 est.

78

Aruba

78.5

2024 est.

79

Estonia

78.4

2024 est.

80

Antigua and Barbuda

78.3

2024 est.

81

Thailand

78.2

2024 est.

82

Montenegro

78.2

2024 est.

83

Guam

78

2024 est.

84

Tonga

78

2024 est.

85

Algeria

77.9

2024 est.

86

Croatia

77.7

2024 est.

87

Libya

77.7

2024 est.

88

Cook Islands

77.6

2024 est.

89

Saint Kitts and Nevis

77.6

2024 est.

90

Maldives

77.4

2024 est.

91

Oman

77.4

2024 est.

92

North Macedonia

77.3

2024 est.

93

Tunisia

77.3

2024 est.

94

Slovakia

77.2

2024 est.

95

Solomon Islands

77.2

2024 est.

96

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

77.2

2024 est.

97

Saudi Arabia

77.2

2024 est.

98

Northern Mariana Islands

77.1

2024 est.

99

Romania

76.9

2024 est.

100

Sri Lanka

76.8

2024 est.

101

Poland

76.7

2024 est.

102

Armenia

76.7

2024 est.

103

Turkey (Turkiye)

76.7

2024 est.

104

Bahamas, The

76.7

2024 est.

105

Seychelles

76.6

2024 est.

106

Malaysia

76.6

2024 est.

107

Trinidad and Tobago

76.5

2024 est.

108

West Bank

76.5

2024 est.

109

Jordan

76.5

2024 est.

110

Latvia

76.4

2024 est.

111

Jamaica

76.3

2024 est.

112

Grenada

76.3

2024 est.

113

Brazil

76.3

2024 est.

114

Uzbekistan

76.2

2024 est.

115

Vietnam

76.1

2024 est.

116

Montserrat

76.1

2024 est.

117

Lithuania

76.1

2024 est.

118

Bulgaria

76.1

2024 est.

119

Hungary

76

2024 est.

120

Azerbaijan

75.9

2024 est.

121

El Salvador

75.9

2024 est.

122

American Samoa

75.8

2024 est.

123

Vanuatu

75.7

2024 est.

124

Samoa

75.7

2024 est.

125

Iran

75.6

2024 est.

126

Gaza Strip

75.5

2024 est.

127

Mauritius

75.4

2024 est.

128

Serbia

75.3

2024 est.

129

Bangladesh

75.2

2024 est.

130

Marshall Islands

75.2

2024 est.

131

Palau

75.2

2024 est.

132

Egypt

75

2024 est.

133

Micronesia, Federated States of

75

2024 est.

134

Colombia

74.9

2024 est.

135

Ecuador

74.9

2024 est.

136

Fiji

74.8

2024 est.

137

Syria

74.8

2024 est.

138

Belarus

74.7

2024 est.

139

Nicaragua

74.7

2024 est.

140

Mexico

74.6

2024 est.

141

Greenland

74.5

2024 est.

142

Venezuela

74.5

2024 est.

143

Belize

74.3

2024 est.

144

Cabo Verde

74.3

2024 est.

145

Morocco

74.2

2024 est.

146

Iraq

73.7

2024 est.

147

Bhutan

73.7

2024 est.

148

Indonesia

73.6

2024 est.

149

Guatemala

73.5

2024 est.

150

Korea, North

73.5

2024 est.

151

Kazakhstan

73.3

2024 est.

152

Honduras

73.1

2024 est.

153

Kosovo

73.1

2024 est.

154

Nepal

73

2024 est.

155

Malawi

73

2024 est.

156

Congo, Republic of the

72.9

2024 est.

157

Kyrgyzstan

72.9

2024 est.

158

Georgia

72.8

2024 est.

159

Suriname

72.7

2024 est.

160

Dominican Republic

72.6

2024 est.

161

Bolivia

72.5

2024 est.

162

Turkmenistan

72.4

2024 est.

163

Guyana

72.4

2024 est.

164

Russia

72.3

2024 est.

165

Togo

72.1

2024 est.

166

South Africa

71.9

2024 est.

167

Tajikistan

71.9

2024 est.

168

Mongolia

71.9

2024 est.

169

Cambodia

71.4

2024 est.

170

Philippines

70.8

2024 est.

171

Tanzania

70.8

2024 est.

172

Senegal

70.6

2024 est.

173

Ukraine

70.5

2024 est.

174

Timor-Leste

70.5

2024 est.

175

Gabon

70.4

2024 est.

176

Kenya

70.4

2024 est.

177

Burma

70.3

2024 est.

178

Pakistan

70.3

2024 est.

179

Moldova

70.1

2024 est.

180

Ghana

70.1

2024 est.

181

Papua New Guinea

70.1

2024 est.

182

Uganda

69.7

2024 est.

183

Laos

69

2024 est.

184

Tuvalu

69

2024 est.

185

Peru

68.9

2024 est.

186

Madagascar

68.8

2024 est.

187

Nauru

68.6

2024 est.

188

Kiribati

68.5

2024 est.

189

Gambia, The

68.4

2024 est.

190

India

68.2

2024 est.

191

Yemen

68.2

2024 est.

192

Burundi

68.1

2024 est.

193

Comoros

67.8

2024 est.

194

Sudan

67.8

2024 est.

195

Sao Tome and Principe

67.7

2024 est.

196

Ethiopia

67.7

2024 est.

197

Eritrea

67.5

2024 est.

198

Zimbabwe

67.2

2024 est.

199

Zambia

66.9

2024 est.

200

Rwanda

66.6

2024 est.

201

Botswana

66.4

2024 est.

202

Djibouti

65.9

2024 est.

203

Namibia

65.9

2024 est.

204

Mauritania

65.9

2024 est.

205

Haiti

65.6

2024 est.

206

Guinea

64.6

2024 est.

207

Guinea-Bissau

64.5

2024 est.

208

Burkina Faso

64.2

2024 est.

209

Cameroon

64.2

2024 est.

210

Equatorial Guinea

63.9

2024 est.

211

Mali

63.2

2024 est.

212

Cote d'Ivoire

63.2

2024 est.

213

Benin

63

2024 est.

214

Angola

62.9

2024 est.

215

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

62.6

2024 est.

216

Nigeria

62.2

2024 est.

217

Liberia

61.6

2024 est.

218

Niger

60.9

2024 est.

219

Eswatini

60.7

2024 est.

220

South Sudan

60.3

2024 est.

221

Lesotho

60.2

2024 est.

222

Chad

60

2024 est.

223

Sierra Leone

59.4

2024 est.

224

Mozambique

58.3

2024 est.

225

Somalia

56.5

2024 est.

226

Central African Republic

56.4

2024 est.

227

Afghanistan

54.4

2024 est.

 

AI overview:

The projected U.S. life expectancy for 2025 is about 78.4 years, with male life expectancy estimated at 75.8 years and female life expectancy at 81.1 years. This figure represents a continued rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, with Hawaii projected to have the highest life expectancy at 80.7 years, while Mississippi is expected to have the lowest at 71.9 years. 

·         National Average: The national average life expectancy is projected to be approximately 78.4 years.

·         Gender:

o    Male: Projected to be 75.8 years.

o    Female: Projected to be 81.1 years.

·         State Variations: There is a significant difference in life expectancy between states.

o    Highest: Hawaii is projected to have the highest life expectancy at 80.7 years.

o    Lowest: Mississippi is projected to have the lowest life expectancy at 71.9 years.

·         Trends: The 2025 projection continues a rebound from a decline in life expectancy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors contributing to the rebound include decreased mortality from COVID-19, heart disease, and unintentional injuries. 

Life Expectancy by State 2025


World Population Review

https://worldpopulationreview.com › state-rankings › lif...

 

In 2021, American men could expect to live 73.5 years on average, while American women could expect to live 79.3 years—a 5.8-year gap. Top 10 States with the ...

Alarming Stagnation In U.S. Life Expectancy Continues


Forbes

https://www.forbes.com › Innovation › Healthcare

 

Jan 1, 2025 — Over the next 25 years, U.S. life expectancy is projected to rise by only two years, to 80·4. The U.S. will fall from 49th to 66th globally ...

 

 

US Life Expectancy Is Rebounding | Population Health


JAMA

https://jamanetwork.com › JAMA

 

by L Schneider · 2025 — The overall average life expectancy rose by almost a year between 2022 and 2023, from 77.5 years to 78.4 years. During this period, male life ...

 

 


Yale School of Public Health

https://ysph.yale.edu › news-article › study-reveals-star...

 

Apr 29, 2025 — A sweeping new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) reveals striking disparities in life expectancy across US states and the ...

 

 

AI Overview

In 2025, Monaco's life expectancy is the highest in the world, with an average of approximately 86.5 to 86.6 years. This figure varies slightly by source, with a more detailed breakdown showing 89.7 years for both sexes, 85.8 years for men, and 93.8 years for women. This is attributed to high-quality healthcare and a healthy Mediterranean lifestyle. 

·         Average life expectancy: Around 86.5 to 86.6 years, though one source provides a figure of 89.7 years.

·         Male life expectancy: Approximately 85.8 years.

·         Female life expectancy: Approximately 93.8 years.

·         Factors contributing to high life expectancy: Excellent state-funded healthcare, high GDP per capita allowing access to top-tier medical care, and a healthy Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, seafood, and vegetables. 

 

A Breathtaking Coastal European Country Has The Highest ...


islands.com

https://www.islands.com › Destinations › Europe

 

Jun 21, 2025 — Monaco surpasses all other countries with an average life expectancy of 86.6 years, according to 2024 United Nations data. Put simply, having ...

 

 

AI Overview

Afghanistan's life expectancy for 2025 is estimated to be around 66.53 years, which is a slight increase from the previous year. While some sources provide a single estimate, others show variations, with one source listing 66.5 years and another around 68.1 years. 

·         Estimated 2025 life expectancy: Approximately 66.53 years. 

·         Comparison to 2024: This represents a 0.43% increase from the 2024 estimate. 

·         Other estimates: Other sources provide slightly different figures for 2025, such as 66.5 or 68.1 years. 

 

@to att. 1
Afghanistan life expectancy rising as healthcare improves, survey shows

This article is more than 14 years old

Better access to healthcare in last decade has resulted in Afghans living longer and the infant mortality rate being cut

Supported by

theguardian.org

About this content

Associated Press

Wed 30 Nov 2011 10.15 EST

Share

Afghans are living longer, fewer infants are dying and more women are surviving childbirth because healthcare has dramatically improved around the country in the past decade, according to a national survey.

It indicates that increased access to healthcare, more hospitals, clinics and doctors have significantly contributed to an overall improvement in the health of most Afghans.

"There have been many changes in the health sector and that is why we have so many positive changes," said Bashir Noormal, director general of the Afghan Public Health Institute.

Conducted by the Afghan health ministry in 2010, the survey was sponsored and funded by international organisations such as Unicef, the World Health Organisation, the US government and the British Department for International Development. It was the most comprehensive to date in Afghanistan, despite the exclusion of some rural areas in the south where international forces are fighting insurgents.

It showed that estimated life expectancy is up to between 62 and 64 years for both men and women. That compares with previous studies showing life expectancy from 47 to 50 – the latter figure reported by the WHO in 2009.

The survey also showed infant mortality had been cut in half in recent years, down to 97 deaths per 1,000 live births. It said one in 10 children in Afghanistan dies before they are five years old while previous surveys, carried out about five years ago, showed that one child in five died before reaching that age. The 2009 WHO study reported 199 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Women are also far more likely to survive pregnancy today. The survey indicated that the number of women who die from pregnancy related causes has dropped to one in every 50. Afghan women on average have just over five children, it said.

Still, one Afghan women dies about every two hours from pregnancy-related causes and while childhood mortality is decreasing, it remains the highest in the region. "We still have a very long way to go," said the Afghan public health minister, Suraya Dalil.

Recent improvements are visible at Kabul's Malalai Maternity hospital, the oldest and biggest in the capital, where Dr Hafeeza Amar Khail, the facility's medical director, said the hospital was "seeing decreasing mortality every year – last year, the year before and the year before that" and attributed the improvements to constant training.

"We now update doctors, midwives and all the staff of this hospital," she said. "We also have a midwife clinic and supply midwives to the provinces."

In 2003, there were just 450 health facilities in Afghanistan, including hospitals, according to the health ministry. Now, there are more than 1,800. The number of midwives has risen from 400 in 2003 to more than 2,000 in 2010, including many trained by organisations such as Save the Children.

"These encouraging results show that even in the most challenging and difficult environments, dramatic improvements in child mortality can be achieved," said David Skinner, country director for Save the Children.

Since 2003, about 20,000 community health workers have been trained nationwide by various groups and organisations. "As a result of this, and other community-level activities, fewer children are dying from preventable causes like diarrhoea or pneumonia," Skinner said.

The study, however, revealed significant gaps between rural and urban areas and showed that wealth and education play a key role in the level of healthcare Afghans receive.

The Afghan government, experts and sponsors say it also shows that development aid to Afghanistan in the health sector has worked, despite obstacles, bureaucracy and endemic corruption.

They argue that aid must not be reduced as the international community gradually trims the funds it provides the government as it starts drawing down the 130,000 troops currently in the country.

"International aid, which has funded many of the public health programmes in Afghanistan, has made a real difference, saving many children's lives," Skinner said. "Donor governments need to build on this success and continue to invest in Afghanistan in ways that directly benefit ordinary Afghans."

The World Bank said last week that Afghanistan will need billions of dollars in aid for a decade or more, especially if it hopes to fund services such as health. The health ministry receives the majority of its funding from foreign donors, with the biggest being the US, World Bank and European Union.

The World Bank said Afghanistan this year received $15.7bn (Ł10bn) in aid, representing more than 90% of its public spending.

The study surveyed 225,351 households and 47,848 women from ages 12 to 49. Survey organisers acknowledge that although it covered 87% of the country – 98% of the urban population and 84% of the rural one – the survey had data collection problems.

Because of security reasons, it did not include rural areas of three major southern provinces, Kandahar, Helmand and Zabul, which have seen some of the most intense fighting between insurgents and Afghan and Nato troops

 

 

@get data – in or out

ATTACHMENT TEN “E” - NET MIGRATION RATE

Rank

Country

migrant(s)/1,000 population

Date of Information

1

Ukraine

36.5

2024 est.

2

South Sudan

19.1

2024 est.

3

Venezuela

13.2

2024 est.

4

British Virgin Islands

12.9

2024 est.

5

Cayman Islands

12.1

2024 est.

6

Equatorial Guinea

12.1

2024 est.

7

Monaco

11.7

2024 est.

8

Luxembourg

10.8

2024 est.

9

Anguilla

10.3

2024 est.

10

Turks and Caicos Islands

8.3

2024 est.

11

Aruba

8

2024 est.

12

Saudi Arabia

6.7

2024 est.

13

Cyprus

6.3

2024 est.

14

Switzerland

5.9

2024 est.

15

Australia

5.9

2024 est.

16

Sint Maarten

5.7

2024 est.

17

Ireland

5.6

2024 est.

18

San Marino

5.6

2024 est.

19

Canada

5.3

2024 est.

20

Liechtenstein

4.7

2024 est.

21

Malta

4.4

2024 est.

22

Isle of Man

4.3

2024 est.

23

Djibouti

4.2

2024 est.

24

Singapore

4.2

2024 est.

25

Spain

4.1

2024 est.

26

Sweden

4

2024 est.

27

Belgium

4

2024 est.

28

Norway

3.9

2024 est.

29

New Zealand

3.8

2024 est.

30

New Caledonia

3.6

2024 est.

31

Gabon

3.5

2024 est.

32

Austria

3.5

2024 est.

33

Italy

3.4

2024 est.

34

Bahamas, The

3.2

2024 est.

35

Macau

3.1

2024 est.

36

Panama

3

2024 est.

37

Netherlands

3

2024 est.

38

United States

3

2024 est.

39

United Kingdom

2.9

2024 est.

40

Czechia

2.7

2024 est.

41

Denmark

2.7

2024 est.

42

Botswana

2.7

2024 est.

43

Korea, South

2.6

2024 est.

44

Hungary

2.5

2024 est.

45

Iceland

2.5

2024 est.

46

Suriname

2.5

2024 est.

47

Finland

2.2

2024 est.

48

Brunei

2.1

2024 est.

49

Antigua and Barbuda

2

2024 est.

50

Belize

2

2024 est.

51

Israel

1.9

2024 est.

52

Costa Rica

1.9

2024 est.

53

Germany

1.8

2024 est.

54

Hong Kong

1.6

2024 est.

55

Guernsey

1.6

2024 est.

56

Portugal

1.5

2024 est.

57

Malaysia

1.5

2024 est.

58

Slovenia

1.5

2024 est.

59

Bermuda

1.4

2024 est.

60

Sierra Leone

1.4

2024 est.

61

Jersey

1.2

2024 est.

62

Cote d'Ivoire

1.1

2024 est.

63

Greece

1.1

2024 est.

64

Saint Kitts and Nevis

1.1

2024 est.

65

France

1.1

2024 est.

66

Taiwan

1.1

2024 est.

67

Belarus

0.8

2024 est.

68

Russia

0.8

2024 est.

69

Seychelles

0.8

2024 est.

70

Japan

0.7

2024 est.

71

Palau

0.7

2024 est.

72

North Macedonia

0.4

2024 est.

73

Slovakia

0.4

2024 est.

74

Chile

0.3

2024 est.

75

Benin

0.2

2024 est.

76

Zambia

0.1

2024 est.

77

India

0.1

2024 est.

78

Mauritius

0

2024 est.

79

Andorra

0

2024 est.

80

Gambia, The

0

2024 est.

81

Moldova

0

2024 est.

82

Serbia

0

2024 est.

83

Montserrat

0

2024 est.

84

Iraq

0

2024 est.

85

Madagascar

0

2024 est.

86

Croatia

0

2024 est.

87

Namibia

0

2024 est.

88

Malawi

0

2024 est.

89

Guinea

0

2024 est.

90

Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

0

2024 est.

91

Korea, North

0

2024 est.

92

Bhutan

0

2024 est.

93

Faroe Islands

0

2024 est.

94

Papua New Guinea

0

2024 est.

95

Paraguay

-0.1

2024 est.

96

Ethiopia

-0.1

2024 est.

97

Congo, Republic of the

-0.1

2024 est.

98

Argentina

-0.1

2024 est.

99

Afghanistan

-0.1

2024 est.

100

China

-0.1

2024 est.

101

Chad

-0.1

2024 est.

102

Kenya

-0.2

2024 est.

103

Brazil

-0.2

2024 est.

104

South Africa

-0.2

2024 est.

105

Angola

-0.2

2024 est.

106

Vietnam

-0.2

2024 est.

107

Ghana

-0.2

2024 est.

108

Yemen

-0.2

2024 est.

109

Philippines

-0.2

2024 est.

110

Nigeria

-0.2

2024 est.

111

Bulgaria

-0.3

2024 est.

112

Barbados

-0.3

2024 est.

113

Iran

-0.3

2024 est.

114

Cameroon

-0.3

2024 est.

115

Egypt

-0.3

2024 est.

116

Thailand

-0.3

2024 est.

117

Kazakhstan

-0.4

2024 est.

118

Bosnia and Herzegovina

-0.4

2024 est.

119

Kosovo

-0.4

2024 est.

120

Tanzania

-0.4

2024 est.

121

Oman

-0.5

2024 est.

122

Algeria

-0.5

2024 est.

123

Burkina Faso

-0.6

2024 est.

124

Cabo Verde

-0.6

2024 est.

125

Niger

-0.6

2024 est.

126

French Polynesia

-0.6

2024 est.

127

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

-0.6

2024 est.

128

Saint Lucia

-0.6

2024 est.

129

Azerbaijan

-0.6

2024 est.

130

Paracel Islands

-0.66

2021 est.

131

Mexico

-0.7

2024 est.

132

Indonesia

-0.7

2024 est.

133

Mauritania

-0.7

2024 est.

134

Senegal

-0.7

2024 est.

135

Qatar

-0.7

2024 est.

136

Somalia

-0.7

2024 est.

137

Burundi

-0.7

2024 est.

138

Mongolia

-0.8

2024 est.

139

Liberia

-0.8

2024 est.

140

Uruguay

-0.9

2024 est.

141

Lebanon

-0.9

2024 est.

142

Trinidad and Tobago

-0.9

2024 est.

143

Bolivia

-1

2024 est.

144

Saint Barthelemy

-1

2024 est.

145

Laos

-1

2024 est.

146

Peru

-1

2024 est.

147

Syria

-1.1

2024 est.

148

Pakistan

-1.1

2024 est.

149

Uzbekistan

-1.1

2024 est.

150

Ecuador

-1.1

2024 est.

151

Bahrain

-1.2

2024 est.

152

Curacao

-1.3

2024 est.

153

Vanuatu

-1.3

2024 est.

154

Tunisia

-1.3

2024 est.

155

Burma

-1.4

2024 est.

156

Turkey (Turkiye)

-1.5

2024 est.

157

Solomon Islands

-1.5

2024 est.

158

Mozambique

-1.5

2024 est.

159

Sudan

-1.6

2024 est.

160

Haiti

-1.6

2024 est.

161

Guatemala

-1.6

2024 est.

162

Turkmenistan

-1.7

2024 est.

163

Morocco

-1.7

2024 est.

164

Togo

-1.7

2024 est.

165

Honduras

-1.7

2024 est.

166

Nicaragua

-1.8

2024 est.

167

Tajikistan

-2

2024 est.

168

Colombia

-2.1

2024 est.

169

Cuba

-2.1

2024 est.

170

Comoros

-2.2

2024 est.

171

Grenada

-2.2

2024 est.

172

Libya

-2.5

2024 est.

173

Cambodia

-2.6

2024 est.

174

Estonia

-2.7

2024 est.

175

Dominican Republic

-2.7

2024 est.

176

Kiribati

-2.8

2024 est.

177

Mali

-2.9

2024 est.

178

Bangladesh

-2.9

2024 est.

179

Sri Lanka

-3

2024 est.

180

Central African Republic

-3.1

2024 est.

181

United Arab Emirates

-3.1

2024 est.

182

Rwanda

-3.1

2024 est.

183

Uganda

-3.1

2024 est.

184

Zimbabwe

-3.2

2024 est.

185

Albania

-3.2

2024 est.

186

Gibraltar

-3.2

2024 est.

187

Romania

-3.3

2024 est.

188

Guinea-Bissau

-3.5

2024 est.

189

Wallis and Futuna

-3.6

2024 est.

190

Gaza Strip

-3.7

2024 est.

191

West Bank

-3.8

2024 est.

192

Timor-Leste

-3.8

2024 est.

193

Georgia

-3.8

2024 est.

194

Tokelau

-3.84

2021 est.

195

Lithuania

-4.1

2024 est.

196

Kuwait

-4.2

2024 est.

197

Marshall Islands

-4.3

2024 est.

198

Nepal

-4.4

2024 est.

199

Lesotho

-4.5

2024 est.

200

Kyrgyzstan

-4.8

2024 est.

201

Latvia

-4.9

2024 est.

202

Greenland

-4.9

2024 est.

203

Montenegro

-5

2024 est.

204

Armenia

-5.2

2024 est.

205

Dominica

-5.3

2024 est.

206

Fiji

-5.5

2024 est.

207

Svalbard

-5.57

2021 est.

208

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

-5.8

2024 est.

209

Eswatini

-6

2024 est.

210

Poland

-6.2

2024 est.

211

Saint Martin

-6.2

2024 est.

212

Tuvalu

-6.3

2024 est.

213

Sao Tome and Principe

-6.5

2024 est.

214

Guyana

-6.6

2024 est.

215

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

-6.8

2024 est.

216

Samoa

-6.9

2024 est.

217

Jamaica

-7.1

2024 est.

218

Virgin Islands

-7.3

2024 est.

219

El Salvador

-7.7

2024 est.

220

Eritrea

-8.7

2024 est.

221

Puerto Rico

-9.6

2024 est.

222

Nauru

-9.8

2024 est.

223

Jordan

-10.9

2024 est.

224

Guam

-10.9

2024 est.

225

Maldives

-12.8

2024 est.

226

Northern Mariana Islands

-13.4

2024 est.

227

Tonga

-18.1

2024 est.

228

Micronesia, Federated States of

-21

2024 est.

229

American Samoa

-24.8

2024 est.

230

Cook Islands

-25.1

2024 est.

 

 

ATTACHMENT TEN “F” - REAL (Total) GDP RATE

Rank

Country

Date of Information

1

China

$33,598,000,000,000

2024 est.

2

United States

$25,676,000,000,000

2024 est.

3

India

$14,244,000,000,000

2024 est.

4

Russia

$6,089,000,000,000

2024 est.

5

Japan

$5,715,000,000,000

2024 est.

6

Germany

$5,247,000,000,000

2024 est.

7

Brazil

$4,165,000,000,000

2024 est.

8

Indonesia

$4,102,000,000,000

2024 est.

9

France

$3,732,000,000,000

2024 est.

10

United Kingdom

$3,636,000,000,000

2024 est.

11

Italy

$3,133,000,000,000

2024 est.

12

Turkey (Turkiye)

$3,018,000,000,000

2024 est.

13

Mexico

$2,883,000,000,000

2024 est.

14

Korea, South

$2,607,000,000,000

2023 est.

15

Spain

$2,361,000,000,000

2024 est.

16

Canada

$2,341,000,000,000

2024 est.

17

Saudi Arabia

$2,213,000,000,000

2024 est.

18

Egypt

$1,958,000,000,000

2024 est.

19

Taiwan

$1,743,000,000,000

2023 est.

20

Poland

$1,649,000,000,000

2024 est.

21

Australia

$1,635,000,000,000

2024 est.

22

Thailand

$1,558,000,000,000

2024 est.

23

Iran

$1,486,000,000,000

2024 est.

24

Bangladesh

$1,473,000,000,000

2024 est.

25

Vietnam

$1,456,000,000,000

2024 est.

26

Pakistan

$1,390,000,000,000

2024 est.

27

Nigeria

$1,318,000,000,000

2024 est.

28

Netherlands

$1,276,000,000,000

2024 est.

29

Argentina

$1,213,000,000,000

2024 est.

30

Malaysia

$1,212,000,000,000

2024 est.

31

Philippines

$1,202,000,000,000

2024 est.

32

Colombia

$978,592,000,000

2024 est.

33

South Africa

$870,420,000,000

2024 est.

34

Singapore

$800,304,000,000

2024 est.

35

Romania

$774,376,000,000

2024 est.

36

Belgium

$749,229,000,000

2024 est.

37

United Arab Emirates

$745,994,000,000

2024 est.

38

Switzerland

$741,035,000,000

2024 est.

39

Kazakhstan

$739,385,000,000

2024 est.

40

Algeria

$722,912,000,000

2024 est.

41

Sweden

$668,628,000,000

2024 est.

42

Ireland

$620,544,000,000

2024 est.

43

Chile

$596,556,000,000

2024 est.

44

Iraq

$585,887,000,000

2024 est.

45

Austria

$581,131,000,000

2024 est.

46

Ukraine

$577,583,000,000

2024 est.

47

Peru

$535,911,000,000

2024 est.

48

Czechia

$521,928,000,000

2024 est.

49

Norway

$507,680,000,000

2024 est.

50

Hong Kong

$497,880,000,000

2024 est.

51

Israel

$472,177,000,000

2024 est.

52

Portugal

$448,226,000,000

2024 est.

53

Denmark

$440,558,000,000

2024 est.

54

Greece

$392,205,000,000

2024 est.

55

Hungary

$389,207,000,000

2024 est.

56

Ethiopia

$380,895,000,000

2024 est.

57

Uzbekistan

$379,989,000,000

2024 est.

58

Morocco

$350,594,000,000

2024 est.

59

Kenya

$328,632,000,000

2024 est.

60

Qatar

$317,064,000,000

2024 est.

61

Finland

$313,591,000,000

2024 est.

62

Sri Lanka

$301,407,000,000

2024 est.

63

Burma

$287,559,000,000

2024 est.

64

Angola

$278,239,000,000

2024 est.

65

Dominican Republic

$276,884,000,000

2024 est.

66

Belarus

$265,220,000,000

2024 est.

67

New Zealand

$257,117,000,000

2024 est.

68

Ecuador

$252,728,000,000

2024 est.

69

Tanzania

$246,706,000,000

2024 est.

70

Ghana

$243,124,000,000

2024 est.

71

Guatemala

$232,673,000,000

2024 est.

72

Kuwait

$225,947,000,000

2024 est.

73

Azerbaijan

$225,198,000,000

2024 est.

74

Bulgaria

$219,645,000,000

2024 est.

75

Slovakia

$218,762,000,000

2024 est.

76

Cote d'Ivoire

$215,018,000,000

2024 est.

77

Oman

$193,591,000,000

2024 est.

78

Serbia

$177,093,000,000

2024 est.

79

Croatia

$164,825,000,000

2024 est.

80

Panama

$164,484,000,000

2024 est.

81

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

$164,367,000,000

2024 est.

82

Tunisia

$156,086,000,000

2024 est.

83

Nepal

$149,643,000,000

2024 est.

84

Uganda

$144,137,000,000

2024 est.

85

Cameroon

$143,264,000,000

2024 est.

86

Puerto Rico

$141,344,000,000

2024 est.

87

Costa Rica

$138,371,000,000

2024 est.

88

Lithuania

$136,227,000,000

2024 est.

89

Turkmenistan

$134,555,000,000

2024 est.

90

Cambodia

$123,676,000,000

2024 est.

91

Bolivia

$122,200,000,000

2024 est.

92

Paraguay

$112,919,000,000

2024 est.

93

Venezuela

$110,943,000,000

2023 est.

94

Jordan

$109,986,000,000

2024 est.

95

Uruguay

$108,502,000,000

2024 est.

96

Slovenia

$103,118,000,000

2024 est.

97

Syria

$98,858,000,000

2023 est.

98

Sudan

$94,420,000,000

2024 est.

99

Bahrain

$93,937,000,000

2024 est.

100

Georgia

$91,849,000,000

2024 est.

101

Libya

$90,609,000,000

2024 est.

102

Luxembourg

$86,871,000,000

2024 est.

103

Senegal

$83,183,000,000

2024 est.

104

Afghanistan

$82,238,000,000

2023 est.

105

Cuba

$81,165,000,000

2024 est.

106

Zambia

$79,207,000,000

2024 est.

107

Macau

$77,524,000,000

2024 est.

108

El Salvador

$73,961,000,000

2024 est.

109

Latvia

$72,516,000,000

2024 est.

110

Honduras

$71,297,000,000

2024 est.

111

Mali

$71,253,000,000

2024 est.

112

Laos

$66,905,000,000

2024 est.

113

Lebanon

$65,415,000,000

2023 est.

114

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$64,641,000,000

2024 est.

115

Armenia

$60,909,000,000

2024 est.

116

Burkina Faso

$60,001,000,000

2024 est.

117

Guinea

$59,439,000,000

2024 est.

118

Mongolia

$59,221,000,000

2024 est.

119

Guyana

$58,423,000,000

2024 est.

120

Zimbabwe

$57,391,000,000

2024 est.

121

Estonia

$57,001,000,000

2024 est.

122

Benin

$56,424,000,000

2024 est.

123

Nicaragua

$52,989,000,000

2024 est.

124

Madagascar

$52,968,000,000

2024 est.

125

Chad

$52,895,000,000

2024 est.

126

Mozambique

$51,786,000,000

2024 est.

127

Albania

$51,360,000,000

2024 est.

128

Kyrgyzstan

$50,907,000,000

2024 est.

129

Tajikistan

$50,370,000,000

2024 est.

130

Cyprus

$50,055,000,000

2024 est.

131

Gabon

$48,045,000,000

2024 est.

132

Niger

$47,921,000,000

2024 est.

133

Rwanda

$46,543,000,000

2024 est.

134

Botswana

$45,553,000,000

2024 est.

135

Papua New Guinea

$45,487,000,000

2024 est.

136

North Macedonia

$43,844,000,000

2024 est.

137

Trinidad and Tobago

$43,362,000,000

2024 est.

138

Moldova

$39,342,000,000

2024 est.

139

Congo, Republic of the

$39,147,000,000

2024 est.

140

Brunei

$36,640,000,000

2024 est.

141

Malawi

$35,425,000,000

2024 est.

142

Malta

$34,731,000,000

2024 est.

143

Mauritius

$34,406,000,000

2024 est.

144

Mauritania

$33,069,000,000

2024 est.

145

Haiti

$32,971,000,000

2024 est.

146

Namibia

$31,154,000,000

2024 est.

147

Equatorial Guinea

$29,248,000,000

2024 est.

148

Jamaica

$29,130,000,000

2024 est.

149

Togo

$27,115,000,000

2024 est.

150

Somalia

$26,770,000,000

2024 est.

151

Sierra Leone

$26,728,000,000

2024 est.

152

Iceland

$26,561,000,000

2024 est.

153

Kosovo

$25,019,000,000

2024 est.

154

West Bank

$20,339,000,000

2024 est.

155

Gaza Strip

$20,339,000,000

2024 est.

156

Yemen

$18,719,000,000

2024 est.

157

Montenegro

$17,375,000,000

2024 est.

158

Korea, North

$15,416,000,000

2023 est.

159

Bahamas, The

$14,544,000,000

2024 est.

160

Fiji

$13,100,000,000

2024 est.

161

Eswatini

$12,885,000,000

2024 est.

162

Maldives

$12,325,000,000

2024 est.

163

Suriname

$12,316,000,000

2024 est.

164

Burundi

$11,739,000,000

2024 est.

165

Bhutan

$11,517,000,000

2023 est.

166

Liberia

$9,308,000,000

2024 est.

167

Monaco

$8,924,000,000

2024 est.

168

New Caledonia

$8,469,000,000

2024 est.

169

Gambia, The

$8,365,000,000

2024 est.

170

Djibouti

$7,995,000,000

2024 est.

171

Liechtenstein

$7,172,000,000

2024 est.

172

Bermuda

$6,808,000,000

2024 est.

173

South Sudan

$6,752,000,000

2023 est.

174

Lesotho

$6,166,000,000

2024 est.

175

French Polynesia

$6,007,000,000

2024 est.

176

Central African Republic

$5,926,000,000

2024 est.

177

Guinea-Bissau

$5,912,000,000

2024 est.

178

Timor-Leste

$5,863,000,000

2024 est.

179

Cayman Islands

$5,705,000,000

2023 est.

180

Barbados

$5,634,000,000

2024 est.

181

Jersey

$5,569,000,000

2016 est.

182

Belize

$5,538,000,000

2024 est.

183

Andorra

$5,402,000,000

2024 est.

184

Cabo Verde

$5,200,000,000

2024 est.

185

Virgin Islands

$4,900,000,000

2022 est.

186

Saint Lucia

$4,359,000,000

2024 est.

187

Aruba

$4,350,000,000

2023 est.

188

Curacao

$4,312,000,000

2023 est.

189

Greenland

$4,040,000,000

2023 est.

190

Faroe Islands

$3,834,000,000

2023 est.

191

Seychelles

$3,549,000,000

2024 est.

192

Comoros

$3,092,000,000

2024 est.

193

Antigua and Barbuda

$2,772,000,000

2024 est.

194

Eritrea

$2,534,000,000

2024 est.

195

San Marino

$2,393,000,000

2022 est.

196

Grenada

$2,080,000,000

2024 est.

197

Solomon Islands

$2,070,000,000

2024 est.

198

Sint Maarten

$1,986,000,000

2024 est.

199

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$1,883,000,000

2024 est.

200

British Virgin Islands

$1,634,000,000

2024 est.

201

Turks and Caicos Islands

$1,554,000,000

2024 est.

202

Samoa

$1,503,000,000

2024 est.

203

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$1,465,000,000

2024 est.

204

Sao Tome and Principe

$1,291,000,000

2024 est.

205

Northern Mariana Islands

$1,242,000,000

2016 est.

206

Dominica

$1,241,000,000

2024 est.

207

Vanuatu

$1,039,000,000

2024 est.

208

Tonga

$740,082,000

2023 est.

209

American Samoa

$658,000,000

2016 est.

210

Kiribati

$438,143,000

2024 est.

211

Micronesia, Federated States of

$432,679,000

2024 est.

212

Cook Islands

$401,155,000

2024 est.

213

Anguilla

$362,499,000

2024 est.

214

Palau

$280,025,000

2023 est.

215

Marshall Islands

$270,809,000

2024 est.

216

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

$261,300,000

2015 est.

217

Nauru

$150,581,000

2024 est.

218

Montserrat

$89,254,000

2024 est.

219

Tuvalu

$57,055,000

2023 est.

220

Niue

$18,700,000

2021 est.

221

Tokelau

$7,711,583

2017 est.

 

 

ATTACHMENT TEN “G” – GDP PER CAPITA

Rank

Country

Date of Information

1

Monaco

$270,100

2024 est.

2

Liechtenstein

$210,600

2024 est.

3

Singapore

$132,600

2024 est.

4

Luxembourg

$128,200

2024 est.

5

Ireland

$115,300

2024 est.

6

Macau

$112,800

2024 est.

7

Qatar

$110,900

2024 est.

8

Bermuda

$105,300

2024 est.

9

Norway

$91,100

2024 est.

10

Switzerland

$82,000

2024 est.

11

Brunei

$79,200

2024 est.

12

Cayman Islands

$78,100

2023 est.

13

United States

$75,500

2024 est.

14

Denmark

$73,700

2024 est.

15

Greenland

$71,000

2023 est.

16

San Marino

$70,900

2022 est.

17

Netherlands

$70,900

2024 est.

18

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

$70,800

2015 est.

19

Faroe Islands

$70,400

2023 est.

20

Guyana

$70,300

2024 est.

21

United Arab Emirates

$68,600

2024 est.

22

Hong Kong

$66,200

2024 est.

23

Andorra

$65,900

2024 est.

24

Iceland

$65,600

2024 est.

25

Sweden

$63,300

2024 est.

26

Austria

$63,300

2024 est.

27

Belgium

$63,100

2024 est.

28

Germany

$62,800

2024 est.

29

Saudi Arabia

$62,700

2024 est.

30

Malta

$60,500

2024 est.

31

Australia

$60,100

2024 est.

32

Bahrain

$59,100

2024 est.

33

Canada

$56,700

2024 est.

34

Finland

$55,600

2024 est.

35

France

$54,500

2024 est.

36

Cyprus

$53,300

2024 est.

37

Italy

$53,100

2024 est.

38

United Kingdom

$52,500

2024 est.

39

Korea, South

$50,400

2023 est.

40

Slovenia

$48,500

2024 est.

41

Spain

$48,400

2024 est.

42

New Zealand

$48,200

2024 est.

43

Czechia

$48,000

2024 est.

44

Israel

$47,300

2024 est.

45

Lithuania

$47,200

2024 est.

46

Virgin Islands

$46,500

2022 est.

47

Japan

$46,100

2024 est.

48

Sint Maarten

$45,800

2024 est.

49

Kuwait

$45,400

2024 est.

50

Poland

$45,100

2024 est.

51

Puerto Rico

$44,100

2024 est.

52

Croatia

$42,600

2024 est.

53

Portugal

$41,900

2024 est.

54

Russia

$41,700

2024 est.

55

Estonia

$41,500

2024 est.

56

Hungary

$40,700

2024 est.

57

Romania

$40,600

2024 est.

58

British Virgin Islands

$40,500

2024 est.

59

Aruba

$40,500

2023 est.

60

Slovakia

$40,300

2024 est.

61

Latvia

$38,900

2024 est.

62

Greece

$37,800

2024 est.

63

Oman

$36,700

2024 est.

64

Panama

$36,400

2024 est.

65

Bahamas, The

$36,200

2024 est.

66

Kazakhstan

$35,900

2024 est.

67

Guam

$35,600

2016 est.

68

Turkey (Turkiye)

$35,300

2024 est.

69

New Caledonia

$34,600

2024 est.

70

Bulgaria

$34,100

2024 est.

71

Malaysia

$34,100

2024 est.

72

Turks and Caicos Islands

$33,400

2024 est.

73

Taiwan

$32,300

2023 est.

74

Uruguay

$32,000

2024 est.

75

Trinidad and Tobago

$31,700

2024 est.

76

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$31,300

2024 est.

77

Anguilla

$31,000

2024 est.

78

Chile

$30,200

2024 est.

79

Cook Islands

$29,800

2024 est.

80

Antigua and Barbuda

$29,600

2024 est.

81

Seychelles

$29,200

2024 est.

82

Belarus

$29,000

2024 est.

83

Montenegro

$27,900

2024 est.

84

Curacao

$27,700

2023 est.

85

Mauritius

$27,300

2024 est.

86

Costa Rica

$27,000

2024 est.

87

Serbia

$26,900

2024 est.

88

Argentina

$26,500

2024 est.

89

Georgia

$25,000

2024 est.

90

North Macedonia

$24,500

2024 est.

91

Saint Lucia

$24,300

2024 est.

92

Dominican Republic

$24,200

2024 est.

93

China

$23,800

2024 est.

94

Cuba

$23,700

2024 est.

95

Maldives

$23,400

2024 est.

96

French Polynesia

$23,300

2024 est.

97

Azerbaijan

$22,100

2024 est.

98

Mexico

$22,000

2024 est.

99

Thailand

$21,700

2024 est.

100

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$20,400

2024 est.

101

Armenia

$20,100

2024 est.

102

Barbados

$19,900

2024 est.

103

Brazil

$19,600

2024 est.

104

Suriname

$19,400

2024 est.

105

Montserrat

$19,300

2024 est.

106

Albania

$18,900

2024 est.

107

Gabon

$18,900

2024 est.

108

Dominica

$18,700

2024 est.

109

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$18,700

2024 est.

110

Colombia

$18,500

2024 est.

111

Botswana

$18,100

2024 est.

112

Turkmenistan

$18,000

2024 est.

113

Grenada

$17,700

2024 est.

114

Egypt

$16,800

2024 est.

115

Mongolia

$16,800

2024 est.

116

Moldova

$16,500

2024 est.

117

Kosovo

$16,400

2024 est.

118

Paraguay

$16,300

2024 est.

119

Ukraine

$16,300

2024 est.

120

Iran

$16,200

2024 est.

121

Palau

$15,800

2023 est.

122

Peru

$15,700

2024 est.

123

Equatorial Guinea

$15,500

2024 est.

124

Algeria

$15,400

2024 est.

125

Bhutan

$14,600

2023 est.

126

Indonesia

$14,500

2024 est.

127

Vietnam

$14,400

2024 est.

128

Fiji

$14,100

2024 est.

129

Ecuador

$13,900

2024 est.

130

Sri Lanka

$13,800

2024 est.

131

South Africa

$13,600

2024 est.

132

Belize

$13,300

2024 est.

133

Tunisia

$12,700

2024 est.

134

Iraq

$12,700

2024 est.

135

Nauru

$12,600

2024 est.

136

Guatemala

$12,600

2024 est.

137

Libya

$12,300

2024 est.

138

El Salvador

$11,700

2024 est.

139

Lebanon

$11,300

2023 est.

140

Niue

$11,100

2021 est.

141

Uzbekistan

$10,500

2024 est.

142

Eswatini

$10,400

2024 est.

143

Philippines

$10,400

2024 est.

144

Jamaica

$10,300

2024 est.

145

Namibia

$10,300

2024 est.

146

Cabo Verde

$9,900

2024 est.

147

Bolivia

$9,800

2024 est.

148

India

$9,800

2024 est.

149

Jordan

$9,500

2024 est.

150

Morocco

$9,100

2024 est.

151

Laos

$8,600

2024 est.

152

Bangladesh

$8,500

2024 est.

153

Nicaragua

$7,700

2024 est.

154

Angola

$7,300

2024 est.

155

Marshall Islands

$7,200

2024 est.

156

Tonga

$7,100

2023 est.

157

Ghana

$7,100

2024 est.

158

Kyrgyzstan

$7,000

2024 est.

159

Cambodia

$7,000

2024 est.

160

Samoa

$6,900

2024 est.

161

Djibouti

$6,800

2024 est.

162

Cote d'Ivoire

$6,700

2024 est.

163

Honduras

$6,600

2024 est.

164

Mauritania

$6,400

2024 est.

165

Congo, Republic of the

$6,200

2024 est.

166

Tokelau

$6,004

2017 est.

167

Kenya

$5,800

2024 est.

168

Tuvalu

$5,800

2023 est.

169

Nigeria

$5,700

2024 est.

170

Sao Tome and Principe

$5,500

2024 est.

171

Pakistan

$5,500

2024 est.

172

Burma

$5,300

2024 est.

173

Nepal

$5,000

2024 est.

174

Cameroon

$4,900

2024 est.

175

Venezuela

$4,900

2023 est.

176

Tajikistan

$4,800

2024 est.

177

Senegal

$4,500

2024 est.

178

Papua New Guinea

$4,300

2024 est.

179

Syria

$4,200

2023 est.

180

Timor-Leste

$4,200

2024 est.

181

Guinea

$4,000

2024 est.

182

Benin

$3,900

2024 est.

183

Micronesia, Federated States of

$3,800

2024 est.

184

Gaza Strip

$3,800

2024 est.

185

West Bank

$3,800

2024 est.

186

Zambia

$3,700

2024 est.

187

Tanzania

$3,700

2024 est.

188

Comoros

$3,600

2024 est.

189

Zimbabwe

$3,500

2024 est.

190

Kiribati

$3,300

2024 est.

191

Rwanda

$3,300

2024 est.

192

Vanuatu

$3,200

2024 est.

193

Sierra Leone

$3,100

2024 est.

194

Gambia, The

$3,000

2024 est.

195

Ethiopia

$2,900

2024 est.

196

Uganda

$2,900

2024 est.

197

Mali

$2,900

2024 est.

198

Haiti

$2,800

2024 est.

199

Togo

$2,800

2024 est.

200

Guinea-Bissau

$2,700

2024 est.

201

Lesotho

$2,600

2024 est.

202

Chad

$2,600

2024 est.

203

Solomon Islands

$2,500

2024 est.

204

Burkina Faso

$2,500

2024 est.

205

Afghanistan

$2,000

2023 est.

206

Sudan

$1,900

2024 est.

207

Niger

$1,800

2024 est.

208

Liberia

$1,700

2024 est.

209

Madagascar

$1,700

2024 est.

210

Malawi

$1,600

2024 est.

211

Mozambique

$1,500

2024 est.

212

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

$1,500

2024 est.

213

Somalia

$1,400

2024 est.

214

Central African Republic

$1,100

2024 est.

215

Burundi

$800

2024 est.

216

Eritrea

$700

2024 est.

217

Korea, North

$600

2023 est.

218

South Sudan

$400

2023 est.

219

Yemen

$200

2024 est.

 

 

ATTACHMENT TEN “H” – UNEMPLOYMENT

Official or unofficial?  @Download Data

Rank

Country

%

Date of Information

1

Qatar

0.2

2024 est.

2

Cambodia

0.3

2024 est.

3

Niger

0.4

2024 est.

4

Thailand

0.7

2024 est.

5

Burundi

1

2024 est.

6

Chad

1.1

2024 est.

7

Bahrain

1.2

2024 est.

8

Laos

1.3

2024 est.

9

Solomon Islands

1.5

2024 est.

10

Moldova

1.5

2024 est.

11

Vietnam

1.5

2024 est.

12

Cuba

1.6

2024 est.

13

Timor-Leste

1.7

2024 est.

14

Benin

1.8

2024 est.

15

Togo

2

2024 est.

16

Tonga

2.2

2024 est.

17

United Arab Emirates

2.2

2024 est.

18

Kuwait

2.2

2024 est.

19

Philippines

2.2

2024 est.

20

Guatemala

2.3

2024 est.

21

Cote d'Ivoire

2.3

2024 est.

22

Poland

2.5

2024 est.

23

Macau

2.5

2024 est.

24

Russia

2.6

2024 est.

25

Czechia

2.6

2024 est.

26

Tanzania

2.6

2024 est.

27

Japan

2.6

2024 est.

28

Korea, South

2.7

2024 est.

29

Guinea-Bissau

2.7

2024 est.

30

Malta

2.8

2024 est.

31

Mexico

2.8

2024 est.

32

Papua New Guinea

2.8

2024 est.

33

Hong Kong

2.8

2024 est.

34

Liberia

2.9

2024 est.

35

Bhutan

2.9

2024 est.

36

El Salvador

2.9

2024 est.

37

Korea, North

2.9

2024 est.

38

Senegal

3

2024 est.

39

Uganda

3

2024 est.

40

Nigeria

3

2024 est.

41

Mali

3.1

2024 est.

42

Burma

3.1

2024 est.

43

Bolivia

3.1

2024 est.

44

Ghana

3.1

2024 est.

45

Madagascar

3.1

2024 est.

46

Singapore

3.2

2024 est.

47

Oman

3.2

2024 est.

48

Sierra Leone

3.2

2024 est.

49

Iceland

3.2

2024 est.

50

Israel

3.2

2024 est.

51

Indonesia

3.3

2024 est.

52

Kyrgyzstan

3.3

2024 est.

53

Ethiopia

3.4

2024 est.

54

Taiwan

3.4

2024 est.

55

Belarus

3.4

2024 est.

56

Slovenia

3.4

2024 est.

57

Germany

3.5

2024 est.

58

Cameroon

3.6

2024 est.

59

Mozambique

3.6

2024 est.

60

Netherlands

3.6

2024 est.

61

Saudi Arabia

3.9

2024 est.

62

Comoros

3.9

2024 est.

63

Malaysia

3.9

2024 est.

64

Norway

4

2024 est.

65

Australia

4.1

2024 est.

66

Switzerland

4.2

2024 est.

67

United States

4.2

2024 est.

68

Bulgaria

4.2

2024 est.

69

United Kingdom

4.2

2024 est.

70

India

4.3

2024 est.

71

Fiji

4.4

2024 est.

72

Ireland

4.4

2024 est.

73

Turkmenistan

4.4

2024 est.

74

Hungary

4.5

2024 est.

75

Uzbekistan

4.5

2024 est.

76

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

4.6

2024 est.

77

Nicaragua

4.6

2024 est.

78

Trinidad and Tobago

4.6

2024 est.

79

Samoa

4.6

2024 est.

80

China

4.6

2024 est.

81

Maldives

4.7

2024 est.

82

Bangladesh

4.7

2024 est.

83

Ecuador

4.8

2024 est.

84

Kazakhstan

4.8

2024 est.

85

New Zealand

4.9

2024 est.

86

Peru

4.9

2024 est.

87

Jamaica

4.9

2024 est.

88

Sri Lanka

5

2024 est.

89

Malawi

5.1

2024 est.

90

Vanuatu

5.1

2024 est.

91

Burkina Faso

5.2

2024 est.

92

Brunei

5.2

2024 est.

93

Croatia

5.3

2024 est.

94

Guinea

5.3

2024 est.

95

Slovakia

5.3

2024 est.

96

Romania

5.4

2024 est.

97

Pakistan

5.5

2024 est.

98

Puerto Rico

5.5

2024 est.

99

Austria

5.5

2024 est.

100

Dominican Republic

5.5

2024 est.

101

Mongolia

5.5

2024 est.

102

Belgium

5.5

2024 est.

103

Mauritius

5.5

2024 est.

104

Venezuela

5.5

2024 est.

105

Kenya

5.5

2024 est.

106

Azerbaijan

5.6

2024 est.

107

Guam

5.6

2024 est.

108

Eritrea

5.6

2024 est.

109

Denmark

5.6

2024 est.

110

Cyprus

5.7

2024 est.

111

Central African Republic

5.9

2024 est.

112

Luxembourg

6

2024 est.

113

Zambia

6

2024 est.

114

Paraguay

6.1

2024 est.

115

Honduras

6.1

2024 est.

116

Jersey

6.3

2024 est.

117

Guernsey

6.3

2024 est.

118

Portugal

6.4

2024 est.

119

Gambia, The

6.5

2024 est.

120

Canada

6.5

2024 est.

121

Panama

6.6

2024 est.

122

Latvia

6.8

2024 est.

123

Italy

6.8

2024 est.

124

Belize

7

2024 est.

125

Egypt

7.2

2024 est.

126

Suriname

7.4

2024 est.

127

France

7.4

2024 est.

128

Serbia

7.4

2024 est.

129

Lithuania

7.6

2024 est.

130

Barbados

7.6

2024 est.

131

Brazil

7.7

2024 est.

132

Argentina

7.9

2024 est.

133

Costa Rica

7.9

2024 est.

134

Equatorial Guinea

7.9

2024 est.

135

Estonia

7.9

2024 est.

136

Finland

8.3

2024 est.

137

Uruguay

8.5

2024 est.

138

Turkey (Turkiye)

8.5

2024 est.

139

Bahamas, The

8.5

2024 est.

140

Zimbabwe

8.6

2024 est.

141

Sweden

8.6

2024 est.

142

Morocco

9

2024 est.

143

Chile

9.1

2024 est.

144

Iran

9.2

2024 est.

145

Sao Tome and Principe

9.2

2024 est.

146

Colombia

9.7

2024 est.

147

Ukraine

9.9

2021 est.

148

Guyana

10.2

2024 est.

149

Greece

10.2

2024 est.

150

Albania

10.3

2024 est.

151

Mauritania

10.4

2024 est.

152

Bosnia and Herzegovina

10.8

2024 est.

153

Nepal

10.8

2024 est.

154

Saint Lucia

11

2024 est.

155

New Caledonia

11.2

2024 est.

156

Spain

11.4

2024 est.

157

Sudan

11.45

2023 est.

158

Georgia

11.5

2024 est.

159

Algeria

11.5

2024 est.

160

Lebanon

11.6

2023 est.

161

Tajikistan

11.7

2024 est.

162

French Polynesia

11.8

2024 est.

163

Cabo Verde

11.9

2024 est.

164

Rwanda

12

2024 est.

165

Virgin Islands

12.1

2024 est.

166

South Sudan

12.5

2023 est.

167

Syria

13

2024 est.

168

Afghanistan

13.3

2024 est.

169

Armenia

13.4

2024 est.

170

North Macedonia

13.5

2024 est.

171

Montenegro

14.1

2024 est.

172

Angola

14.5

2024 est.

173

Haiti

15.1

2024 est.

174

Iraq

15.6

2024 est.

175

Lesotho

16.2

2024 est.

176

Tunisia

16.3

2024 est.

177

Yemen

17.1

2024 est.

178

Jordan

18

2024 est.

179

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

18.1

2024 est.

180

Libya

18.7

2024 est.

181

Somalia

18.9

2024 est.

182

Namibia

19.2

2024 est.

183

Congo, Republic of the

19.7

2024 est.

184

Gabon

20.1

2024 est.

185

Botswana

23.2

2024 est.

186

West Bank

24.5

2022 est.

187

Gaza Strip

24.5

2022 est.

188

Djibouti

25.9

2024 est.

189

South Africa

33.2

2024 est.

190

Eswatini

34.4

2024 est.

 

 

ATTACHMENT ELEVEN

EQUALITY (from GINI COEFFICIENT)

Measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country. The more nearly equal a country's income distribution, the lower its Gini index. The more unequal a country's income distribution, the higher its Gini Index.

 

Rank

Country

Date of Information

1

Namibia  (Most unequal)

59.1

2015 est.

2

Botswana

54.9

2015 est.

3

Eswatini

54.6

2016 est.

4

Colombia

53.9

2023 est.

5

Brazil

51.6

2023 est.

6

Zambia

51.5

2022 est.

7

Angola

51.3

2018 est.

8

Saint Lucia

51.2

2016 est.

9

Mozambique

50.3

2019 est.

10

Zimbabwe

50.3

2020 est.

11

Kosovo

49.4

2021 est.

12

Panama

48.9

2023 est.

13

Honduras

46.8

2023 est.

14

Singapore

45.8

2016 est.

15

Costa Rica

45.8

2024 est.

16

Guatemala

45.2

2023 est.

17

Lesotho

44.9

2017 est.

18

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

44.7

2020 est.

19

Ecuador

44.6

2023 est.

20

Turkey (Turkiye)

44.5

2022 est.

21

Paraguay

44.4

2023 est.

22

South Sudan

44

2016 est.

23

Grenada

43.8

2018 est.

24

Rwanda

43.7

2016 est.

25

Mexico

43.5

2022 est.

26

Ghana

43.5

2016 est.

27

Chile

43

2022 est.

28

Central African Republic

43

2021 est.

29

Uganda

42.7

2019 est.

30

Cabo Verde

42.4

2015 est.

31

Argentina

42.4

2023 est.

32

Cameroon

42.2

2021 est.

33

Bolivia

42.1

2023 est.

34

United States

41.8

2023 est.

35

Djibouti

41.6

2017 est.

36

Uruguay

40.9

2023 est.

37

Sao Tome and Principe

40.7

2017 est.

38

Malaysia

40.7

2021 est.

39

Peru

40.7

2023 est.

40

Tanzania

40.5

2018 est.

41

Belize

39.9

2018 est.

42

Jamaica

39.9

2021 est.

43

El Salvador

39.8

2023 est.

44

Philippines

39.3

2023 est.

45

Suriname

39.2

2022 est.

46

Laos

38.8

2018 est.

47

Gambia, The

38.8

2020 est.

48

Kenya

38.7

2021 est.

49

Malawi

38.5

2019 est.

50

Equatorial Guinea

38.5

2022 est.

51

Dominican Republic

38.4

2023 est.

52

Bulgaria

38.2

2022 est.

53

Gabon

38

2017 est.

54

Togo

37.9

2021 est.

55

Israel

37.9

2021 est.

56

Sri Lanka

37.7

2019 est.

57

Burundi

37.5

2020 est.

58

Chad

37.4

2022 est.

59

Burkina Faso

37.4

2021 est.

60

Mauritius

36.8

2017 est.

61

Lithuania

36.6

2022 est.

62

West Bank

36.4

2023 est.

63

Gaza Strip

36.4

2023 est.

64

Portugal

36.3

2022 est.

65

Senegal

36.2

2021 est.

66

Vietnam

36.1

2022 est.

67

Iran

35.9

2023 est.

68

Sierra Leone

35.7

2018 est.

69

China

35.7

2021 est.

70

Mali

35.7

2021 est.

71

Marshall Islands

35.5

2019 est.

72

Cote d'Ivoire

35.3

2021 est.

73

Liberia

35.3

2016 est.

74

Qatar

35.1

2017 est.

75

Russia

35.1

2021 est.

76

Nigeria

35.1

2018 est.

77

Indonesia

34.9

2024 est.

78

Georgia

34.8

2023 est.

79

Malta

34.6

2022 est.

80

Uzbekistan

34.5

2023 est.

81

Benin

34.4

2021 est.

82

Montenegro

34.3

2021 est.

83

Australia

34.3

2018 est.

84

Barbados

34.1

2016 est.

85

Luxembourg

34.1

2022 est.

86

Tajikistan

34

2015 est.

87

Taiwan

33.9

2023 est.

88

Switzerland

33.8

2021 est.

89

Tunisia

33.7

2021 est.

90

Latvia

33.7

2022 est.

91

Italy

33.7

2022 est.

92

Spain

33.6

2022 est.

93

North Macedonia

33.5

2019 est.

94

Thailand

33.5

2023 est.

95

Greece

33.4

2022 est.

96

Guinea-Bissau

33.4

2021 est.

97

Bangladesh

33.4

2022 est.

98

Niger

32.9

2021 est.

99

Korea, South

32.9

2021 est.

100

Serbia

32.8

2022 est.

101

Germany

32.4

2020 est.

102

United Kingdom

32.4

2021 est.

103

Romania

32.3

2022 est.

104

Japan

32.3

2020 est.

105

Vanuatu

32.3

2019 est.

106

Estonia

32.3

2022 est.

107

Seychelles

32.1

2018 est.

108

Mauritania

32

2019 est.

109

Sweden

31.6

2022 est.

110

Cyprus

31.5

2022 est.

111

Mongolia

31.4

2022 est.

112

France

31.2

2022 est.

113

Ethiopia

31.1

2021 est.

114

Austria

30.9

2022 est.

115

Fiji

30.7

2019 est.

116

Burma

30.7

2017 est.

117

Hungary

30.2

2022 est.

118

Nepal

30

2022 est.

119

Croatia

30

2022 est.

120

Ireland

29.9

2022 est.

121

Canada

29.9

2020 est.

122

Iraq

29.8

2023 est.

123

Pakistan

29.6

2018 est.

124

Guinea

29.6

2018 est.

125

Albania

29.4

2020 est.

126

Maldives

29.3

2019 est.

127

Denmark

29.3

2022 est.

128

Kazakhstan

29.2

2021 est.

129

Poland

28.9

2022 est.

130

Egypt

28.5

2021 est.

131

Bhutan

28.5

2022 est.

132

Finland

27.9

2022 est.

133

Kiribati

27.8

2019 est.

134

Armenia

27.2

2023 est.

135

Tonga

27.1

2021 est.

136

Norway

26.9

2022 est.

137

Iceland

26.6

2018 est.

138

Syria

26.6

2022 est.

139

Belgium

26.4

2022 est.

140

Kyrgyzstan

26.4

2022 est.

141

United Arab Emirates

26.4

2018 est.

142

Moldova

25.9

2022 est.

143

Czechia

25.9

2022 est.

144

Netherlands

25.7

2021 est.

145

Ukraine

25.6

2020 est.

146

India

25.5

2022 est.

147

Belarus

24.4

2020 est.

148

Slovenia

24.3

2022 est.

149

Slovakia

24.1

2022 est.

 

 

ATTACHMENT TWELVE – FROM  FREEDOM HOUSE

See charts and graphs here and here

   

Freedom House rates people’s access to political rights and civil liberties in 208 countries and territories through its annual Freedom in the World report. Individual freedoms—ranging from the right to vote to freedom of expression and equality before the law—can be affected by state or nonstate actors. Click on a country name below to access the full country narrative report.

Country or Territory

Freedom in the World Score

Political Rights

Civil Liberties

Abkhazia*

39/100Partly Free

17

22

Afghanistan

6/100Not Free

1

5

Albania

68/100Partly Free

28

40

Algeria

31/100Not Free

10

21

Andorra

93/100Free

38

55

Angola

28/100Not Free

10

18

Antigua and Barbuda

83/100Free

32

51

Argentina

85/100Free

35

50

Armenia

54/100Partly Free

23

31

Australia

95/100Free

39

56

Austria

93/100Free

37

56

Azerbaijan

7/100Not Free

0

7

Bahrain

12/100Not Free

2

10

Bangladesh

45/100Partly Free

16

29

Barbados

94/100Free

37

57

Belarus

7/100Not Free

1

6

Belgium

96/100Free

39

57

Belize

88/100Free

35

53

Benin

60/100Partly Free

18

42

Bhutan

68/100Free

32

36

Bolivia

65/100Partly Free

26

39

Bosnia and Herzegovina

52/100Partly Free

17

35

Botswana

75/100Free

31

44

Brazil

72/100Free

30

42

Brunei

27/100Not Free

7

20

Bulgaria

77/100Free

32

45

Burkina Faso

25/100Not Free

3

22

Burundi

15/100Not Free

4

11

Cabo Verde

92/100Free

38

54

Cambodia

23/100Not Free

4

19

Cameroon

15/100Not Free

6

9

Canada

97/100Free

39

58

Central African Republic

5/100Not Free

1

4

Chad

15/100Not Free

1

14

Chile

95/100Free

38

57

China

9/100Not Free

-2

11

Colombia

70/100Free

31

39

Comoros

42/100Partly Free

16

26

Costa Rica

91/100Free

38

53

Croatia

82/100Free

34

48

Cuba

10/100Not Free

1

9

Cyprus

91/100Free

38

53

Czechia

95/100Free

37

58

Côte d'Ivoire

49/100Partly Free

19

30

Democratic Republic of the Congo

18/100Not Free

4

14

Denmark

97/100Free

40

57

Djibouti

24/100Not Free

5

19

Dominica

92/100Free

37

55

Dominican Republic

68/100Partly Free

27

41

Ecuador

65/100Partly Free

28

37

Egypt

18/100Not Free

6

12

El Salvador

47/100Partly Free

17

30

Equatorial Guinea

5/100Not Free

0

5

Eritrea

3/100Not Free

1

2

Estonia

96/100Free

39

57

Eswatini

17/100Not Free

1

16

Ethiopia

18/100Not Free

8

10

Fiji

69/100Partly Free

28

41

Finland

100/100Free

40

60

France

89/100Free

38

51

Gabon

21/100Not Free

2

19

Gaza Strip*

2/100Not Free

-2

4

Georgia

55/100Partly Free

21

34

Germany

95/100Free

40

55

Ghana

80/100Free

35

45

Greece

85/100Free

35

50

Grenada

89/100Free

37

52

Guatemala

48/100Partly Free

19

29

Guinea

30/100Not Free

7

23

Guinea-Bissau

41/100Partly Free

15

26

Guyana

74/100Free

30

44

Haiti

24/100Not Free

6

18

Honduras

48/100Partly Free

22

26

Hong Kong*

40/100Partly Free

9

31

Hungary

65/100Partly Free

24

41

Iceland

95/100Free

38

57

India

63/100Partly Free

31

32

Indian Kashmir*

38/100Partly Free

17

21

Indonesia

56/100Partly Free

28

28

Iran

11/100Not Free

4

7

Iraq

31/100Not Free

16

15

Ireland

97/100Free

39

58

Israel

73/100Free

34

39

Italy

89/100Free

36

53

Jamaica

80/100Free

33

47

Japan

96/100Free

40

56

Jordan

34/100Partly Free

12

22

Kazakhstan

23/100Not Free

5

18

Kenya

51/100Partly Free

22

29

Kiribati

89/100Free

36

53

Kosovo

60/100Partly Free

28

32

Kuwait

31/100Not Free

7

24

Kyrgyzstan

26/100Not Free

4

22

Laos

13/100Not Free

2

11

Latvia

89/100Free

37

52

Lebanon

39/100Partly Free

13

26

Lesotho

66/100Free

30

36

Liberia

64/100Partly Free

30

34

Libya

10/100Not Free

2

8

Liechtenstein

90/100Free

33

57

Lithuania

89/100Free

38

51

Luxembourg

97/100Free

38

59

Madagascar

55/100Partly Free

21

34

Malawi

65/100Partly Free

28

37

Malaysia

53/100Partly Free

22

31

Maldives

43/100Partly Free

20

23

Mali

24/100Not Free

6

18

Malta

87/100Free

35

52

Marshall Islands

93/100Free

38

55

Mauritania

39/100Partly Free

15

24

Mauritius

86/100Free

35

51

Mexico

59/100Partly Free

26

33

Micronesia

92/100Free

37

55

Moldova

60/100Partly Free

25

35

Monaco

82/100Free

25

57

Mongolia

84/100Free

36

48

Montenegro

69/100Partly Free

27

42

Morocco

37/100Partly Free

13

24

Mozambique

41/100Partly Free

12

29

Myanmar

7/100Not Free

0

7

Namibia

73/100Free

28

45

Nauru

75/100Free

32

43

Nepal

62/100Partly Free

28

34

Netherlands

97/100Free

39

58

New Zealand

99/100Free

40

59

Nicaragua

14/100Not Free

2

12

Niger

30/100Not Free

5

25

Nigeria

44/100Partly Free

20

24

North Korea

3/100Not Free

0

3

North Macedonia

67/100Partly Free

28

39

Northern Cyprus*

76/100Free

27

49

Norway

99/100Free

39

60

Oman

24/100Not Free

6

18

Pakistan

32/100Partly Free

12

20

Pakistani Kashmir*

30/100Not Free

9

21

Palau

92/100Free

37

55

Panama

83/100Free

35

48

Papua New Guinea

61/100Partly Free

22

39

Paraguay

63/100Partly Free

26

37

Peru

67/100Partly Free

28

39

Philippines

58/100Partly Free

25

33

Poland

82/100Free

34

48

Portugal

96/100Free

39

57

Qatar

25/100Not Free

7

18

Republic of the Congo

17/100Not Free

2

15

Romania

82/100Free

34

48

Russia

12/100Not Free

4

8

Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine*

-1/100 Not Free

-2

1

Rwanda

21/100Not Free

7

14

Samoa

84/100Free

32

52

San Marino

97/100Free

39

58

Saudi Arabia

9/100Not Free

1

8

Senegal

69/100Free

30

39

Serbia

56/100Partly Free

18

38

Seychelles

80/100Free

34

46

Sierra Leone

59/100Partly Free

23

36

Singapore

48/100Partly Free

19

29

Slovakia

89/100Free

36

53

Slovenia

96/100Free

39

57

Solomon Islands

75/100Free

28

47

Somalia

8/100Not Free

2

6

Somaliland*

47/100Partly Free

21

26

South Africa

81/100Free

34

47

South Korea

81/100Free

32

49

South Ossetia*

12/100Not Free

3

9

South Sudan

1/100Not Free

-3

4

Spain

90/100Free

37

53

Sri Lanka

58/100Partly Free

26

32

St. Kitts and Nevis

89/100Free

35

54

St. Lucia

91/100Free

38

53

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

90/100Free

36

54

Sudan

2/100Not Free

-3

5

Suriname

80/100Free

34

46

Sweden

99/100Free

40

59

Switzerland

96/100Free

39

57

Syria

5/100Not Free

-3

8

Săo Tomé and Príncipe

84/100Free

35

49

Taiwan

94/100Free

38

56

Tajikistan

5/100Not Free

0

5

Tanzania

35/100Not Free

11

24

Thailand

34/100Not Free

11

23

The Bahamas

90/100Free

38

52

The Gambia

50/100Partly Free

22

28

Timor-Leste

72/100Free

33

39

Togo

41/100Partly Free

14

27

Tonga

80/100Free

30

50

Transnistria*

17/100Not Free

5

12

Trinidad and Tobago

82/100Free

33

49

Tunisia

44/100Partly Free

11

33

Turkey

33/100Not Free

17

16

Turkmenistan

1/100Not Free

0

1

Tuvalu

93/100Free

37

56

Uganda

34/100Not Free

10

24

Ukraine

51/100Partly Free

23

28

United Arab Emirates

18/100Not Free

5

13

United Kingdom

92/100Free

39

53

United States

84/100Free

34

50

Uruguay

96/100Free

40

56

Uzbekistan

12/100Not Free

2

10

Vanuatu

82/100Free

32

50

Venezuela

13/100Not Free

0

13

Vietnam

20/100Not Free

4

16

West Bank*

22/100Not Free

4

18

Western Sahara*

4/100Not Free

-3

7

Yemen

10/100Not Free

1

9

Zambia

53/100Partly Free

22

31

Zimbabwe

26/100Not Free

9

17

Global freedom statuses are calculated on a weighted scale. See the methodology.

* Indicates a territory as opposed to an independent country.

 

ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN – FROM CEO World

Countries with the highest human freedom, 2025

Rank

Country

Region

Sub-region

Situation

Score

Travel Risk

1

Switzerland

Europe

West Europe

good situation

91.95

INSIGNIFICANT

2

New Zealand

Oceania

Oceania

good situation

91.58

LOW

3

Denmark

Europe

North Europe

good situation

91.4

INSIGNIFICANT

4

Luxembourg

Europe

West Europe

good situation

91.13

INSIGNIFICANT

5

Ireland

Europe

North Europe

good situation

90.95

LOW

6

Finland

Europe

North Europe

good situation

90.82

INSIGNIFICANT

7

Liechtenstein

Europe

West Europe

good situation

90.79

LOW

8

Australia

Oceania

Oceania

good situation

90.74

LOW

9

Monaco

Europe

West Europe

good situation

90.58

LOW

10

Iceland

Europe

North Europe

good situation

90.5

LOW

11

Sweden

Europe

North Europe

good situation

90.47

LOW

12

Estonia

Europe

North Europe

good situation

89.91

LOW

13

Japan

Asia

East Asia

good situation

89.52

LOW

14

Macao (China)

Asia

East Asia

good situation

89.4

LOW

15

Norway

Europe

North Europe

good situation

89.39

INSIGNIFICANT

16

Germany

Europe

West Europe

good situation

89.05

LOW

17

Czech Republic (Czechia)

Europe

East Europe

good situation

89.04

LOW

18

Netherlands

Europe

West Europe

good situation

87.75

LOW

19

United Kingdom

Europe

North Europe

good situation

87.39

LOW

20

United States

Americas

North America

good situation

87.01

LOW

21

Taiwan

Asia

East Asia

good situation

86.73

LOW

22

Portugal

Europe

South Europe

good situation

86.45

LOW

23

San Marino

Europe

South Europe

good situation

86.19

LOW

24

Latvia

Europe

North Europe

good situation

86.14

LOW

25

Austria

Europe

West Europe

good situation

86.07

LOW

26

Malta

Europe

South Europe

good situation

86.01

LOW

27

Andorra

Europe

South Europe

good situation

85.65

LOW

28

Belgium

Europe

West Europe

good situation

85.53

LOW

29

Lithuania

Europe

North Europe

good situation

85.43

LOW

30

Spain

Europe

South Europe

good situation

84.87

LOW

31

Italy

Europe

South Europe

good situation

84.68

LOW

32

Canada

Americas

North America

good situation

83.93

LOW

33

Slovenia

Europe

South Europe

good situation

83.68

INSIGNIFICANT

34

Cyprus

Europe

West Asia

good situation

83.37

LOW

35

Chile

Americas

South America

good situation

83.17

LOW

36

Costa Rica

Americas

Central America

good situation

83.02

LOW

37

South Korea

Asia

East Asia

good situation

82.8

LOW

38

France

Europe

West Europe

good situation

82.68

LOW

39

Slovakia

Europe

East Europe

satisfactory situation

82.41

LOW

40

Uruguay

Americas

South America

satisfactory situation

82.23

LOW

41

Romania

Europe

East Europe

satisfactory situation

81.61

LOW

42

Seychelles

Africa

East Africa

satisfactory situation

81.47

LOW

43

Croatia

Europe

South Europe

satisfactory situation

81.37

LOW

44

Panama

Americas

Central America

satisfactory situation

81.01

LOW

45

Albania

Europe

South Europe

satisfactory situation

80.97

LOW

46

Armenia

Asia

West Asia

satisfactory situation

80.24

HIGH

47

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Americas

Caribbean

satisfactory situation

79.9

LOW

48

Dominican Republic

Americas

Caribbean

satisfactory situation

79.51

MEDIUM

49

Grenada

Americas

Caribbean

satisfactory situation

79.42

LOW

50

Antigua and Barbuda

Americas

Caribbean

satisfactory situation

79.05

LOW

51

Cuba

Americas

Caribbean

satisfactory situation

79.02

LOW

52

Dominica

Americas

Caribbean

satisfactory situation

78.61

LOW

53

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Americas

Caribbean

satisfactory situation

78.54

LOW

54

Singapore

Asia

South-East Asia

satisfactory situation

77.4

LOW

55

Bahamas

Americas

Caribbean

satisfactory situation

77.19

LOW

56

Saint Lucia

Americas

Caribbean

satisfactory situation

76.97

LOW

57

Jamaica

Americas

Caribbean

satisfactory situation

76.72

MEDIUM

58

Bulgaria

Europe

East Europe

satisfactory situation

76.54

LOW

59

Montenegro

Europe

South Europe

satisfactory situation

76.52

LOW

60

Barbados

Americas

Caribbean

satisfactory situation

76.44

LOW

61

Hong Kong (China)

Asia

East Asia

satisfactory situation

76.15

LOW

62

Poland

Europe

East Europe

satisfactory situation

76.13

LOW

63

Georgia

Asia

West Asia

satisfactory situation

76.12

LOW

64

Mauritius

Africa

East Africa

satisfactory situation

76.08

LOW

65

Peru

Americas

South America

satisfactory situation

75.63

MEDIUM

66

Mongolia

Asia

East Asia

satisfactory situation

75.3

MEDIUM

67

North Macedonia

Europe

South Europe

satisfactory situation

74.7

LOW

68

Greece

Europe

South Europe

satisfactory situation

73.7

LOW

69

Trinidad and Tobago

Americas

Caribbean

satisfactory situation

73.62

MEDIUM

70

Israel

Asia

West Asia

satisfactory situation

73.57

MEDIUM

71

Belize

Americas

Central America

satisfactory situation

73.36

MEDIUM

72

Namibia

Africa

South Africa

satisfactory situation

73.16

LOW

73

Botswana

Africa

South Africa

satisfactory situation

73.11

LOW

74

Hungary

Europe

East Europe

satisfactory situation

72.95

LOW

75

Moldova

Europe

East Europe

satisfactory situation

72.15

LOW

76

East Timor [Timor Leste]

Asia

South-East Asia

satisfactory situation

71.07

MEDIUM

77

Suriname

Americas

South America

satisfactory situation

70.93

LOW

78

Paraguay

Americas

South America

satisfactory situation

70.5

LOW

79

Guatemala

Americas

Central America

satisfactory situation

70.34

MEDIUM

80

Fiji

Oceania

Melanesia

satisfactory situation

70.25

LOW

81

Kiribati

Oceania

Micronesia

satisfactory situation

70.22

LOW

82

Marshall Islands

Oceania

Micronesia

satisfactory situation

70.04

LOW

83

Brazil

Americas

South America

satisfactory situation

69.95

MEDIUM

84

Papua New Guinea

Oceania

Oceania

satisfactory situation

69.93

HIGH

85

Micronesia (Federated States of)

Oceania

Oceania

satisfactory situation

69.84

LOW

86

Nauru

Oceania

Oceania

satisfactory situation

69.63

LOW

87

Palau

Oceania

Oceania

satisfactory situation

69.13

LOW

88

Samoa

Oceania

Oceania

satisfactory situation

69.02

LOW

89

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Europe

South Europe

satisfactory situation

68.96

LOW

90

Solomon Islands

Oceania

Oceania

satisfactory situation

68.52

MEDIUM

91

Tonga

Oceania

Oceania

satisfactory situation

68.08

LOW

92

El Salvador

Americas

Central America

satisfactory situation

68

MEDIUM

93

Tuvalu

Oceania

Oceania

satisfactory situation

67.98

LOW

94

Vanuatu

Oceania

Oceania

satisfactory situation

67.19

LOW

95

South Africa

Africa

South Africa

satisfactory situation

66.85

MEDIUM

96

Serbia

Europe

South Europe

satisfactory situation

66.66

LOW

97

Ghana

Africa

West Africa

satisfactory situation

65.87

LOW

98

Ivory Coast [Côte d'Ivoire]

Africa

West Africa

satisfactory situation

65.78

MEDIUM

99

Malaysia

Asia

South-East Asia

satisfactory situation

65.72

LOW

100

Ecuador

Americas

South America

satisfactory situation

65.52

MEDIUM

101

Colombia

Americas

South America

satisfactory situation

65.42

MEDIUM

102

Argentina

Americas

South America

satisfactory situation

65.27

LOW

103

Benin

Africa

West Africa

satisfactory situation

64.91

LOW

104

Guyana

Americas

South America

satisfactory situation

64.9

MEDIUM

105

Honduras

Americas

Central America

satisfactory situation

64.4

HIGH

106

Bolivia (Plurinational State of)

Americas

South America

satisfactory situation

64.39

MEDIUM

107

Malawi

Africa

East Africa

satisfactory situation

64.1

LOW

108

India

Asia

South Asia

satisfactory situation

63.48

LOW

109

Indonesia

Asia

South-East Asia

satisfactory situation

63.14

MEDIUM

110

Senegal

Africa

West Africa

noticeable problems

63.08

LOW

111

Gambia

Africa

West Africa

noticeable problems

63.05

LOW

112

Cape Verde [Cabo Verde]

Africa

West Africa

noticeable problems

62.79

LOW

113

Bhutan

Asia

South Asia

noticeable problems

61.93

LOW

114

Lesotho

Africa

South Africa

noticeable problems

61.83

MEDIUM

115

Madagascar

Africa

East Africa

noticeable problems

61.39

MEDIUM

116

Thailand

Asia

South-East Asia

noticeable problems

61.04

LOW

117

Mexico

Americas

Central America

noticeable problems

60.97

MEDIUM

118

Zambia

Africa

East Africa

noticeable problems

60.79

LOW

119

Kenya

Africa

East Africa

noticeable problems

60.76

MEDIUM

120

Kyrgyzstan

Asia

Central Asia

noticeable problems

60.37

MEDIUM

121

Philippines

Asia

South-East Asia

noticeable problems

60.04

MEDIUM

122

Liberia

Africa

West Africa

noticeable problems

59.88

MEDIUM

123

Jordan

Asia

West Asia

noticeable problems

59.39

LOW

124

Guinea-Bissau

Africa

West Africa

noticeable problems

59.25

MEDIUM

125

Mozambique

Africa

East Africa

noticeable problems

58.27

MEDIUM

126

Kazakhstan

Asia

Central Asia

noticeable problems

57.64

MEDIUM

127

Tanzania

Africa

East Africa

noticeable problems

56.81

MEDIUM

128

Sierra Leone

Africa

West Africa

noticeable problems

56.74

MEDIUM

129

Gabon

Africa

Middle Africa

noticeable problems

56.19

LOW

130

Togo

Africa

West Africa

noticeable problems

56.01

MEDIUM

131

Burkina Faso

Africa

West Africa

noticeable problems

55.79

HIGH

132

Niger

Africa

West Africa

noticeable problems

55.77

MEDIUM

133

Haiti

Americas

Caribbean

noticeable problems

55.65

HIGH

134

Cambodia

Asia

South-East Asia

noticeable problems

55.6

MEDIUM

135

Kuwait

Asia

West Asia

noticeable problems

54.98

LOW

136

Tunisia

Africa

North Africa

noticeable problems

54.92

MEDIUM

137

Lebanon

Asia

West Asia

noticeable problems

54.67

EXTREME

138

Uganda

Africa

East Africa

noticeable problems

54.35

MEDIUM

139

United Arab Emirates

Asia

West Asia

noticeable problems

54.24

LOW

140

Brunei Darussalam

Asia

South-East Asia

noticeable problems

54.09

LOW

141

Rwanda

Africa

East Africa

noticeable problems

53.69

LOW

142

Ukraine

Europe

East Europe

noticeable problems

53.01

EXTREME

143

Mali

Africa

West Africa

noticeable problems

52.89

HIGH

144

Angola

Africa

Middle Africa

noticeable problems

52.81

MEDIUM

145

Oman

Asia

West Asia

noticeable problems

52.64

LOW

146

Nigeria

Africa

West Africa

noticeable problems

52.35

HIGH

147

Azerbaijan

Asia

West Asia

noticeable problems

51.75

HIGH

148

Bahrain

Asia

West Asia

noticeable problems

50.85

LOW

149

Djibouti

Africa

East Africa

noticeable problems

50.76

MEDIUM

150

Morocco

Africa

North Africa

noticeable problems

50.56

LOW

151

Comoros

Africa

East Africa

noticeable problems

50.54

LOW

152

Vietnam

Asia

South-East Asia

noticeable problems

50.2

LOW

153

Mauritania (Islamic Republic of)

Africa

West Africa

noticeable problems

49.83

MEDIUM

154

Sri Lanka

Asia

South Asia

difficult situation

49.82

MEDIUM

155

Qatar

Asia

West Asia

difficult situation

49.25

LOW

156

Republic of the Congo [Congo-Brazzaville]

Africa

Middle Africa

difficult situation

49.24

MEDIUM

157

Săo Tomé and Príncipe

Africa

Middle Africa

difficult situation

49.1

LOW

158

Tajikistan

Asia

Central Asia

difficult situation

49.02

MEDIUM

159

Turkmenistan

Asia

Central Asia

difficult situation

48.76

MEDIUM

160

Uzbekistan

Asia

Central Asia

difficult situation

48.48

LOW

161

Russia

Europe

East Europe

difficult situation

48.32

MEDIUM

162

Belarus

Europe

East Europe

difficult situation

48.14

EXTREME

163

Democratic Republic of the Congo [DR Congo]

Africa

Middle Africa

difficult situation

47.88

HIGH

164

Equatorial Guinea

Africa

Middle Africa

difficult situation

47.79

LOW

165

Bangladesh

Asia

South Asia

difficult situation

47.26

HIGH

166

Turkey (Türkiye)

Asia

West Asia

difficult situation

46.88

MEDIUM

167

Nepal

Asia

South Asia

difficult situation

46.67

MEDIUM

168

Nicaragua

Americas

Central America

difficult situation

46.53

MEDIUM

169

Cameroon

Africa

Middle Africa

difficult situation

46.49

MEDIUM

170

Central African Republic

Africa

Middle Africa

difficult situation

45.49

HIGH

171

Ethiopia

Africa

East Africa

difficult situation

45.3

HIGH

172

Eritrea

Africa

East Africa

difficult situation

45.21

MEDIUM

173

Guinea

Africa

West Africa

difficult situation

43.82

MEDIUM

174

Laos (Lao PDR)

Asia

South-East Asia

difficult situation

43.46

LOW

175

Eswatini [Swaziland]

Africa

South Africa

difficult situation

43.32

MEDIUM

176

China

Asia

East Asia

difficult situation

43.29

LOW

177

Libya

Africa

North Africa

difficult situation

42.9

EXTREME

178

Burundi

Africa

East Africa

difficult situation

42.49

MEDIUM

179

Zimbabwe

Africa

East Africa

very serious

41.25

MEDIUM

180

Chad

Africa

Middle Africa

very serious

40.28

MEDIUM

181

Saudi Arabia

Asia

West Asia

very serious

40.18

MEDIUM

182

Iraq

Asia

West Asia

very serious

39.83

EXTREME

183

Algeria

Africa

North Africa

very serious

39.67

MEDIUM

184

Somalia

Africa

East Africa

very serious

39.07

EXTREME

185

South Sudan

Africa

East Africa

very serious

38.9

EXTREME

186

Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Americas

South America

very serious

38.76

HIGH

187

Egypt

Africa

North Africa

very serious

38.64

MEDIUM

188

Sudan

Africa

North Africa

very serious

38.44

EXTREME

189

Pakistan (Islamic Republic of)

Asia

South Asia

very serious

38.31

EXTREME

190

Myanmar [Burma]

Asia

South-East Asia

very serious

38.24

EXTREME

191

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Asia

South Asia

very serious

38.17

HIGH

192

Maldives

Asia

South Asia

very serious

37.73

MEDIUM

193

Yemen

Asia

West Asia

very serious

37.39

EXTREME

194

North Korea

Asia

East Asia

very serious

37.02

EXTREME

195

Afghanistan

Asia

South Asia

very serious

36.86

EXTREME

196

Palestine

Asia

West Asia

very serious

36.76

EXTREME

197

Syria

Asia

West Asia

very serious

36.16

EXTREME

 

 

A14  FROM MENTAL FLOSS

2025’s Most—and Least—Sinful Cities in America, Ranked by Key Factors

The No. 1 city won’t be a surprise, but the rest of the top spots might be.

By Rudie Obias   Nov 30, 2025

When you think of the nickname “Sin City,” you probably think of the city of Las Vegas, especially with its wide range of casinos, legalized gambling, salacious adult entertainment offerings, easy access to just about every vice, and an around-the-clock party lifestyle. After all, the party life is a multi-billion-dollar industry in Las Vegas. But although “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” it’s not the only sinful city in the United States.

According to WalletHub, the country is full of people committing sins. The outlet ranked nearly 200 American cities for sinfulness based on seven key dimensions—including anger and hatred, jealousy, excesses and vices, greed, lust, vanity, and laziness—to determine which cities are the most sinful and which are the least.

The study is based on businesses and establishments within city limits, police reports, and population size from the U.S. Census, as well as local Google Searches for terms relating to the key dimensions.

It’s no surprise that Las Vegas, Nevada, is No. 1 on the list, while sinful cities of note, like New Orleans, Louisiana, Los Angeles, California, Atlanta, Georgia, Miami, Florida, and others, are in the top 10. However, smaller metropolises, such as Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tennessee, Wichita, Kansas, Mobile, Alabama, Wilmington, Delaware, and others, just cracked the top 50 of the most sinful cities.

By contrast, the least sinful city in the nation is Columbia, Maryland—which is ranked at the very bottom at No. 182. Other cities rounding out the bottom five in the rankings are Madison, Wisconsin, Pearl City, Hawaii, West Valley City, Utah, and Fremont, California.

Check out a list of the top 50 cities that are considered the most sinful in America, below:

Las Vegas, NV

Houston, TX

Los Angeles, CA

Philadelphia, PA

Atlanta, GA

Denver, CO

Miami, FL

Dallas, TX

Phoenix, AZ

New Orleans, LA

Baton Rouge, LA

Chicago, IL

St. Louis, MO

Cleveland, OH

Memphis, TN

Orlando, FL

New York, NY

North Las Vegas, NV

Baltimore, MD

Nashville, TN

Henderson, NV

Birmingham, AL

Detroit, MI

Portland, OR

San Antonio, TX

Shreveport, LA

Tampa, FL

Little Rock, AR

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Jacksonville, FL

Richmond, VA

Indianapolis, IN

San Diego, CA

Charlotte, NC

Washington, DC

Cincinnati, OH

Austin, TX

Mobile, AL

Wichita, KS

Pittsburgh, PA

San Bernardino, CA

San Francisco, CA

Kansas City, MO

Sacramento, CA

Tempe, AZ

Wilmington, DE

Minneapolis, MN

Knoxville, TN

Reno, NV

Chattanooga, TN

 

 

A15 FROM Wallet Hub

Most Sinful Cities in America (2025)

By Adam McCann, WalletHub Financial WriterNov 17, 2025


See charts and graphs here


Las Vegas isn’t the only “Sin City” in America. In other cities, bad things happen and stay there, too. From beer-loving Milwaukee to decadent New Orleans, the U.S. is filled with people behaving illicitly. No place is innocent - we all have flaws, and at some point, we all have to pay for our vices. Gambling addiction, for instance, leads to over $100 billion in losses for U.S. consumers every year, while smoking burns an over $600 billion hole in Uncle Sam’s wallet annually.

Luckily for the saints among us, all American sins are not created or distributed equally. To identify the darkest corners of America, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 37 key indicators of vices and illicit behavior. Our data set ranges from violent crimes per capita to excessive drinking and adult entertainment establishments per capita.

“Regardless of any particular religious tenets, certain activities are considered ‘sinful’ by society as a whole. Sometimes, these activities are always bad, like violent crimes or identity theft. In other cases, they may be relatively harmless in moderation but incredibly destructive when not kept under control, such as alcohol use or gambling. The most sinful cities are those where illicit activities and vices alike are the most widespread.”

By Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

 

Table of Contents

Main Findings   In-Depth Look at Most Sinful Cities  Ask the ExpertsMethodology

 

MAIN FINDINGS

Most Sinful Cities in America

Overall Rank* 

City

WalletHub Vice Index 

Anger & Hatred Rank 

Jealousy Rank 

Excesses & Vices Rank 

Greed Rank 

Lust Rank 

Vanity Rank 

Laziness Rank 

1

Las Vegas, NV

61.94

33

11

67

1

3

7

3

2

Houston, TX

58.30

19

5

133

24

1

6

125

3

Los Angeles, CA

54.93

24

33

164

95

4

1

67

4

Philadelphia, PA

54.11

2

7

61

66

12

18

64

5

Atlanta, GA

52.87

27

2

117

168

2

9

92

6

Denver, CO

52.62

9

40

44

40

9

15

117

7

Miami, FL

52.29

134

8

153

74

8

4

25

8

Dallas, TX

51.48

40

10

108

99

7

10

114

9

Phoenix, AZ

51.27

65

82

63

67

6

5

53

10

New Orleans, LA

50.71

5

9

13

49

29

82

28

11

Baton Rouge, LA

50.61

3

3

9

125

77

45

17

12

Chicago, IL

50.04

23

35

123

73

16

8

107

13

St. Louis, MO

49.89

8

21

2

52

40

44

99

14

Cleveland, OH

49.88

6

27

8

138

24

32

10

15

Memphis, TN

49.79

7

6

7

117

22

124

22

16

Orlando, FL

49.52

13

4

118

161

15

14

134

17

New York, NY

49.42

47

81

174

97

5

3

31

18

North Las Vegas, NV

49.12

158

15

43

1

98

21

1

19

Baltimore, MD

47.43

4

19

21

170

10

65

96

20

Nashville, TN

46.35

18

76

14

91

27

27

84

21

Henderson, NV

45.84

78

16

141

1

114

69

19

22

Birmingham, AL

45.79

10

20

3

147

73

72

106

23

Detroit, MI

45.75

12

23

10

153

19

157

4

24

Portland, OR

45.17

37

49

73

26

14

40

177

25

San Antonio, TX

44.80

109

29

97

46

20

26

65

26

Shreveport, LA

44.66

32

22

12

98

59

92

14

27

Tampa, FL

44.34

119

52

95

96

11

17

105

28

Little Rock, AR

44.05

28

18

17

169

35

94

18

29

Fort Lauderdale, FL

43.80

39

1

152

93

121

58

58

30

Jacksonville, FL

43.67

44

46

48

156

31

29

33

31

Richmond, VA

43.54

25

66

20

124

48

46

75

32

Indianapolis, IN

43.45

31

56

25

160

17

42

103

33

San Diego, CA

43.43

145

123

163

72

33

2

130

34

Charlotte, NC

43.35

99

32

100

106

28

23

63

35

Washington, DC

43.26

1

26

74

81

36

78

181

36

Cincinnati, OH

43.06

77

96

5

110

51

25

59

37

Austin, TX

43.04

137

68

151

33

18

13

172

38

Mobile, AL

42.92

63

88

11

80

25

62

49

39

Wichita, KS

42.86

38

105

28

59

42

36

70

40

Pittsburgh, PA

42.73

52

122

46

63

79

11

168

41

San Bernardino, CA

42.55

20

69

33

34

101

151

12

42

San Francisco, CA

42.52

62

37

142

104

49

20

121

43

Kansas City, MO

42.48

14

73

27

107

45

57

160

44

Sacramento, CA

42.29

41

98

99

38

84

34

51

45

Tempe, AZ

42.07

26

53

82

144

87

33

45

46

Wilmington, DE

42.03

69

12

53

54

169

70

112

47

Minneapolis, MN

42.00

81

77

127

23

38

22

175

48

Knoxville, TN

41.87

55

152

1

150

109

16

95

49

Reno, NV

41.45

85

142

62

9

56

61

94

50

Chattanooga, TN

41.19

15

75

15

123

95

84

129

51

Rapid City, SD

40.83

48

147

104

16

13

129

61

52

Billings, MT

40.62

50

146

59

8

105

87

97

53

Gulfport, MS

40.50

94

89

49

15

43

150

85

54

Columbus, OH

40.46

46

94

45

151

41

41

110

55

Jackson, MS

40.33

49

44

32

22

116

168

20

56

Akron, OH

40.31

34

109

18

165

39

71

42

57

Bakersfield, CA

40.26

57

106

35

137

67

38

54

58

Toledo, OH

40.25

53

140

4

152

32

108

5

59

Montgomery, AL

40.23

64

17

42

174

26

139

34

60

Tucson, AZ

40.19

76

93

30

141

60

47

23

61

Tacoma, WA

40.05

11

43

41

134

136

112

123

62

Fort Worth, TX

40.05

126

25

94

143

68

28

111

63

Scottsdale, AZ

39.97

106

92

166

55

93

12

147

64

Dover, DE

39.95

68

24

83

109

153

107

83

65

Colorado Springs, CO

39.86

16

91

86

113

91

66

119

66

Fort Smith, AR

39.74

42

148

37

78

21

123

26

67

Charleston, SC

39.72

60

58

60

84

108

30

170

68

Vancouver, WA

39.68

43

87

70

79

118

43

150

69

Long Beach, CA

39.65

104

30

135

27

129

79

69

70

Louisville, KY

39.57

51

118

34

159

50

31

89

71

Columbia, SC

39.54

82

54

31

88

103

76

56

72

Seattle, WA

39.54

71

59

167

70

30

24

178

73

Albuquerque, NM

39.38

35

84

50

142

94

80

36

74

Charleston, WV

39.15

22

137

23

71

74

95

115

75

Aurora, CO

38.90

75

85

36

10

138

135

68

76

Milwaukee, WI

38.85

29

116

24

101

65

109

141

77

Oklahoma City, OK

38.38

72

136

69

164

44

37

32

78

Glendale, AZ

38.28

110

72

26

102

100

100

35

79

Buffalo, NY

38.25

61

104

55

132

102

98

16

80

Fayetteville, NC

38.20

74

60

29

130

61

118

118

81

Omaha, NE

38.17

100

127

81

82

66

54

27

82

Huntington, WV

37.93

54

167

6

136

104

86

7

83

Corpus Christi, TX

37.92

36

144

56

69

46

145

66

84

Salem, OR

37.90

58

154

90

17

122

85

50

85

Salt Lake City, UT

37.55

30

63

161

163

47

39

173

86

Cheyenne, WY

37.37

45

129

103

103

53

122

44

87

Riverside, CA

37.23

136

70

54

128

147

60

41

88

Missoula, MT

37.21

88

134

88

5

151

128

145

89

St. Petersburg, FL

37.17

122

36

85

157

117

77

76

90

Arlington, TX

36.99

138

28

93

41

133

131

104

91

Rochester, NY

36.94

89

57

47

155

125

48

149

92

Springfield, MO

36.87

56

125

19

177

63

50

77

93

Huntington Beach, CA

36.72

165

51

175

27

166

19

159

94

El Paso, TX

36.61

90

161

84

47

23

120

135

95

Fresno, CA

36.32

84

115

92

90

82

88

91

96

Oakland, CA

36.26

17

37

171

92

177

147

137

97

Spokane, WA

36.25

105

67

66

115

113

116

113

98

Anchorage, AK

36.25

21

159

111

86

90

102

101

99

Boston, MA

36.21

97

102

137

39

78

52

164

100

Santa Clarita, CA

36.17

147

71

154

27

139

67

124

101

Tulsa, OK

36.01

87

114

52

175

71

56

47

102

Grand Prairie, TX

35.96

168

48

101

41

64

165

80

103

Gilbert, AZ

35.93

118

131

126

129

81

35

102

104

Hialeah, FL

35.84

178

13

162

100

107

143

9

105

Santa Ana, CA

35.81

98

50

107

27

175

146

74

106

Garland, TX

35.79

125

34

138

112

80

166

72

107

Augusta, GA

35.63

116

42

16

179

57

133

46

108

Lubbock, TX

35.50

101

78

22

145

62

117

176

109

Newark, NJ

35.45

148

90

115

45

135

174

2

110

Ontario, CA

35.36

115

103

77

34

140

160

24

111

Irving, TX

35.30

170

31

149

114

83

148

52

112

Glendale, CA

35.25

150

45

168

85

149

89

86

113

Mesa, AZ

35.20

121

107

71

148

111

73

60

114

Des Moines, IA

35.19

70

153

51

105

92

99

88

115

Stockton, CA

35.18

66

107

105

83

110

144

55

116

Anaheim, CA

35.05

108

41

144

119

111

140

109

117

Las Cruces, NM

35.03

135

74

96

133

55

167

21

118

Columbus, GA

34.87

86

62

72

181

58

130

39

119

Raleigh, NC

34.86

113

99

139

77

128

63

140

120

Chandler, AZ

34.81

156

117

122

87

127

49

108

121

Providence, RI

34.79

177

141

88

6

76

169

15

122

Norfolk, VA

34.64

114

61

38

60

97

156

174

123

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

34.50

141

110

157

34

106

115

81

124

Oceanside, CA

34.41

112

126

120

89

146

81

120

125

Juneau, AK

34.31

59

133

125

31

141

119

138

126

Newport News, VA

34.26

83

100

102

60

86

161

132

127

St. Paul, MN

34.20

123

149

119

32

126

90

165

128

Greensboro, NC

34.06

95

79

68

158

130

101

142

129

Pembroke Pines, FL

34.01

179

14

165

93

142

158

43

130

Casper, WY

33.38

67

182

91

120

37

155

6

131

Nampa, ID

33.35

103

180

124

53

96

97

13

132

Jersey City, NJ

33.23

128

113

177

4

158

162

38

133

Modesto, CA

33.18

91

165

79

127

85

110

133

134

Sioux Falls, SD

33.10

111

173

121

21

115

111

143

135

Warwick, RI

33.07

182

158

106

6

181

103

48

136

Fontana, CA

32.99

163

130

87

34

145

153

30

137

Lewiston, ME

32.66

144

178

65

14

174

163

8

138

Manchester, NH

32.58

80

169

146

48

170

113

71

139

Grand Rapids, MI

32.55

79

156

64

180

88

51

62

140

Oxnard, CA

32.40

127

160

76

75

155

127

73

141

Plano, TX

32.40

107

47

176

135

171

106

158

142

New Haven, CT

32.22

155

83

116

58

150

173

29

143

Cedar Rapids, IA

32.19

133

166

58

131

131

74

127

144

Winston-Salem, NC

32.18

93

138

40

171

120

132

87

145

Amarillo, TX

32.18

96

135

78

167

54

136

153

146

Tallahassee, FL

32.04

73

55

80

182

152

105

154

147

Durham, NC

32.02

149

86

109

20

172

152

146

148

Moreno Valley, CA

31.98

160

112

75

126

134

180

37

149

Peoria, AZ

31.81

140

120

113

122

132

137

126

150

Bismarck, ND

31.74

92

171

134

146

72

83

144

151

Santa Rosa, CA

31.73

102

177

160

13

176

59

136

152

Fargo, ND

31.65

153

139

156

25

137

138

161

153

Aurora, IL

31.50

167

101

131

65

164

181

82

154

Lincoln, NE

31.47

130

170

130

50

124

104

79

155

Garden Grove, CA

31.33

146

65

159

108

163

175

78

156

Lexington-Fayette, KY

31.29

143

145

39

176

75

91

162

157

Worcester, MA

31.27

161

155

112

12

168

134

122

158

Yonkers, NY

31.23

166

119

173

116

178

68

57

159

Fort Wayne, IN

30.99

131

164

57

178

70

55

98

160

Burlington, VT

30.97

151

80

143

43

162

177

152

161

Chula Vista, CA

30.95

159

143

145

76

144

154

90

162

Irvine, CA

30.75

164

64

181

118

159

96

156

163

Huntsville, AL

30.59

142

150

110

111

99

121

151

164

Nashua, NH

30.52

157

176

155

19

180

126

93

165

Brownsville, TX

30.37

171

174

132

51

52

179

11

166

Overland Park, KS

30.21

132

157

169

18

160

93

179

167

San Jose, CA

30.09

120

132

179

172

119

53

148

168

Chesapeake, VA

30.06

154

121

98

60

157

141

169

169

Cape Coral, FL

29.77

173

124

129

139

89

149

128

170

Virginia Beach, VA

29.56

175

128

114

154

143

64

171

171

South Burlington, VT

29.46

124

95

172

43

165

182

182

172

Honolulu, HI

29.38

180

172

170

56

69

125

116

173

Boise, ID

29.36

129

179

148

149

123

75

139

174

Laredo, TX

29.30

172

181

128

64

34

172

100

175

Bridgeport, CT

28.46

169

151

150

57

179

176

40

176

Port St. Lucie, FL

28.25

174

97

140

162

148

164

131

177

Portland, ME

27.50

152

175

136

68

173

142

163

178

Fremont, CA

26.76

139

111

182

121

154

171

155

179

West Valley City, UT

26.67

117

162

147

173

156

170

166

180

Pearl City, HI

26.29

181

168

178

11

161

178

157

181

Madison, WI

26.15

162

163

158

166

167

114

167

182

Columbia, MD

23.95

176

39

180

140

182

159

180

 

Notes: *No. 1 = Most Sinful
With the exception of “WalletHub Vice Index,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the worst conditions for that metric category.

 

Violent Crimes per Capita

Most

·         T-1. Oakland, CA

·         T-1. Memphis, TN

·         T-1. Detroit, MI

·         T-1. Little Rock, AR

·         T-1. Cleveland, OH

 

Fewest

·         175. Gilbert, AZ

·         176. Port St. Lucie, FL

·         177. Virginia Beach, VA

·         178. Irvine, CA

·         179. Warwick, RI

 

Best City vs. Worst City: 51x Difference

Oakland, CA vs. Warwick, RI

 

Thefts per Capita

Most

·         T-1. Oakland, CA

·         T-1. Memphis, TN

·         T-1. Tacoma, WA

·         T-1. St. Louis, MO

·         T-1. Burlington, VT

 

Fewest

·         175. Nashua, NH

·         176. Gilbert, AZ

·         177. Nampa, ID

·         178. Port St. Lucie, FL

·         179. Huntsville, AL

 

IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE MOST SINFUL CITIES IN 2025

Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas tops the list of the most sinful cities this year, unsurprisingly. Sin City has the second-most casinos per capita, driving many people to lose their money in a failed quest for quick riches and creating the fourth-highest share of residents with gambling problems.

In addition, Las Vegas has the most adult entertainment options per capita, and residents search Google for terms relating to strip clubs, affairs and pornographic content more than people in most other cities.

Las Vegas also has the fifth-most fraud and identity theft complaints per capita, so greedy thieves are no stranger to the city. Many residents are vain about their appearances, too, searching Google for terms relating to plastic surgery procedures at a very high rate.

Houston, TX

Houston is the second-most sinful place this year, featuring the third-highest number of adult entertainment establishments per capita and some of the highest Google search interest for terms relating to pornography, strip clubs and affairs.

On top of that, Houston’s residents struggle with anger and hatred. The city has the 21st-highest violent crime rate in the country and the 28th-highest number of aggravated assault offenses per capita. It also had the fifth-highest number of mass shootings between January 2023 and June 2025.

Finally, many Houstonians have trouble with vices. For example, the city has the 29th-most drunk driving fatalities per capita, the eighth-highest share of residents with gambling problems, and some of the highest Google search interest for plastic surgery.

Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles is the third-most sinful city in the U.S., in part due to violence committed by its residents. Los Angeles has the third-highest share of students bullied on school property and the 14th-most hate crimes per capita. It also had the eighth-most mass shootings between January 2023 and June 2025.

In addition, residents in Los Angeles may be a bit less giving than people in other cities. Only 24% of residents volunteer, the fifth-lowest percentage in the country. Residents also give less than 4% of their adjusted gross income to charity, the 24th-lowest percentage among the more than 180 cities in our study.

To top things off, Los Angeles residents search Google more than people in most other cities for terms stemming from lust and vanity, such as those related to pornography, extramarital affairs, and plastic surgery.

 

ASK THE EXPERTS

What leads many of us to partake in sinful behavior may seem like a mystery, especially when those behaviors become common in our daily lives. We asked a panel of experts for their insight on this topic as well as how to combat these bad habits. Below, you can read their bios and thoughts on the following key questions:

1.    To what extent is sinful behavior innate versus influenced by your surroundings?

2.    Is cheating within marriage becoming more or less common over time?

3.    Should the government play a role in trying to reduce greed and consumerism?

4.    What are some effective ways to combat addiction and domestic violence?

5.    What are some strategies that might help people steer clear of temptations (e.g., unnecessary spending, excessive drinking and eating, binge-watching, etc.) and maintain their health?

 

By J.B. Watson
Ph.D., Emeritus Faculty (Sociology), Department of Government & Sociology - Stephen F. Austin State University & Emeritus Member, Association for the Scientific Study of Religion (ASSR)

Colleen Wynn
Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology and Co-Director, Community Research Center - University of Indianapolis

Ryan T Cragun
Professor of Empirical Sociology - University of Tampa

Marta Soligo
Ph.D., Assistant Professor, William F. Harrah College of Hospitality - University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Visiting Professor, Master's Program in Planning and Management of Tourism Systems Universitŕ degli Studi di Bergamo, Italy

Dr. Stan Weeber
Professor of Sociology – McNeese State University

Nicole Marie Brown
MSEd, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Sociology; Faculty Advisory Board Member, Ethnic Studies; Affiliate, Women's and Gender Studies – Saint Mary's College of California

Methodology

To determine the most sinful cities in America, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across seven key dimensions: 1) Anger & Hatred, 2) Jealousy, 3) Excesses & Vices, 4) Greed, 5) Lust, 6) Vanity and 7) Laziness.

We examined those dimensions using 37 relevant metrics listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of sinfulness. Please note that data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at the state level only. For metrics marked with two asterisks (**), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Finally, we calculated each city’s weighted average across all metrics to determine its overall score, or WalletHub Vice Index, and used the resulting scores to rank-order the cities.

Anger & Hatred – Total Points: 14.3

·         Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

·         Sex Offenders per Capita: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

·         Aggravated Assault Offenses Known to Law Enforcement per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

·         Bullying Rate*: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

·         Hate-Crime Incidents per Capita: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

·         Hate Groups per Capita: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

·         Deaths due to Firearms per Capita: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

·         Number of Mass Shootings: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

·         Presence of Terrorist Attacks: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)
Note: This is a binary metric:
1 – There was a terrorist attack or related incident in the city.
0 – There wasn’t a terrorist attack or related incident in the city.

Jealousy – Total Points: 14.3

·         Thefts per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

·         Identity-Theft Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

·         Fraud & Other Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

Excesses & Vices – Total Points: 14.3

·         Share of Obese Adults: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

·         Fast-Food Establishments per Capita**: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

·         Excessive Drinking: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)
Note: This metric measures the age-adjusted prevalence of binge and heavy drinking among the adult population.

·         DUI-Related Fatalities per Capita: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

·         Share of Adult Smokers: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

·         Share of Adult Coffee Drinkers: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of adults who drank ready-to-drink coffee in the past six months.

·         Share of Population Using Marijuana: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of residents aged 12 and older who used marijuana in the past month.

·         Retail Opioid Prescriptions Dispensed per 100 Persons: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

·         Drug Overdose Deaths: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)
Note: This metric measures the number of deaths due to drug poisoning per 100,000 residents.

·         Debt-to-Income Ratio: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

Greed – Total Points: 14.3

·         Casinos per Capita**: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

·         Charitable Donations as Share of Income: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

·         Share of Adults with Gambling Disorders*: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

Lust – Total Points: 14.3

·         Adult Entertainment Establishments per Capita**: Full Weight (~3.58 Points)

·         Google Search Interest Index for “XXX Entertainment”: Full Weight (~3.58 Points)
Note: This metric measures search interest for online adult entertainment.

·         Google Search Traffic for the Term “Tinder”: Full Weight (~3.58 Points)
Note: This metric was used as a proxy for the cities that search Tinder the most.

·         Teen Birth Rate: Full Weight (~3.58 Points)
Note: This metric measures the number of births per 1,000 female residents aged 15 to 19.

Vanity – Total Points: 14.3

·         Tanning Salons per Capita**: Full Weight (~7.15 Points)

·         Google Search Interest Index for “Top 5 Plastic Surgeries”: Full Weight (~7.15 Points)
Note: This metric measures search interest for the five most common plastic surgery procedures (rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, facelift, liposuction, and silicone implants) as a share of the national average.

Laziness – Total Points: 14.3

·         Share of Adults Not Exercising: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)

·         Average Weekly Hours Worked: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)

·         Volunteer Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)

·         Average Daily Time Spent Watching TV*: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)

·         High School Dropout Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: This metric was adjusted by the poverty rate.

·         Disconnected Youth (16-24) Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: Disconnected youth are teenagers and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor working.

 

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of October 20, 2025 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Advameg, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Trade Commission, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, County Health Rankings, TransUnion, Yelp, National Council on Problem Gambling, Corporation for National and Community Service, Esri's Updated Demographics (2024 estimates), The Southern Poverty Law Center, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Wm. Robert Johnston, Gun Violence Archive, Google Ads and Tinder.

 

 

 

ATTACHMENT SIXTEEN – FROM THE NEW ATLANTIS

Why We Are Better Off Than a Century Ago

Our ancestors built grand public systems to conquer hunger, thirst, darkness, and squalor. That progress can be lost if we forget it.

By Charles C. Mann

 

I began this series of articles by describing a destination wedding that made me think of Thomas Jefferson. As I was writing this afterword, I went to another wedding in a faraway place, which put me in mind of another president, Calvin Coolidge.

 

WHY WE ARE BETTER OFF THAN A CENTURY AGO

The groom was a career military man from a conservative Catholic family. The bride’s family was liberal and Jewish. As I talked with the families, it became clear that they had strongly diverging ideas about issues like crime, immigration, religion, economics, and the environment. It is commonplace to observe that in the United States, and every other Western nation, these divisions have become so heated that threats of civil war and government collapse have become familiar news headlines. But at the reception there was a shared sense of happiness as the bridesmaids, beautiful young women in flowing dresses, and the groomsmen, handsome young men in dress uniforms, danced together under a splendid full moon.

The political fights that beset the nation are real and important. But at the same time people would have to be pretty far gone not to join in celebrating two nice young people beginning their lives together.

But the people at the wedding had deeper commonalities, too. All of them — like all the inhabitants of the United States and every other Western nation — stand together atop a mountain of successful efforts to improve human well-being. Conservative and liberal, atheist and believer, every race, age, and social class — each and every one has benefited from the great systems built up in the last century and a half that deliver to us good food, clean water, instant electric power, and advances in health. In every material sense, the people at the wedding were far better off than their forebears.

I was bluntly reminded of our good fortune the day after the wedding, when I visited friends who lived nearby. When I took a shower, I looked down and noticed that one of my calves was flushed and swollen. One of my legs is bigger than the other, I thought. That can’t be good.

A few hours later, I went to the emergency room, where a doctor diagnosed the swelling and redness as a skin infection: cellulitis. I asked if cellulitis is risky. “Oh, yes,” the doctor said. “These things have an excellent chance of killing you.” He prescribed antibiotics, which I bought afterward. Within a few hours of taking the first pill, the swelling had subsided. The episode was over — which put me in mind of Calvin Coolidge.

In the summer of 1924, Coolidge’s sixteen-year-old son, Calvin, Jr., played tennis on the White House grounds. For some reason, he wore sneakers without socks. He got a blister on his toe, as one might expect. It quickly became infected. The White House physician took Calvin, Jr., to Walter Reed General Hospital, then as now one of the nation’s finest health care facilities. Unsurprisingly, the son of the president got the best care available. Multiple specialists visited and the full resources of the hospital were devoted to his care. But none of this did any good. Within a week, the president’s son was dead. Coolidge went into a deep depression from which he never fully recovered.

Staphylococcus aureus, a common bacterium, was the cause of death. Staph was responsible for my infection, too. It was striking to realize that a) a century ago I might well have died; and b) the cost of maybe saving my life was three hours in the ER and $4.16 worth of antibiotics.

Another way of saying this is that I, like billions of others, have benefited from the progress humankind has made during the last century.

Progress today is a loaded word. The idea and its name both arose during the Enlightenment, when modern ideas about science first became widespread. Progress’s most important exponent was probably the French philosopher and mathematician Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet, who wrote Outline of a Historical View of the Progress of the Human Mind in 1794. The Outline is a triumph of hope over experience. Its author initially supported the French Revolution, believing it would lead to more freedom, including freedom to criticize the government. But the revolutionary junta branded Condorcet as a traitor after he criticized it. He wrote about progress while hiding from the police. Soon after finishing the book, Condorcet was caught and thrown in prison. He died in his cell — possibly murdered, certainly still dreaming of progress — two days later. The Outline appeared posthumously.

Condorcet saw the increase of scientific knowledge as leading unavoidably to greater political freedom and well-being. So did most of the framers of the Constitution. But the awful wars of the twentieth century called this idea into question. In a celebrated passage written in 1940, the German writer Walter Benjamin imagined the “angel of history” turning backward to look at the past. “Where we perceive a chain of events [leading to the present], he sees one single catastrophe which keeps piling wreckage upon wreckage.” The angel would like to stop to fix the disaster, Benjamin wrote. But he can’t, because he is caught in a violent storm that hurls him helplessly forward “into the future to which his back is turned, while the pile of debris before him grows skyward. This storm is what we call progress.”

From this perspective, the idea of progress is worse than meaningless. It is a story that we tell ourselves rather than look directly at what is happening. On top of that, some critics say, these tales are used as tools to justify an unfair status quo. If Europe and North America are materially better off, that is not progress, but the profits from slavery, colonialism, and genocide. “We can find nothing in reality that might help to redeem the promise inherent in the word ‘progress,’” wrote the philosopher and critic Theodor Adorno in History and Freedom.

Adorno escaped the Nazis, who killed many of his friends and associates. Benjamin, one of his closest collaborators, committed suicide after the failure of his attempt to flee Europe. And after the war Adorno was dismayed by what he saw as German intellectuals’ clinging to German culture — its great music, writing, architecture, and so on — to avoid responsibility for the Holocaust. Adorno died in 1969, when Western cities were torn by riots, China was wracked by the Cultural Revolution, the two sides in the Cold War were racing to build ever more nuclear weapons, and warnings of imminent global famine were hitting the best-seller charts. Little wonder he doubted the idea of progress!

But Adorno lived before the Green Revolution drastically reduced world hunger. He never saw how modern anti-pollution techniques cleaned up rivers and water supplies all over Europe and North America. He never traveled to Africa, Asia, Latin America, and so did not see what it meant to have the gift of electric power. He didn’t see global public health campaigns eliminate smallpox, almost eliminate polio, drastically reduce malaria, and beat back a host of other infectious diseases.

Unlike me, Adorno never had the experience of going to an emergency room that was always open to the public, or of taking a life-saving antibiotic. Instead, his experience with medicine was that of multiple doctors being unable to diagnose or treat the incapacitating ailments — migraines, nausea, fever — that afflicted his wife for decades. On a larger scale, he did not have access to contemporary data and data-visualization techniques and so never saw charts like these:  see websites OurWorldinData.com/child-mortality and OurWorldinData.com/maternal-mortality.

The charts show the fall in the number of British women who die during pregnancy or childbirth and the number of British children who die before the age of five. I chose Britain because it has unusually good records, but similar (if sometimes smaller) long-term declines have occurred all over the world. One would have to be extraordinarily cynical not to conclude from these charts that in fundamental ways life has gotten better.

Everywhere these and other improvements have occurred for the same reasons: better nutrition, cleaner water, more energy for heating and cooking, advances in public health. Condorcet, in other words, was partially right: the advance of science did lead to progress. But the progress was not so much political as material. And it wasn’t so much from science itself as the use of scientific advances — the invention of powerful pumps, the introduction of high-yielding crops, the discovery of electrons, the development of vaccines and antibiotics — to create systems that increased human well-being.

At the same time, Benjamin and Adorno were also partially correct. Condorcet believed that progress was inevitable, even guaranteed by natural forces. Benjamin and Adorno remind us that human failings can always make things worse. For understandable reasons, the two men thought in terms of human depravity. And it is true that terrorism, insurrection, and war, especially nuclear war, could negate much or most of the improvement in human well-being our forebears achieved.

But Benjamin and Adorno missed another, possibly more pernicious threat. Each increment of progress generates its own overhead. Even as brilliant minds pursue space flight, cancer cures, and flying cars, we also must undertake the largely invisible, sometimes thankless labor of maintaining and improving the sewage treatment plants our forebears bequeathed to us. The advances of our past are yokes around the neck of the present. The more advances, the heavier the weight of the yokes.

Power plants must be upgraded and replaced, along with power lines and distribution centers. Crops must be continually bred to face new pests and blights. Water systems must be renovated after use and wear. Medical treatments must adjust to diseases that are constantly evolving. Buildings must be renewed for new uses with new materials. And the standards behind all these efforts must be reviewed to take into account changes in science and society.

The list is long, daunting — and necessary. It is true that some new advances obviate past methods. A clear example: replacing lead pipes with plastic pipes can mean the water no longer has to be checked constantly for lead. But the systems overall will always need care. They will always be one generation from falling apart.

Sometimes it seems that in all the immediate tumult of a politically divided society the need to continue these efforts for the common good can be forgotten. These articles have been written in the hope that they will play a small part in reminding us of the need to pay attention to them. Our ancestors gave us the food, water, energy, and public health systems that undergird our world; keeping them going is how we can pass on those gifts to our children.

 

Charles C. Mann is a science journalist and the author of the bestsellers 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus (Alfred A. Knopf, 2005) and 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created (Alfred A. Knopf, 2011), as well as The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow’s World (Alfred A. Knopf, 2018).