Ranking America

Morals/Ethics/Values/Culture

According to a study by the journal International Family Planning Perspectives, in 1999 (the year the study was published), the United States ranked twenty-fourth in terms of abortion rates. Vietnam ranked first.

According to the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, the United States ranks first both in the total number of civilian firearms and in per capita ownership of small firearms.
According to the most recent data available from the OECD, 8.1% of 15-year-old Americans smoke at least once a week. This makes the United States rank twenty-fifth out of the twenty-five participating OECD countries. Austria ranks first, at 27.1%.

According to a 2009 survey by Gallup, 65% of Americans say that religion is very important in their daily lives which makes the United States rank eighty-fifth out of one-hundred-and-fourteen countries ranked in that category. Bangladesh and Niger tied for first, at greater than 99%.

According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (as reported at nationmaster.com), in 2002 the United States ranked nineteenth in terms of per capita plastic surgery procedures. Switzerland ranked first.

According to the Canada Council for the Arts, in 2003 the American government distributed the equivalent of 44¢ (Canadian) per capita in public arts grants, which made the United States rank thirteenth out of thirteen countries in that category. Sweden ranked first, distributing $28.38 (Canadian) per capita in arts grants.

According to the International Centre for Prison Studies at King’s College, the United States has a prison occupancy rate of 108%, which makes it rank ninety-second in that category. Grenada ranks first, with a prison occupancy rate of 374.5%.

According to the International Centre for Prison Studies, as of March 2010 there are 2,297,400 prisoners in the United States, which makes the United States rank first in that category out of two hundred eighteen ranked countries.

According to data gathered between 1998 and 2000 and published in the Seventh United Nations Survey of Crime, there are 805.21 assaults for every 100,000 Americans, a rate that makes the United States rank sixth in that category. Swaziland ranks first, with 1356.84 recorded assaults per 100,000 people.

According to the Pew Global Attitude Project’s 2003 report, Views of a Changing World, 55% of Americans completely agree with the statement, “religion is a personal matter and should be kept separate from government.” The United States is tied for twenty-fifth (out of forty-one countries) with Russia and Uzbekistan in this category. Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) ranks first, with 84% of respondents believing in the separation of church and state.

According to UNESCO (as reported in wikipedia.org), the United States ranks second out of 77 countries in terms of book titles published per year. The United Kingdom ranks first.

According to the OECD, as of June 2009 there were 26.7 broadband internet subscriptions in the United States for every 100 Americans, which makes the United States rank fifteenth out of thirty OECD member nations. Then Netherlands ranks first, at 38.1 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.

According to the OECD, in 2008 the U.S. ranked 10th out of 25 countries in teenage girls who are reported victims of bullies. The U.S. ranks tenth with 10.4 percent. Turkey ranked first with 23.3 percent of reported cases.

According to the Food and Agriculture Oranization of the United Nations, in 2003 the United States ranked eighteenth in terms of per capita alcohol consumption. Ireland ranked first.

According to the World Resources Institute in 2005 the United States experienced 43,443 deaths due to road accidents. That is enough to make the United States rank third out of seventy four countries ranked in that category. China ranks first with 98,738 deaths due to road accidents.

According to the World Health Organization, in 2002, 5.4 out of every 100,000 Americans were killed by violence, a rate that makes the United States rank ninety-ninth in that category. Colombia ranked first, with 72.4 out of every 100,000 Colombians killed by violence.

According to Amnesty International, in 2008 there were at least 111 people sentenced to death in the United States, which made the United States rank eighth in that category. China ranked first, with at least 7003 people sentenced to death.

According to the most recent data made available to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, the United States has a homicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000 people, which makes the United States tied for fifty-second with Argentina out of one hundred thirty-eight ranked countries. Honduras ranks first, with a homicide rate of 60.9 per 100,000.


Science/Education

According to a 2006 study first published in the magazine, Science, the United States ranks thirty-third out of thirty four nations (32 in Europe plus Japan and the United States) in acceptance of evolution. Iceland ranks first. Only Turkey ranked lower than the United States in the acceptance of evolution.

According to the OECD 10.0% of the government expenditure in the United States is spent on education, which makes the United States rank eighth out of twenty-eight ranked nations in that category. Mexico ranks first with 15.1%.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States spends $10,821 per student on secondary education, which makes the United States rank fourth in that category. Luxembourg ranks first, at $18,144.

According to the OECD (as reported in NationMaster), the United States ranks fifteenth of twenty-seven member nations in terms of reading literacy. Finland ranks first.

According to the Programme for International Student Assessment, American students scored 502 in the science component of the 2009 PISA assessment. That was enough for the United States to rank twenty-third out of sixty-five ranked economies. China-Shanghai ranked first with a score of 575.

According to the Programme for International Student Assessment, the United States ranks thirty-fifth in terms of the mean score for mathematics. Taiwan ranks first.

According to the United Nations, there are 4,605 professional researchers in the United States for
every 1,000,000 population, which makes the United States rank eighth in that category. Tonga ranks first, with 45,454 researchers per 1,000,000 population.

According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), in 2003, fifteen year old students in the United States had an average literacy score of 495 out of 1000, which made the United States rank eighteenth out of forty nations. Finland ranked first, with an average score of 543.

According to the OECD, between 2003 and 2006, American students declined by nine points in their PISA mathematics performance scores, which made the United States rank thirty-fourth out of thirty nine countries in that category. Indonesia ranked first, with an increase of 31 points in the PISA score. For the OECD as a whole, there was a decline of two points between 2003 and 2006. The worst performing country was France, with a decline of fifteen points.

According to the most recent data available from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the top teacher salary for primary teachers in the United States in 1999 was $48,782, making the U.S. rank fifth in that category. South Korea ranked first, with a top teacher salary of $69,818. The OECD mean salary in that category was $36,145.


Economic

According to the World Bank, 44.9% of the total land area in the United States is agricultural land, which makes the United States rank eighty-third in that category. Burundi ranks first, with 89.4% of its land used as agricultural land.

According to OICA, in 2007 the United States ranked fourth in terms of the number of automobiles manufactured, with 3,924,268 cars made that year. Japan ranked first with 9,944,637 cars made.

According to the report Doing Business 2011, the United States ranks fifth in terms of the ease of doing business in a country. Here are the top ten countries in this ranking:
1.Singapore
2.Hong Kong
3.New Zealand
4.United Kingdom
5.United States
6.Denmark
7.Canada
8.Norway
9.Ireland
10.Australia

According to the OECD Factbook 2008, in 2006 the United States spent the equivalent of 2.62% of the gross domestic product (GDP) on research and development. That was enough to make the United States rank fourth out of forty-one nations. Israel ranked first, at 4.48%.

According to the OECD, the United States has a poverty rate of around 17%, which makes the United States rank third out of thirty OECD member nations in that category. Mexico ranks first, with a poverty rate of around 18.5%. The median poverty rate for OECD member nations is around 11%.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, in 2002 the United States produced 12.24% of the world’s fertilizer, making it rank second in that category. China ranked first, producing 21.62% of the world’s fertilizer.

According to data from FAOstat in 2009, the United States produced 373,440 tonnes of tobacco, or 7.7% of the world’s tobacco supply. That is enough for the United States to rank third in that category. China ranked first, producing 3,001,725 tonnes, or 62.3% of the world total.

According to the World Bank, Americans in 2008 paid $ 0.56 per liter at the gas pumps making the United States rank one hundred and forty-eighth of one hundred and sixty-seven countries ranked in that category. Eritrea ranked first, paying $2.53 per liter at the gas pumps.

According to the latest data available from CIA World Factbook, the United States has a public debt of 58.9% of the total GDP. This is enough to make the United States rank thirty-sixth in that category. Zimbabwe ranks first with a public debt of 241.6% of their total GDP.

According to the International Trade Centre, in 2005 the United States exported $1,735,282,000 worth of iron and steel bars, rods, angles, and shapes, enough to make the United States rank tenth in that category. Germany ranks first, exporting $5,333,026,000 worth of iron and steel.

According to the British Geological Survey, in 2006 the United States produced 242,000 kilograms of gold from gold mines, or 10.5% of the world’s total, enough to make the United States rank fourth in that category. South Africa ranked first, producing 272,128 kilograms, or 11.8% of the world total. Together, the top five gold producing countries–South Africa, China, Australia, the United States, and Russia–accounted for 50.5% of the world’s total.


According to the World Steel Association, in 2008 the United States produced 91.5 million metric tonnes of steel, a decline of 6.8% from 2007. In both years, the United States ranked third in that category. China ranked first, producing 502 million metric tonnes of steel in 2008, up 2.6% from the previous year. Globally, there was a decline of 1.2% in total steel production from 2007 to 2008.

According to the United Nations Development Programme, between 2000 and 2005 there were 244 patents granted in the United States for every 1,000,000 people. That makes the United States rank third in that category. South Korea ranks first, with 1113 patents per million people.

According to data from The World Bank, the United States has 820 motor vehicles per every 1,000 people, which is enough to make the United States rank third in that category. The Netherlands Antilles ranks first with 1,214 motor vehicles per 1,000 people.

According to the OECD Factbook 2008, in 2006 Americans worked an average of 1797 hours for the year, which makes the United States rank eleventh out of thirty four nations in that category. Korea ranked first, with an average of 2357 hours worked. The OECD average was 1777 hours.

According to the International Trade Centre, the United States imported 4.4 billion dollars worth of gold in 2009, which makes the United States rank second in that category. India ranks first with 10.9 billion dollars worth of gold imported.

According to the CIA World Factbook, the United States has family income distribution Gini Index score of 45.0, which makes the United States rank forty-third out of one hundred and thirty four countries in that category. Namibia ranks first, with a Gini index score of 70.7. The higher the Gini Index score, the greater the degree of income inequality. Sweden has the lowest score, at 23.0

According to worldwide-tax.com, the top federal individual income tax rate in the United States is 35%, which makes the United States tied for twenty-eighth with several other countries out of sixty-two ranked countries. Denmark ranks first, with a top income tax rate of 59%.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the United States has an innovation index score of 9.50, which makes the United States tied for third with Finland in that category. Japan ranks first, with a score of 10.00.

According to the OECD, in 2006 the United States ranked 26th out of 30 member nations in terms of tax ratio as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).

According to the OECD, in 2009, the United States had a long-term unemployment rate of 16.3%. This is enough to make the United States rank twenty-third out of the thirty-four participating OECD countries in that category. Slovakia ranks first with a long-term unemployment rate of 50.9%.

According to the OECD, 12% of American workers were union members in 2004, which made the United States rank twenty-seventh out of thirty OECD member nations. Sweden ranked first, with 77.3% of workers as union members.

According to the OECD, the U.S. has a productivity rate of $57.40 per hour worked, which makes the United States rank fourth in that category. Luxembourg ranks first, at $74.00 per hour worked.

According to the OECD, the average American spends 24% of her or his day in leisure activities, which makes the United States rank twelfth out of eighteen OECD nations in that category. Belgium ranks first, at 27.7%, and Mexico ranks last, at 15.8%. The OECD average is 24.1%.


Health/Lifestyle

According to a presentation to the IFPE Congress in Vienna, Austria on April 18, 2009, on the results of World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Survey, 19% of Americans experience a clinical anxiety disorder in a given twelve-month period, which makes the United States rank first in that category.

According to the World Health Organization, 54.5% of all healthcare expenditures in the United States in 2007 were privately paid, which makes the United States rank forty-sixth out of one hundred ninety-one ranked countries ranked in that category. Guinea ranked first, with 89.0% of all healthcare expenditures being paid privately.

According to UNICEF, the United States has an under-5 mortality rate of 8 per 1,000 live births, which makes the United States tied for one-hundred-and-fifty-first in that category with Lithuania, Serbia, Slovakia, and the United Arab Emirates. Sierra Leone ranks first, with an under-5 mortality rate of 262 per 1,000 live births.

According to the CIA World Factbook, the United States ranks third in total numbers of mobile cellular phones. China ranks first.

According to the World Health Organization’s World Health Statistics, 2008, the United States has a cancer mortality rate of 134 per 100,000 population, which makes it tied for eighty-ninth (with Congo, Italy, and Luxembourg) in that category. Mongolia ranks first, with a cancer mortality rate of 306 per 100,000 population. Kiribati has the lowest rate, at 52 per 100,000.

According to the OECD in 2008 the U.S. ranks second out of 33 countries in out of pocket health expenses. The average per person out of pocket health expense in the U.S. is $912. Switzerland ranked first with a cost of $1424 (U.S. dollars) per person.

According to data gathered in 2005 by the World Health Organization, annual per capita health care costs in the United States are $6350, which makes the United States rank first in that category.

According to the World Health Organization, the United States has an obesity rate of 5.6% among children under 5, which made the United States rank 20th out of 92 ranked nations in that category. Albania ranked first, with a childhood obesity rate of 22.4%.

According to the CIA’s World Factbook, the United States has 6.26 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births, which makes the United States rank one hundred and eightieth out of 224 countries in terms of infant mortality rates. Angola ranks first, with 180.21 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births.

According to the 2009 OECD Factbook, the United States has a suicide rate of 10.2 per 100,000 persons, which makes the United States rank twentieth out of twenty-seven ranked nations in that category. Hungary ranks first, with a suicide rate of 22.6 per 100,000 persons.

According to the United Nations, 11.6% of Americans have a probability of not living to the age of sixty, a rate that makes the United States rank twenty-seventh out of fifty-one ranked countries in the likelihood of living to age sixty. Iceland ranks first, with only a 5.9% chance of not living to age sixty.


Environment

According to the World Resources Institute, in 2005 there were 54,312,000 hectares of protected land (national parks, wilderness areas, and nature reserves) in the United States, 13.7% of the world’s total. That was enough to make the United States rank first in that category.

According to the World Resources Institute, the United States has renewable water resources in the amount of 10,333 cubic meters per person, which is enough to make the United States rank fifty-sixth in that category. Iceland ranks first, with 582,192 cubic meters of per capita renewable water. For the world as a whole, there is 8,549 cubic meters of renewable water per person.

According to the World Health Organization, in 2008, 94% of rural Americans had access to improved drinking water sources, which makes the United States rank sixty-fourth in the world in that category. More than twenty countries tied for first, each with 100% access to improved drinking water sources.

According to the World Resources Institute, there are 38,152,300 hectares of arid land in the United States, which makes the United States rank fifteenth out of the fifty-four nations with arid land. Australia ranks first, with 301,090,000 hectares of arid land.

According to the World Resources Institute, in 2003 the United States emitted 19.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person, which made the United States rank seventh in that category. Qatar ranked first, emitting 44.4 tonnes per person.

According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2009 the United States emitted 5,424.53 million metric tons of Carbon Dioxide from the consumption of energy, which is enough to make the United States rank second in that category. China ranks first, emitting 7706.83 million metric tons of Carbon Dioxide.

According to the Global Footprint Network, the United States ranks third among all countries in terms of the size of its carbon footprint. The United Arab Emirates ranks first.

According to the Global Footprint Network, the United States has consumption footprint of 9.42 global hectares per person, which makes the United States rank second in that category. The United Arab Emirates ranks first, at 9.46 global hectares per person.

According to data gathered between 2000 and 2010 by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, in 2007 the United States withdrew 15.53% of its total renewable freshwater resources, which makes the United States rank sixtieth in that category. Kuwait ranks first, withdrawing 2075% of its total renewable freshwater resources in 2002.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, the United States withdraws an estimated 478.40 cubic kilometers of groundwater each year, which makes the United States rank third in the world in that category. India ranks first, withdrawing an estimated 761.00 cubic kilometers per year.

According to the Global Footprint Network, the total ecological footprint of the United States is 9.4 global hectares per capita, which makes it rank second in that category. The United Arab Emirates ranks first, with an ecological footprint of 9.5 global hectares per capita.

According to the OECD, the Americans generated 450 kilograms per person of household waste in 2005, which makes the United States tied for seventh (with Australia) in that category. Denmark ranks first, at 620 kilograms per capita.


Military

According to the World Bank, 1.0% of the total workforce of the United States is in the armed forces, which makes the United States tied for seventieth with several other countries in that category. North Korea ranks first, with 10.6% of its workforce in the armed forces.

According to the CIA World Factbook, in 2005 the United States spent 4.1% of their GPD on military expenditures, enough to make the United States rank twenty-fourth out of the 174 countries that were ranked in that category. Oman ranks first, spending 11.4% of their GPD on military expenditures.

According to the International Trade Centre, in 2005, the United States accounted for 47% of the world’s total arms and ammunition exports, making it rank first in that category. The second biggest arms exporting country, France, accounted for only 7% of the total.

According to the International Trade Centre, in 2005 the United States exported $469,113,000 worth of explosives and pyrotechnics (fireworks), or 24.7% of the world’s total. That was enough to make the United States rank first in that category.

According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, the United States ranks first in terms of military spending.


Government

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Index of Democracy , 2008, the United States has a political participation score of 7.22, which makes it tied for seventeenth in that category with South Africa and South Korea. Norway and Sweden are tied for first, with a political participation score of 10.

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, 16.8% of federally elected officials in the United States are women, which makes the United States tied for seventieth with Turkmenistan in that category. Rwanda ranks first, at 56.3%.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index 2010, the United States has a civil liberties score of 8.53 out of a possible score of 10.00. This makes the United States tied for forty-sixth in democracy with Italy, South Africa, France, and Hungary. Several countries tied for first with a score of 10.00, including Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Ireland and Uruguay. The United States has the lowest civil liberties of any fully democratic country.

According to the Democracy Index 2010, the United States has a democracy score of 8.18 (out of 10 possible points), which makes the United States rank seventeenth out of one hundred sixty-seven countries ranked in that category. Norway ranks first, with a score of 9.80.

According to the Heritage Foundation’s 2011 Index of Economic Freedom, the United States has a freedom from corruption score of 75, which makes the United States rank nineteenth out of one hundred seventy-nine ranked countries. New Zealand ranks first, with a score of 94.


Energy

According to British Petroleum, the United States ranks first in proven coal deposits, with 27% of the world’s total known deposits. Combined, the United States, Russia, China, India, and Australia have more than three-quarters of the world’s proven coal reserves.

According to the International Energy Agency, in 2006 the United States consumed 13,515 kilowatt hours of electricity per capita, which makes the United States rank tenth in that category. Iceland ranked first, consuming 31,306 kilowatt hours per capita. The world average was 2659 kilowatt hours per capita.

According to the World Resources Institute, in 2001 the United States ranked fifth in electricity consumption per capita. Iceland ranked first.

According to British Petroleum, in 2006 the United States consumed the equivalent of 187.5 million tonnes of oil, or 29.5% of the world’s total nuclear energy consumption, enough to make the United States rank first in that category.

According to the CIA Worldfact Book, in 2009 the United States used about 18.69 million barrels of gasoline per day. That’s enough for the U.S. rank first in that category.

According to a survey conducted by World Public Opinion, 66% of Americans believe the government should force utilities to use more wind and solar energy, even at the risk of greater cost to consumers. This rate makes the United States rank sixteenth out of twenty-four countries in this category. South Korea ranks first, with 96% of Koreans favoring such a policy. Russia ranks last, at 36%. The world average is 69%.

According to the International Energy Agency’s Key World Energy Statistics, 2008, the United States produces 2128 terrawatt hours of electricity from coal or peat, which means that it ranks second in that category. China ranks first, producing 2301 terrawatt hours from coal or peat. The entire global production from peat or coal is 8674 terrawatt hours. Between them, the United States and China account for 56% of the electricity produced from these sources.

According to British Petroleum, in 2006 the United States generated 22% of the world’s electricity, making it rank first in that category. China, which ranked second, generated 15% of the world total.

According to a 2005 report by the World Resources Institute, 26.2% of all energy use in the United States goes toward industrial use, which makes the United States tied for sixty-fifth with India in that category. Trinidad and Tobago ranks first, at 86.1%.

According to BP, the United States decreased its energy consumption by 1.0% from 2005 to 2006, a rate of change that made it rank fifty-eighth in that category. Denmark ranked first, with an increase of 12.7%.

According to British Petroleum, in 2009 the United States had an oil refinery capacity of 17,688,000 barrels per day, or 19.5% of the world’s total oil refinery capacity. That is enough to make the United States rank first in that category.

According to the CIA World Factbook, the United States ranks thirteenth in terms of proven oil reserves. Saudi Arabia ranks first.

According to the International Energy Agency, in 2007 the United States had net energy imports equivalent to 713.97 million tons of oil, which makes the United States rank first in that category.

According to siteatlas.com, the United States ranks sixteenth in terms of natural gas consumption per capita. Trinidad and Tobago ranks first. According to siteatlas.com, the United States ranks sixteenth in terms of natural gas consumption per capita. Trinidad and Tobago ranks first.

According to the World Nuclear Association, there are 104 operating nuclear reactors in the United States, or 23.5% of the world’s total operating nuclear reactors. That is enough to make the United States rank first in that category.


Demographics

According to the 2009 United Nations Human Development Report, immigrants make up 13.0% of the total population of the United States, which makes the United States rank thirty-eighth in that category. Qatar ranks first, with immigrants comprising 80.5% of the total population.


Satisfaction

According to the Happy Planet Index, the United States has a life satisfaction score of 7.9 (out of a possible 10), which makes the United States tied for seventh in that category with Australia and Sweden. Costa Rica ranks first, with a score of 8.5.

According to the Pew Global Attitudes Survey, 89% of people in the United States are satisfied with their family life, which makes the United States tied for ninth with Spain, out of fifty-three countries surveyed. India ranks first with 96% of people satisfied with their family life.

According to a 2009 Pew Global Attitudes survey, 36% of Americans are satisfied with the direction that the United States is headed. That makes the United States rank seventh out of twenty five countries included in the survey. China ranks first, with 87% of Chinese satisfied with the direction their country is headed.