Written by Steuart Pennington
Every year the Economist ‘Pocket World in Figures’ brings out a varied set of global rankings covering 190 countries. These range from fastest-growing economies to highest per capita consumption of marijuana to which countries imprison the most people. And every year the measures are changed – somewhat! It makes for interesting reading!
The Economist tends to rank the top 1-50 best and the bottom 1-50 worst(sometimes the range is less), very often SA in not placed in either, that’s what this newsletter will reflect.
There are 230 countries in the world, only 190 are ‘serious enough’ to provide data, and only 80 have a population of more than 10 million.
So, in this three-part series I will:
- Firstly, cover the numbers: Geography, Population and Economy (May 20).
- Secondly, cover the numbers: Infrastructure, Health and Technology (May 27).
- Thirdly, cover the numbers: People, Crime and Environment (June 3).
- Fourthly, conclude with comments.
| Country Facts – the BASICS 2014 |
SA Ranking/ countries surveyed |
Comment |
|
Geography |
||
| Area by ‘000 Km² |
SA 25/190 |
8 African countries are geographically larger than SA, however Nigeria with pop. of 150m is smaller at 32/190 |
|
Population |
||
| Population size in 2012 |
SA 24/190 |
4 African countries are greater, Nigeria is at (7/190) |
| Population size projected to 2025 |
SA not in top 20 |
China (1 @ 1,45b), Russia (10 @ 137m), 7 African countries in top 20, Nigeria is (5 @ 239m up from 166m at present) |
| Fastest growing population |
SA not in top 50/190 |
29 African countries in top 50, Niger (4), Nigeria (21), Mozambique (34) |
| Highest/Lowest median age |
SA does not feature in highest or lowest 50 |
Japan (2) at 44 years old. Niger, Chad, Uganda, lowest at 15 years old |
| Highest/Lowest population density |
SA does not feature |
Macau (1), Monaco (2), Singapore (3), Hong Kong (4). |
| Largest urban areas in sq.km |
JHB 28/190 @ 2,590 sq.km |
New York (1 at 11.542 sq.km), Tokyo (2), Sydney (40 @ 2, 037 sq.km) |
| Population density per sq.km |
SA not in top 20 |
Singapore (3) @ 7,428 |
| Biggest rural populations |
SA @ 28 |
India (1 @ 879m), Nigeria (2 @ 86m), USA (9 @ 54m),Russia (15 @ 36m) Germany (25 @ 20m) SA @ 18m |
| Biggest migrant population as % of overall population |
SA not in top 30/190 |
Luxembourg (1 @ 43%), Australia (5 @ 27%), UK (19 @12%) Germany (20 @ 11.9%) SA estimated at 10% |
| Countries with largest refugee populations |
SA not in top 20/190 |
Pakistan (1 @ 1.6m), Germany (3), USA (11), India (18) and Canada (19) |
| Teenage births per 1000 women aged 15-19 |
SA not in top 25 |
Niger (1 @ 209), Zambia (10 @ 139), Nigeria (19 @ 123) |
|
Economy |
||
| Biggest Economies as measured by US$ GDP | SA 29/190 Up one place from 2014 @ $384b. | USA (1), Egypt (38), Nigeria (38), No other African countries featured. |
| Biggest Economy based on purchasing power (PPP) |
SA 25/190 |
USA (1), Egypt (26), Nigeria (31). |
| Highest GDP per head |
SA not in top 60 nor in bottom 40 |
Monaco (1 @ $US 163,026 per head), Australia (10 @ $67,442) USA (14), UK (30 @ $38,920). SA (87) @ $10.960 per head. |
| Highest Purchasing Power per head |
SA not in top 70 |
Qatar (1), USA (12), Australia (16) UK (31), SA (87) |
| Human Development Index (* 1 is best) |
SA 121/190 |
20 African countries in bottom 30/190. SA up by two positions from last year. |
| Gini Coefficient, 1 is worst |
SA 2/190 |
Seychelles (1), Namibia (2), Angola (5), Colombia (9), Brazil (11) |
| Economic Freedom (* 1 is best) |
SA 74/190 |
No African country in top 60/190. SA ranked as moderately free |
| Highest Economic growth |
SA not in top 50 |
18 African counties in top 50 |
| Lowest economic growth |
SA not in bottom 35 |
In bottom 35, Euro area (13 @ 1%), UK (23 @ 1.3%), Ireland (33 @ 1.8% |
| Biggest exporters |
SA 42/190 |
Euro (1), USA (2), Australia (22), Hong Kong (31) |
| Largest Deficit in US$ |
SA 10/190 |
USA (1 @ $440 trillion), UK (2 @ $94 Trillion), Australia (10), NZ (21) |
| Largest Deficit as % of GDP |
Not in top 40 |
Mozambique (1 @ -44%), Zimbabwe (8 @ – 25%), Ghana (27 @ -11%) |
| Government Debt as % of GDP |
SA not in top 30 |
Japan (1 @ 227%), UK (8 @ 107%), USA (11 @ 104%), Germany (17 @ 86%), NZ (27 @ 41%), |
| Government spending as a % of GDP |
SA not in top 30, |
France (3 @ 57%), Euro Area (9 @ 49%), UK (13 @ 47%), USA (27 @ 38%), Australia (30 @ 35%) |
| Tax revenue as % of GDP |
SA not in top 30 |
Denmark (1 @ 48%), Germany (12 @ 37%), UK (16 @ 35%) |
| House price improvement over the last year, 1 is best |
SA 6/190 was 2 last year |
Hong Kong (3), USA (1) NZ (4), UK (11) |
| House price improvement over the last 5 years, 1 is best |
SA 5/190 |
Hong Kong (1 @ 96%) USA (15 @ -5%) NZ (12 @ 9.1%) |
| Highest foreign debt in $ billions |
SA 14/190 |
China (1 @ $ 754b), Russia (2 @ $537b), Brazil (3@ $440b) India (5 @ $379b) Argentina (21 @ $121b) |
| Household Debt as % of gross disposable income |
SA not in top 30 |
Denmark (1 @ 321%) UK (10 @ 150%) USA (16 @ 114%) SA @ 55% |
| Largest Industrial Output |
SA 35/190 |
USA (2), China (1), Egypt (35), Angola (39) |
| Largest Manufacturing Output |
SA 35/190 |
China (1), USA (2) China overtakes US for 1st time |
| Largest Services Output |
SA 28/190 up seven places from 2013 |
USA (1), Japan (2), UK (6), Hong Kong (29), Egypt (44) |
| Largest producers of Energy |
SA 17/190 |
China (1), USA (2), Russia (3) |
| Largest Consumers of Energy |
SA 17/190 |
China (1), USA (2), UK (13), Australia (20), Nigeria (22) |
| Highest rate of Unemployment |
SA 7/190 |
Greece (8), Spain (6), Ireland (26), |
| Highest rate of Youth Unemployment |
SA 7/190 |
Greece (3), Spain (4), Ireland (31) |
| Global Competitiveness Index |
SA 54/144 |
USA (1), Switzerland (2), India (44) |
| Corruption Index where 1 is least and 175 is worst. |
SA 72/175 |
Denmark (1) Switzerland (7), UK (14), Somalia (175), Iraq (172), Chad (163) |
| Largest number of listed domestic companies |
SA’s JSE @ 26 out of top 38 |
India (1), Japan (3), London (5) NASDAQ (6) Australia (8) |
| Big Mac Index (a measure of the most under-valued currencies where 1 is most) |
SA 2/190 |
India (1), China (11)Singapore (26) |
So, if you are interested in ‘numbers’ then I invite you to make of these stats what you will.
People often say “lies, damn lies and statistics”. But if you don’t start with the numbers where do you start? With opinion? With rumour? With hearsay? With media distortion?
There are three types of opinion I come across every day, especially in our print media:
- Informed, factual and specific,
- Uninformed, rumoured and crass
- Biased, prejudiced or just plain racist
How intensely annoying is it to be told “that’s my opinion and I’m entitled to it” when ignorance or prejudice is at the heart of the ‘opinion’ ……….and you have the facts.
How infuriating is it to be told something, you point out the facts and the response is “I don’t care about the facts, I’m telling you………….blah, blah, blah!”.
Whenever I read that SA is the “worst in the world” I Google it, there are global surveys on just about everything. Three things emerge:
- First, there are very few surveys that go beyond 80 countries (out of 230)
- Second, countries are cagey about their bad stats. (Try and find out about tourist murders on a country by country basis, or foetal alcohol syndrome, or rape…..)
- Third, some information is hard to come by, for example most countries only report on crime stats. every five years and very few put them into the public domain.
But the key issue is the narrative, how we talk about our country, how the media reports, what we hear on the news.
Why do we obsess with bus accidents in Bangladesh which we (the SABC) feel that it is vital to know of when there are ‘some’ good things happening here, which NEVER make the news.
Check out www.sagoodnews.co.za for evidence of that.
So please, if you read or hear something that you suspect as being untrue, google it, establish the facts, and then write to the offending media source, tweet it, facebook it….embarrass the offending editor.
And if it’s bad news, and true, try, if you can, to do something about it.
NEXT WEEK: Infrastructure, Health, Technology