2015: SA’s Global Rankings – The Economist’s research reveals some positive (and negative) home truths. # 1: Geography, Population, Economy

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 SA @ $ 20 trillion	USA (1 @ $440 trillion), UK (2 @ $94 Trillion), Australia (10), NZ (21)
Largest Deficit as % of GDP	Not in top 40 @ SA @ – 4.5%	Mozambique (1 @ -44%), Zimbabwe (8 @ – 25%), Ghana (27 @ -11%)
Government Debt as % of GDP	SA not in top 30 SA @ 40%	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, SA @ 32%	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 SA @ 27%	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 SA @ 8%	Hong Kong (3), USA (1) NZ (4), UK (11)
House price improvement over the last 5 years, 1 is best	SA 5/190 SA @ 23%	Hong Kong (1 @ 96%) USA (15 @ -5%) NZ (12 @ 9.1%)
Highest foreign debt in $ billions	SA 14/190 SA @ $137b	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 Down 6 places from last year	USA (2), China (1), Egypt (35), Angola (39)
Largest Manufacturing Output	SA 35/190 Down 8 places from last year	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