$NA (continued 53)

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Rank code: 2098

Country Comparison :: Languages

This entry provides a rank ordering of languages starting with the largest and sometimes includes the percent of total population speaking that language.

Rank country (%) Date of Information

1 France 100.00 NA 2 Greece 99.00 NA 3 Marshall Islands 98.20 NA 4 Poland 97.80 2002 census 5 Armenia 97.70 2001 census 6 Nicaragua 97.50 NA 7 Croatia 96.10 2001 census 8 Cambodia 95.00 NA 9 Cayman Islands 95.00 1999 census 10 Kazakhstan 95.00 2001 est. 11 Czech Republic 94.90 2001 census 12 Jersey 94.50 2001 census 13 Hungary 93.60 2001 census 14 Mexico 92.70 2005 15 Seychelles 91.80 2002 census 16 Finland 91.20 2007 17 Slovenia 91.10 2002 census 18 Romania 91.00 NA 19 American Samoa 90.60 2000 census 20 Azerbaijan 90.30 1999 census 21 Malta 90.20 2005 census 22 Mongolia 90.00 1999 23 Hong Kong 89.20 2001 census 24 Austria 88.60 2001 census 25 Serbia 88.30 NA 26 Macau 85.70 2001 census 27 Bulgaria 84.50 2001 census 28 Slovakia 83.90 2001 census 29 United States 82.10 NA 30 Lithuania 82.00 2001 census 31 Mauritius 80.50 2000 census 32 Mali 80.00 NA 33 Australia 78.50 2006 Census 34 Botswana 78.20 2001 census 35 Virgin Islands 74.70 2000 census 36 Uzbekistan 74.30 NA 37 Sri Lanka 74.00 NA 38 Spain 74.00 NA 39 Vanuatu 72.60 1999 Census 40 Turkmenistan 72.00 NA 41 Georgia 71.00 NA 42 Equatorial Guinea 67.60 1994 census 43 Estonia 67.30 2000 census 44 Ukraine 67.00 NA 45 Macedonia 66.50 2002 census 46 Aruba 66.30 2000 census 47 Netherlands Antilles 65.40 2001 census 48 Kyrgyzstan 64.70 1999 census 49 Palau 64.70 2000 census 50 Kazakhstan 64.40 2001 est. 51 Switzerland 63.70 NA 52 Montenegro 63.60 2003 census 53 French Polynesia 61.10 2002 census 54 Bolivia 60.70 2001 census 55 Belgium 60.00 NA 56 Guatemala 60.00 NA 57 Wallis and Futuna 58.90 2003 census 58 Canada 58.80 2006 Census 59 Latvia 58.20 2000 census 60 Iran 58.00 NA 61 Malawi 57.20 1998 census 62 Afghanistan 50.00 NA 63 Pakistan 48.00 NA 64 Nepal 47.80 2001 est. 65 Belize 46.00 2000 census 66 India 41.00 2001 census 67 Belgium 40.00 NA 68 Guatemala 40.00 NA 69 Latvia 37.50 2000 census 70 Ghana 36.10 2000 census 71 Afghanistan 35.00 NA 72 Singapore 35.00 2000 census 73 Belize 32.90 2000 census 74 Ethiopia 32.70 1994 census 75 Equatorial Guinea 32.40 1994 census 76 Mozambique 32.00 1997 census 77 Namibia 32.00 NA 78 Ethiopia 31.60 1994 census 79 French Polynesia 31.40 2002 census 80 Wallis and Futuna 30.10 2003 census 81 Zambia 30.10 2000 Census 82 Estonia 29.70 2000 census 83 Mozambique 26.10 1997 census 84 Iran 26.00 NA 85 Macedonia 25.10 2002 census 86 Northern Mariana Islands 24.40 2000 census 87 Ukraine 24.00 NA 88 South Africa 23.80 2001 census 89 Northern Mariana Islands 23.40 2000 census 90 Vanuatu 23.10 1999 Census 91 Singapore 23.00 2000 census 92 Zambia 22.50 2000 Census 93 Northern Mariana Islands 22.40 2000 census 94 Montenegro 22.00 2003 census 95 Canada 21.60 2006 Census 96 Bolivia 21.20 2001 census 97 Switzerland 20.40 NA 98 Liberia 20.00 NA 99 Canada 19.60 2006 Census 100 Sri Lanka 18.00 NA 101 South Africa 17.60 2001 census 102 Spain 17.00 NA 103 Virgin Islands 16.80 2000 census 104 Netherlands Antilles 15.90 2001 census 105 Ethiopia 14.80 1994 census 106 Ghana 14.80 2000 census 107 Bolivia 14.60 2001 census 108 Uzbekistan 14.20 NA 109 Singapore 14.10 2000 census 110 Kyrgyzstan 13.60 1999 census 111 Palau 13.50 2000 census 112 South Africa 13.30 2001 census 113 Malawi 12.80 1998 census 114 Ghana 12.70 2000 census 115 Aruba 12.60 2000 census 116 Kyrgyzstan 12.50 1999 census 117 Mauritius 12.10 2000 census 118 Nepal 12.10 2001 est. 119 Pakistan 12.00 NA 120 Turkmenistan 12.00 NA 121 Singapore 11.40 2000 census 122 Mozambique 11.30 1997 census 123 Afghanistan 11.00 NA 124 Northern Mariana Islands 10.80 2000 census 125 Wallis and Futuna 10.80 2003 census 126 Slovakia 10.70 2001 census 127 United States 10.70 NA 128 Zambia 10.70 2000 Census 129 Zambia 10.60 2000 Census 130 Malawi 10.10 1998 census 131 Nepal 10.00 2001 est. 132 Pakistan 10.00 NA 133 Ghana 9.90 2000 census 134 Bulgaria 9.60 2001 census 135 Northern Mariana Islands 9.60 2000 census 136 Northern Mariana Islands 9.50 2000 census 137 Malawi 9.50 1998 census 138 Palau 9.40 2000 census 139 South Africa 9.40 2001 census 140 Georgia 9.00 NA 141 Ukraine 9.00 NA 142 Iran 9.00 NA 143 Turkmenistan 9.00 NA 144 Belize 8.90 2000 census 145 Mozambique 8.80 1997 census 146 Botswana 8.60 2001 census 147 Australia 8.20 2006 Census 148 South Africa 8.20 2001 census 149 South Africa 8.20 2001 census 150 Kyrgyzstan 8.20 1999 census 151 India 8.10 2001 census 152 Sri Lanka 8.00 NA 153 Lithuania 8.00 2001 census 154 Pakistan 8.00 NA 155 Pakistan 8.00 NA 156 Pakistan 8.00 NA 157 Botswana 7.90 2001 census 158 South Africa 7.90 2001 census 159 Aruba 7.70 2000 census 160 Mozambique 7.60 1997 census 161 Nepal 7.40 2001 est. 162 Netherlands Antilles 7.30 2001 census 163 India 7.20 2001 census 164 South Africa 7.20 2001 census 165 Uzbekistan 7.10 NA 166 Georgia 7.00 NA 167 India 7.00 2001 census 168 Spain 7.00 NA 169 Turkmenistan 7.00 NA 170 Namibia 7.00 NA 171 Georgia 7.00 NA 172 Mozambique 6.80 1997 census 173 Romania 6.70 NA 174 Virgin Islands 6.60 2000 census 175 Switzerland 6.50 NA 176 Hong Kong 6.40 2001 census 177 Hungary 6.40 2001 census 178 Ethiopia 6.10 1994 census 179 Netherlands Antilles 6.10 2001 census 180 Ethiopia 6.00 1994 census 181 French Polynesia 6.00 2002 census 182 Malta 6.00 2005 census 183 Georgia 6.00 NA 184 India 5.90 2001 census 185 India 5.90 2001 census 186 Aruba 5.80 2000 census 187 Nepal 5.80 2001 est. 188 Mozambique 5.80 1997 census 189 Australia 5.70 2006 Census 190 Mexico 5.70 2005 191 Singapore 5.70 2000 census 192 Zambia 5.70 2000 Census 193 Palau 5.70 2000 census 194 Lithuania 5.60 2001 census 195 Finland 5.50 2007 196 Montenegro 5.50 2003 census 197 Aruba 5.30 2000 census 198 Montenegro 5.30 2003 census 199 Austria 5.30 2001 census 200 Nepal 5.10 2001 est. 201 India 5.00 2001 census 202 Seychelles 4.90 2002 census 203 Singapore 4.90 2000 census 204 Zambia 4.90 2000 Census 205 Ghana 4.60 2000 census 206 Jersey 4.60 2001 census 207 India 4.50 2001 census 208 Slovenia 4.50 2002 census 209 Lithuania 4.40 2001 census 210 Slovenia 4.40 2002 census 211 South Africa 4.40 2001 census 212 Uzbekistan 4.40 NA 213 Ghana 4.30 2000 census 214 Latvia 4.30 2000 census 215 Ghana 4.30 2000 census 216 Bulgaria 4.10 2001 census 217 Serbia 4.10 NA 218 Afghanistan 4.00 NA 219 Macau 4.00 2001 census 220 Belize 3.90 2000 census 221 Serbia 3.80 NA 222 United States 3.80 NA 223 Ghana 3.70 2000 census 224 India 3.70 2001 census 225 Montenegro 3.70 2003 census 226 Mauritius 3.70 2000 census 227 Malawi 3.60 1998 census 228 Nepal 3.60 2001 est. 229 Ethiopia 3.50 1994 census 230 Macedonia 3.50 2002 census 231 Ethiopia 3.50 1994 census 232 Belize 3.40 2000 census 233 Ghana 3.40 2000 census 234 Zambia 3.40 2000 Census 235 Mauritius 3.40 2000 census 236 Ghana 3.40 2000 census 237 Azerbaijan 3.30 1999 census 238 Finland 3.30 2007 239 Nepal 3.30 2001 est. 240 Belize 3.30 2000 census 241 Cayman Islands 3.20 1999 census 242 Hong Kong 3.20 2001 census 243 India 3.20 2001 census 244 India 3.20 2001 census 245 Singapore 3.20 2000 census 246 Macau 3.20 2001 census 247 Seychelles 3.10 2002 census 248 Malta 3.00 2005 census 249 Pakistan 3.00 NA 250 American Samoa 2.90 2000 census 251 Ghana 2.90 2000 census 252 Croatia 2.90 2001 census 253 Botswana 2.80 2001 census 254 Switzerland 2.80 NA 255 India 2.80 2001 census 256 Macau 2.70 2001 census 257 Malawi 2.70 1998 census 258 United States 2.70 NA 259 Slovakia 2.60 2001 census 260 Australia 2.50 2006 Census 261 Zambia 2.50 2000 Census 262 Nepal 2.50 2001 est. 263 American Samoa 2.40 2000 census 264 Bolivia 2.40 2001 census 265 Nepal 2.40 2001 est. 266 Malawi 2.40 1998 census 267 Austria 2.30 2001 census 268 Estonia 2.30 2000 census 269 Palau 2.30 2000 census 270 Czech Republic 2.30 2001 census 271 Aruba 2.20 2000 census 272 Azerbaijan 2.20 1999 census 273 Austria 2.20 2001 census 274 Zambia 2.20 2000 Census 275 Poland 2.20 2002 census 276 American Samoa 2.10 2000 census 277 Botswana 2.10 2001 census 278 American Samoa 2.00 2000 census 279 Zambia 2.00 2000 Census 280 Zambia 2.00 2000 Census 281 Pakistan 2.00 NA 282 Iran 2.00 NA 283 Iran 2.00 NA 284 Czech Republic 2.00 2001 census 285 Macedonia 1.90 2002 census 286 Vanuatu 1.90 1999 Census 287 Virgin Islands 1.90 2000 census 288 Netherlands Antilles 1.90 2001 census 289 Azerbaijan 1.80 1999 census 290 Singapore 1.80 2000 census 291 Macedonia 1.80 2002 census 292 Cayman Islands 1.80 1999 census 293 Netherlands Antilles 1.80 2001 census 294 Marshall Islands 1.80 NA 295 Serbia 1.80 NA 296 Bulgaria 1.80 2001 census 297 Slovakia 1.80 2001 census 298 Ethiopia 1.70 1994 census 299 Zambia 1.70 2000 Census 300 Zambia 1.70 2000 Census 301 Nicaragua 1.70 NA 302 Malawi 1.70 1998 census 303 Australia 1.60 2006 Census 304 Austria 1.60 2001 census 305 Macau 1.60 2001 census 306 Netherlands Antilles 1.60 2001 census 307 Azerbaijan 1.50 1999 census 308 Switzerland 1.50 NA 309 Macau 1.50 2001 census 310 Palau 1.50 2000 census 311 Palau 1.50 2000 census 312 Palau 1.50 2000 census 313 Belize 1.40 2000 census 314 Vanuatu 1.40 1999 Census 315 Australia 1.30 2006 Census 316 Switzerland 1.30 NA 317 Mozambique 1.30 1997 census 318 Macau 1.30 2001 census 319 India 1.30 2001 census 320 Australia 1.20 2006 Census 321 Bolivia 1.20 2001 census 322 Macedonia 1.20 2002 census 323 Romania 1.20 NA 324 Switzerland 1.20 NA 325 Hong Kong 1.20 2001 census 326 India 1.20 2001 census 327 French Polynesia 1.20 2002 census 328 Serbia 1.10 NA 329 Switzerland 1.10 NA 330 Romania 1.10 NA 331 Azerbaijan 1.00 1999 census 332 Iran 1.00 NA 333 Namibia 1.00 NA 334 Switzerland 1.00 NA 335 Slovakia 1.00 2001 census 336 Kyrgyzstan 1.00 1999 census 337 Iran 1.00 NA 338 Iran 1.00 NA 339 Australia 1.00 2006 Census 340 Croatia 1.00 2001 census 341 Greece 1.00 NA 342 Armenia 1.00 2001 census 343 Pakistan 1.00 NA 344 Armenia 0.90 2001 census 345 Singapore 0.90 2000 census 346 Serbia 0.90 NA 347 Jersey 0.90 2001 census 348 Czech Republic 0.80 2001 census 349 Mexico 0.80 2005 350 Nicaragua 0.80 NA 351 Malta 0.80 2005 census 352 Estonia 0.70 2000 census 353 United States 0.70 NA 354 Vanuatu 0.70 1999 Census 355 Switzerland 0.50 NA 356 Armenia 0.40 2001 census 357 Botswana 0.40 2001 census 358 French Polynesia 0.30 2002 census 359 Mozambique 0.30 1997 census 360 Vanuatu 0.30 1999 Census 361 Mauritius 0.30 2000 census 362 Belize 0.20 2000 census 363 Wallis and Futuna 0.20 2003 census 364 Seychelles 0.20 2002 census

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Rank code: 2100

Country Comparison :: Legal system

This entry contains a brief description of the legal system's historical roots, role in government, and acceptance of International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction.

Rank country Legal system Date of Information

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Rank code: 2101

Country Comparison :: Legislative branch

This entry contains information on the structure (unicameral, bicameral, tricameral), formal name, number of seats, and term of office. Elections includes the nature of the election process or accession to power, date of the last election, and date of the next election. Election results includes the percent of vote and/or number of seats held by each party in the last election.

Rank country Legislative branch Date of Information

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Rank code: 2102

Country Comparison :: Life expectancy at birth

This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. The entry includes total population as well as the male and female components. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures.

Rank country (years) Date of Information

1 Macau 84.36 2009 est. 2 Andorra 82.51 2009 est. 3 Japan 82.12 2009 est. 4 Singapore 81.98 2009 est. 5 San Marino 81.97 2009 est. 6 Hong Kong 81.86 2009 est. 7 Australia 81.63 2009 est. 8 Canada 81.23 2009 est. 9 France 80.98 2009 est. 10 Sweden 80.86 2009 est. 11 Switzerland 80.85 2009 est. 12 Guernsey 80.77 2009 est. 13 Israel 80.73 2009 est. 14 Iceland 80.67 2009 est. 15 Anguilla 80.65 2009 est. 16 Cayman Islands 80.44 2009 est. 17 Bermuda 80.43 2009 est. 18 New Zealand 80.36 2009 est. 19 Italy 80.20 2009 est. 20 Gibraltar 80.19 2009 est. 21 Monaco 80.09 2009 est. 22 Liechtenstein 80.06 2009 est. 23 Spain 80.05 2009 est. 24 Norway 79.95 2009 est. 25 Jersey 79.75 2009 est. 26 Greece 79.66 2009 est. 27 Austria 79.50 2009 est. 28 Faroe Islands 79.44 2009 est. 29 Malta 79.44 2009 est. 30 Netherlands 79.40 2009 est. 31 Luxembourg 79.33 2009 est. 32 Germany 79.26 2009 est. 33 Belgium 79.22 2009 est. 34 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 79.07 2009 est. 35 Virgin Islands 79.05 2009 est. 36 United Kingdom 79.01 2009 est. 37 Finland 78.97 2009 est. 38 Jordan 78.87 2009 est. 39 Isle of Man 78.82 2009 est. 40 Korea, South 78.72 2009 est. 41 European Union 78.67 2009 est. 42 Puerto Rico 78.53 2009 est. 43 Bosnia and Herzegovina 78.50 2009 est. 44 Saint Helena 78.44 2009 est. 45 Cyprus 78.33 2009 est. 46 Denmark 78.30 2009 est. 47 Ireland 78.24 2009 est. 48 Portugal 78.21 2009 est. 49 Wallis and Futuna 78.20 2009 est. 50 United States 78.11 2009 est. 51 Albania 77.96 2009 est. 52 Taiwan 77.96 2009 est. 53 Kuwait 77.71 2009 est. 54 Costa Rica 77.58 2009 est. 55 Cuba 77.45 2009 est. 56 Chile 77.34 2009 est. 57 Libya 77.26 2009 est. 58 British Virgin Islands 77.26 2009 est. 59 Panama 77.25 2009 est. 60 Slovenia 76.92 2009 est. 61 Czech Republic 76.81 2009 est. 62 Georgia 76.72 2009 est. 63 French Polynesia 76.71 2009 est. 64 Northern Mariana Islands 76.70 2009 est. 65 Netherlands Antilles 76.65 2009 est. 66 Argentina 76.56 2009 est. 67 Saint Lucia 76.45 2009 est. 68 Uruguay 76.35 2009 est. 69 Saudi Arabia 76.30 2009 est. 70 United Arab Emirates 76.11 2009 est. 71 Mexico 76.06 2009 est. 72 Tunisia 75.78 2009 est. 73 Paraguay 75.77 2009 est. 74 Brunei 75.74 2009 est. 75 Poland 75.63 2009 est. 76 Dominica 75.55 2009 est. 77 Turks and Caicos Islands 75.42 2009 est. 78 Slovakia 75.40 2009 est. 79 Croatia 75.35 2009 est. 80 Qatar 75.35 2009 est. 81 Ecuador 75.30 2009 est. 82 Aruba 75.28 2009 est. 83 Bahrain 75.16 2009 est. 84 Sri Lanka 75.14 2009 est. 85 New Caledonia 74.98 2009 est. 86 Lithuania 74.90 2009 est. 87 Antigua and Barbuda 74.76 2009 est. 88 Macedonia 74.68 2009 est. 89 West Bank 74.54 2009 est. 90 Cook Islands 74.22 2009 est. 91 Oman 74.16 2009 est. 92 Algeria 74.02 2009 est. 93 Mauritius 74.00 2009 est. 94 Maldives 73.97 2009 est. 95 Barbados 73.94 2009 est. 96 Serbia 73.90 2009 est. 97 Suriname 73.73 2009 est. 98 American Samoa 73.72 2009 est. 99 Dominican Republic 73.70 2009 est. 100 Solomon Islands 73.69 2009 est. 101 Lebanon 73.66 2009 est. 102 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 73.65 2009 est. 103 Venezuela 73.61 2009 est. 104 Jamaica 73.53 2009 est. 105 China 73.47 2009 est. 106 Hungary 73.44 2009 est. 107 Gaza Strip 73.42 2009 est. 108 Malaysia 73.29 2009 est. 109 Saint Kitts and Nevis 73.20 2009 est. 110 Thailand 73.10 2009 est. 111 Bulgaria 73.09 2009 est. 112 Seychelles 73.02 2009 est. 113 Estonia 72.82 2009 est. 114 Colombia 72.81 2009 est. 115 Montserrat 72.76 2009 est. 116 Armenia 72.68 2009 est. 117 Romania 72.45 2009 est. 118 El Salvador 72.33 2009 est. 119 Latvia 72.15 2009 est. 120 Egypt 72.12 2009 est. 121 Brazil 71.99 2009 est. 122 Turkey 71.96 2009 est. 123 Uzbekistan 71.96 2009 est. 124 Samoa 71.86 2009 est. 125 Morocco 71.80 2009 est. 126 Cape Verde 71.61 2009 est. 127 Vietnam 71.58 2009 est. 128 Nicaragua 71.50 2009 est. 129 Palau 71.22 2009 est. 130 Marshall Islands 71.19 2009 est. 131 Syria 71.19 2009 est. 132 Iran 71.14 2009 est. 133 Philippines 71.09 2009 est. 134 Micronesia, Federated States of 70.94 2009 est. 135 Trinidad and Tobago 70.86 2009 est. 136 Moldova 70.80 2009 est. 137 Indonesia 70.76 2009 est. 138 Peru 70.74 2009 est. 139 Fiji 70.73 2009 est. 140 Tonga 70.73 2009 est. 141 Belarus 70.63 2009 est. 142 Guatemala 70.29 2009 est. 143 Greenland 70.07 2009 est. 144 Iraq 69.94 2009 est. 145 India 69.89 2009 est. 146 Kyrgyzstan 69.43 2009 est. 147 Honduras 69.40 2009 est. 148 Tuvalu 69.29 2009 est. 149 Sao Tome and Principe 68.32 2009 est. 150 Ukraine 68.25 2009 est. 151 Belize 68.20 2009 est. 152 Kazakhstan 67.87 2009 est. 153 Turkmenistan 67.87 2009 est. 154 Mongolia 67.65 2009 est. 155 Timor-Leste 67.27 2009 est. 156 Bolivia 66.89 2009 est. 157 Guyana 66.68 2009 est. 158 Azerbaijan 66.66 2009 est. 159 World 66.57 2009 est. 160 Papua New Guinea 66.34 2009 est. 161 Bhutan 66.13 2009 est. 162 Russia 66.03 2009 est. 163 Grenada 65.95 2009 est. 164 Bahamas, The 65.78 2009 est. 165 Nepal 65.46 2009 est. 166 Tajikistan 65.33 2009 est. 167 Pakistan 64.49 2009 est. 168 Nauru 64.20 2009 est. 169 Vanuatu 63.98 2009 est. 170 Korea, North 63.81 2009 est. 171 Comoros 63.47 2009 est. 172 Burma 63.39 2009 est. 173 Yemen 63.27 2009 est. 174 Kiribati 63.22 2009 est. 175 Mayotte 62.91 2009 est. 176 Madagascar 62.89 2009 est. 177 Cambodia 62.10 2009 est. 178 Botswana 61.85 2009 est. 179 Eritrea 61.78 2009 est. 180 Equatorial Guinea 61.61 2009 est. 181 Haiti 60.78 2009 est. 182 Mauritania 60.37 2009 est. 183 Bangladesh 60.25 2009 est. 184 Ghana 59.85 2009 est. 185 Benin 59.00 2009 est. 186 Senegal 59.00 2009 est. 187 Togo 58.69 2009 est. 188 Kenya 57.86 2009 est. 189 Guinea 57.09 2009 est. 190 Laos 56.68 2009 est. 191 Cote d'Ivoire 55.45 2009 est. 192 Ethiopia 55.41 2009 est. 193 Gambia, The 55.35 2009 est. 194 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 54.36 2009 est. 195 Western Sahara 54.32 2009 est. 196 Congo, Republic of the 54.15 2009 est. 197 Cameroon 53.69 2009 est. 198 Gabon 53.11 2009 est. 199 Burkina Faso 52.95 2009 est. 200 Uganda 52.72 2009 est. 201 Niger 52.60 2009 est. 202 Burundi 52.09 2009 est. 203 Tanzania 52.01 2009 est. 204 Sudan 51.42 2009 est. 205 Namibia 51.24 2009 est. 206 Rwanda 50.52 2009 est. 207 Mali 50.35 2009 est. 208 Somalia 49.63 2009 est. 209 South Africa 48.98 2009 est. 210 Guinea-Bissau 47.90 2009 est. 211 Chad 47.70 2009 est. 212 Nigeria 46.94 2009 est. 213 Zimbabwe 45.77 2009 est. 214 Afghanistan 44.64 2009 est. 215 Central African Republic 44.47 2009 est. 216 Malawi 43.82 2009 est. 217 Djibouti 43.37 2009 est. 218 Liberia 41.84 2009 est. 219 Sierra Leone 41.24 2009 est. 220 Mozambique 41.18 2009 est. 221 Lesotho 40.38 2009 est. 222 Zambia 38.63 2009 est. 223 Angola 38.20 2009 est. 224 Swaziland 31.99 2009 est.

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Rank code: 2103

Country Comparison :: Literacy

This entry includes a definition of literacy and Census Bureau percentages for the total population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates are based on the most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards that individual countries use to assess the ability to read and write is beyond the scope of the Factbook. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily available and valid for international comparisons. Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven world.

Rank country (%) Date of Information

1 Andorra 100.00 NA 2 Finland 100.00 2000 est. 3 Greenland 100.00 2001 est. 4 Georgia 100.00 2004 est. 5 Norway 100.00 NA 6 Holy See (Vatican City) 100.00 NA 7 Luxembourg 100.00 2000 est. 8 Liechtenstein 100.00 NA 9 Cuba 99.80 2002 census 10 Poland 99.80 2003 est. 11 Estonia 99.80 2000 census 12 Barbados 99.70 2002 est. 13 Samoa 99.70 2003 est. 14 Slovenia 99.70 NA 15 Latvia 99.70 2000 census 16 Belarus 99.60 1999 census 17 Slovakia 99.60 2004 18 Lithuania 99.60 2001 census 19 Kazakhstan 99.50 1999 est. 20 Tajikistan 99.50 2000 census 21 Armenia 99.40 2001 census 22 Ukraine 99.40 2001 census 23 Russia 99.40 2002 census 24 Hungary 99.40 2003 est. 25 Uzbekistan 99.30 2003 est. 26 Moldova 99.10 2005 est. 27 Australia 99.00 2003 est. 28 Belgium 99.00 2003 est. 29 Denmark 99.00 2003 est. 30 Czech Republic 99.00 2003 est. 31 Japan 99.00 2002 32 Netherlands 99.00 2003 est. 33 United States 99.00 2003 est. 34 United Kingdom 99.00 2003 est. 35 Switzerland 99.00 2003 est. 36 Sweden 99.00 2003 est. 37 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 99.00 1982 est. 38 New Zealand 99.00 2003 est. 39 Monaco 99.00 2003 est. 40 Korea, North 99.00 NA 41 Iceland 99.00 2003 est. 42 Germany 99.00 2003 est. 43 France 99.00 2003 est. 44 Ireland 99.00 2003 est. 45 Canada 99.00 2003 est. 46 Tonga 98.90 1999 est. 47 Azerbaijan 98.80 1999 census 48 Turkmenistan 98.80 1999 est. 49 Guyana 98.80 2003 est. 50 Albania 98.70 2001 census 51 Kyrgyzstan 98.70 1999 census 52 Trinidad and Tobago 98.60 2003 est. 53 Italy 98.40 2001 census 54 Bulgaria 98.20 2001 census 55 Croatia 98.10 2001 census 56 Austria 98.00 NA 57 Bermuda 98.00 2005 est. 58 Uruguay 98.00 2003 est. 59 Turks and Caicos Islands 98.00 1970 est. 60 French Polynesia 98.00 1977 est. 61 Cayman Islands 98.00 1970 est. 62 Korea, South 97.90 2002 63 Spain 97.90 2003 est. 64 Mongolia 97.80 2000 census 65 British Virgin Islands 97.80 NA 66 Saint Kitts and Nevis 97.80 2003 est. 67 Cyprus 97.60 2001 census 68 Aruba 97.30 2000 census 69 Romania 97.30 2002 census 70 Argentina 97.20 2001 census 71 Israel 97.10 2004 est. 72 American Samoa 97.00 1980 est. 73 Saint Helena 97.00 1987 est. 74 Montserrat 97.00 1970 est. 75 Northern Mariana Islands 97.00 1980 est. 76 Bosnia and Herzegovina 96.70 2000 est. 77 Netherlands Antilles 96.70 2003 est. 78 Serbia 96.40 NA 79 Maldives 96.30 2000 census 80 New Caledonia 96.20 1996 census 81 Macedonia 96.10 2002 census 82 Taiwan 96.10 2003 83 Grenada 96.00 2003 est. 84 Greece 96.00 2001 census 85 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 96.00 1970 est. 86 San Marino 96.00 NA 87 Chile 95.70 2002 census 88 Bahamas, The 95.60 2003 est. 89 Anguilla 95.00 1984 est. 90 Cook Islands 95.00 NA 91 Niue 95.00 NA 92 Costa Rica 94.90 2000 census 93 Puerto Rico 94.10 2002 est. 94 Dominica 94.00 2003 est. 95 Paraguay 94.00 2003 est. 96 Fiji 93.70 2003 est. 97 Marshall Islands 93.70 1999 98 Hong Kong 93.50 2002 99 Kuwait 93.30 2005 census 100 Portugal 93.30 2003 est. 101 Venezuela 93.00 2001 census 102 Peru 92.90 2007 Census 103 Malta 92.80 2003 est. 104 Brunei 92.70 2001 census 105 Philippines 92.60 2000 census 106 Thailand 92.60 2000 census 107 Singapore 92.50 2000 census 108 Gaza Strip 92.40 2004 est. 109 West Bank 92.40 2004 est. 110 Palau 92.00 1980 est. 111 Kosovo 91.90 2007 Census 112 Panama 91.90 2000 census 113 Seychelles 91.80 2002 census 114 Macau 91.30 2001 census 115 Ecuador 91.00 2001 census 116 Mexico 91.00 2004 est. 117 China 90.90 2000 census 118 Sri Lanka 90.70 2001 census 119 Zimbabwe 90.70 2003 est. 120 Colombia 90.40 2005 census 121 Indonesia 90.40 2004 est. 122 Vietnam 90.30 2002 est. 123 Saint Lucia 90.10 2001 est. 124 Burma 89.90 2006 est. 125 Jordan 89.90 2003 est. 126 Suriname 89.60 2004 census 127 Micronesia, Federated States of 89.00 1980 est. 128 Qatar 89.00 2004 census 129 Malaysia 88.70 2000 census 130 Brazil 88.60 2004 est. 131 Jamaica 87.90 2003 est. 132 Lebanon 87.40 2003 est. 133 Turkey 87.40 2004 est. 134 Dominican Republic 87.00 2002 census 135 Equatorial Guinea 87.00 2000 est. 136 Bolivia 86.70 2001 census 137 Bahrain 86.50 2001 census 138 South Africa 86.40 2003 est. 139 Antigua and Barbuda 85.80 2003 est. 140 Kenya 85.10 2003 est. 141 Namibia 85.00 2001 census 142 Sao Tome and Principe 84.90 2001 census 143 Lesotho 84.80 2003 est. 144 Mauritius 84.40 2000 census 145 Congo, Republic of the 83.80 2003 est. 146 Libya 82.60 2003 est. 147 Swaziland 81.60 2003 est. 148 Oman 81.40 2003 census 149 Botswana 81.20 2003 est. 150 Zambia 80.60 2003 est. 151 El Salvador 80.20 2003 est. 152 Gibraltar 80.00 NA 153 Honduras 80.00 2001 census 154 Syria 79.60 2004 census 155 Saudi Arabia 78.80 2003 est. 156 United Arab Emirates 77.90 2003 est. 157 Iran 77.00 2002 est. 158 Belize 76.90 2000 census 159 Cape Verde 76.60 2003 est. 160 Tunisia 74.30 2004 census 161 Iraq 74.10 2000 est. 162 Vanuatu 74.00 1999 census 163 Cambodia 73.60 2004 est. 164 Egypt 71.40 2005 est. 165 Rwanda 70.40 2003 est. 166 Algeria 69.90 2002 est. 167 Tanzania 69.40 2002 census 168 Guatemala 69.10 2002 census 169 Madagascar 68.90 2003 est. 170 Laos 68.70 2001 est. 171 Nigeria 68.00 2003 est. 172 Cameroon 67.90 2001 est. 173 Djibouti 67.90 2003 est. 174 Nicaragua 67.50 2003 est. 175 Angola 67.40 2001 est. 176 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 67.20 2001 est. 177 Uganda 66.80 2002 census 178 Gabon 63.20 1995 est. 179 Malawi 62.70 2003 est. 180 Sudan 61.10 2003 est. 181 India 61.00 2001 census 182 Togo 60.90 2003 est. 183 Burundi 59.30 2000 est. 184 Eritrea 58.60 2003 est. 185 Timor-Leste 58.60 2002 186 Ghana 57.90 2000 census 187 Liberia 57.50 NA 188 Papua New Guinea 57.30 2000 census 189 Comoros 56.50 2003 est. 190 Haiti 52.90 2003 est. 191 Morocco 52.30 2004 census 192 Mauritania 51.20 2000 census 193 Yemen 50.20 2003 est. 194 Wallis and Futuna 50.00 1969 est. 195 Pakistan 49.90 2005 est. 196 Cote d'Ivoire 48.70 2000 est. 197 Central African Republic 48.60 2000 est. 198 Nepal 48.60 2001 census 199 Bangladesh 47.90 2001 Census 200 Mozambique 47.80 2003 est. 201 Bhutan 47.00 2003 est. 202 Mali 46.40 2003 est. 203 Ethiopia 42.70 2003 est. 204 Guinea-Bissau 42.40 2003 est. 205 Gambia, The 40.10 2003 est. 206 Senegal 39.30 2002 est. 207 Somalia 37.80 2001 est. 208 Sierra Leone 35.10 2004 est. 209 Benin 34.70 2002 census 210 Guinea 29.50 2003 est. 211 Niger 28.70 2005 est. 212 Afghanistan 28.10 2000 est. 213 Chad 25.70 2000 est. 214 Burkina Faso 21.80 2003 est.

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Rank code: 2105

Country Comparison :: Manpower available for military service

This entry gives the number of males and females falling in the military age range for a country (defined as being ages 16-49) and assumes that every individual is fit to serve.

Rank country Manpower available for military serviceDate of Information

1 China 375,009,345.00 2008 est. 2 China 354,314,328.00 2008 est. 3 India 301,094,084.00 2008 est. 4 India 283,047,141.00 2008 est. 5 United States 72,715,332.00 2008 est. 6 United States 71,638,785.00 2008 est. 7 Indonesia 63,800,825.00 2008 est. 8 Indonesia 61,729,717.00 2008 est. 9 Brazil 52,449,957.00 2008 est. 10 Brazil 52,375,921.00 2008 est. 11 Pakistan 42,633,765.00 2008 est. 12 Bangladesh 41,199,340.00 2008 est. 13 Pakistan 40,114,017.00 2008 est. 14 Russia 37,019,853.00 2008 est. 15 Russia 36,219,908.00 2008 est. 16 Nigeria 31,929,204.00 2008 est. 17 Nigeria 30,638,979.00 2008 est. 18 Mexico 29,376,791.00 2008 est. 19 Japan 27,819,804.00 2008 est. 20 Mexico 27,774,688.00 2008 est. 21 Japan 26,863,794.00 2008 est. 22 Vietnam 24,586,328.00 2008 est. 23 Vietnam 24,335,132.00 2008 est. 24 Philippines 23,547,252.00 2008 est. 25 Philippines 23,177,487.00 2008 est. 26 Egypt 21,247,777.00 2008 est. 27 Egypt 20,406,408.00 2008 est. 28 Turkey 20,213,205.00 2008 est. 29 Iran 20,212,275.00 2008 est. 30 Iran 19,638,751.00 2008 est. 31 Germany 19,594,118.00 2008 est. 32 Turkey 19,432,688.00 2008 est. 33 Germany 18,543,955.00 2008 est. 34 Thailand 17,751,268.00 2008 est. 35 Ethiopia 17,666,967.00 2008 est. 36 Thailand 17,553,410.00 2008 est. 37 Ethiopia 17,530,211.00 2008 est. 38 United Kingdom 14,729,500.00 2008 est. 39 France 14,646,427.00 2008 est. 40 France 14,379,630.00 2008 est. 41 United Kingdom 14,125,600.00 2008 est. 42 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 14,101,263.00 2008 est. 43 Italy 13,884,079.00 2008 est. 44 Korea, South 13,691,809.00 2008 est. 45 Burma 13,437,042.00 2008 est. 46 Burma 13,402,788.00 2008 est. 47 Italy 13,158,378.00 2008 est. 48 Korea, South 13,029,859.00 2008 est. 49 Colombia 11,809,279.00 2008 est. 50 Ukraine 11,767,357.00 2008 est. 51 South Africa 11,622,507.00 2008 est. 52 South Africa 11,501,537.00 2008 est. 53 Colombia 11,478,109.00 2008 est. 54 Ukraine 11,457,562.00 2008 est. 55 Spain 10,033,069.00 2008 est. 56 Argentina 10,029,488.00 2008 est. 57 Argentina 9,889,002.00 2008 est. 58 Spain 9,764,937.00 2008 est. 59 Poland 9,741,508.00 2008 est. 60 Algeria 9,736,757.00 2008 est. 61 Sudan 9,639,923.00 2008 est. 62 Algeria 9,590,978.00 2008 est. 63 Poland 9,514,843.00 2008 est. 64 Sudan 9,321,106.00 2008 est. 65 Morocco 9,152,580.00 2008 est. 66 Tanzania 9,108,177.00 2008 est. 67 Morocco 9,080,830.00 2008 est. 68 Kenya 9,044,685.00 2008 est. 69 Kenya 8,805,736.00 2008 est. 70 Saudi Arabia 8,547,441.00 2008 est. 71 Canada 8,072,010.00 2008 est. 72 Canada 7,813,462.00 2008 est. 73 Peru 7,653,898.00 2008 est. 74 Uzbekistan 7,542,017.00 2008 est. 75 Peru 7,531,329.00 2008 est. 76 Uzbekistan 7,480,484.00 2008 est. 77 Afghanistan 7,431,147.00 2008 est. 78 Nepal 7,322,965.00 2008 est. 79 Iraq 7,086,200.00 2008 est. 80 Afghanistan 7,004,819.00 2008 est. 81 Nepal 6,859,064.00 2008 est. 82 Iraq 6,808,954.00 2008 est. 83 Venezuela 6,801,133.00 2008 est. 84 Venezuela 6,647,124.00 2008 est. 85 Uganda 6,532,894.00 2008 est. 86 Malaysia 6,440,338.00 2008 est. 87 Saudi Arabia 6,381,098.00 2008 est. 88 Uganda 6,352,416.00 2008 est. 89 Taiwan 6,283,134.00 2008 est. 90 Malaysia 6,280,826.00 2008 est. 91 Korea, North 6,225,747.00 2008 est. 92 Korea, North 6,188,270.00 2008 est. 93 Taiwan 6,098,599.00 2008 est. 94 Ghana 5,802,096.00 2008 est. 95 Ghana 5,729,939.00 2008 est. 96 Romania 5,682,299.00 2008 est. 97 Sri Lanka 5,594,006.00 2008 est. 98 Romania 5,557,098.00 2008 est. 99 Sri Lanka 5,458,720.00 2008 est. 100 Syria 5,251,875.00 2008 est. 101 Yemen 5,080,038.00 2008 est. 102 Australia 4,999,988.00 2008 est. 103 Syria 4,966,367.00 2008 est. 104 Australia 4,870,043.00 2008 est. 105 Yemen 4,852,555.00 2008 est. 106 Mozambique 4,545,975.00 2008 est. 107 Madagascar 4,443,341.00 2008 est. 108 Madagascar 4,441,124.00 2008 est. 109 Cote d'Ivoire 4,369,735.00 2008 est. 110 Cameroon 4,321,175.00 2008 est. 111 Cote d'Ivoire 4,287,042.00 2008 est. 112 Chile 4,242,912.00 2008 est. 113 Cameroon 4,228,625.00 2008 est. 114 Kazakhstan 4,219,636.00 2008 est. 115 Chile 4,182,509.00 2008 est. 116 Kazakhstan 4,176,731.00 2008 est. 117 Netherlands 3,950,825.00 2008 est. 118 Netherlands 3,850,800.00 2008 est. 119 Cambodia 3,784,333.00 2008 est. 120 Cambodia 3,759,034.00 2008 est. 121 Ecuador 3,559,188.00 2008 est. 122 Ecuador 3,536,602.00 2008 est. 123 Burkina Faso 3,364,288.00 2008 est. 124 Zimbabwe 3,264,258.00 2008 est. 125 Cuba 3,094,388.00 2008 est. 126 Guatemala 3,062,967.00 2008 est. 127 Malawi 3,050,444.00 2008 est. 128 Zimbabwe 3,048,049.00 2008 est. 129 Cuba 3,024,876.00 2008 est. 130 Tunisia 2,992,249.00 2008 est. 131 Senegal 2,955,179.00 2008 est. 132 Senegal 2,943,619.00 2008 est. 133 Tunisia 2,912,819.00 2008 est. 134 Niger 2,871,868.00 2008 est. 135 Guatemala 2,861,696.00 2008 est. 136 Angola 2,856,492.00 2008 est. 137 Angola 2,755,864.00 2008 est. 138 Niger 2,696,966.00 2008 est. 139 Zambia 2,678,668.00 2008 est. 140 Mali 2,603,700.00 2008 est. 141 Portugal 2,573,913.00 2008 est. 142 Zambia 2,567,433.00 2008 est. 143 Greece 2,535,174.00 2008 est. 144 Belarus 2,528,779.00 2008 est. 145 Czech Republic 2,522,383.00 2008 est. 146 Greece 2,517,273.00 2008 est. 147 Portugal 2,498,262.00 2008 est. 148 Belarus 2,491,643.00 2008 est. 149 Mali 2,441,776.00 2008 est. 150 Dominican Republic 2,440,203.00 2008 est. 151 Rwanda 2,430,469.00 2008 est. 152 Czech Republic 2,425,095.00 2008 est. 153 Belgium 2,407,128.00 2008 est. 154 United Arab Emirates 2,405,884.00 2008 est. 155 Rwanda 2,392,933.00 2008 est. 156 Hungary 2,391,400.00 2008 est. 157 Bolivia 2,366,828.00 2008 est. 158 Belgium 2,340,039.00 2008 est. 159 Hungary 2,337,240.00 2008 est. 160 Dominican Republic 2,326,694.00 2008 est. 161 Bolivia 2,295,746.00 2008 est. 162 Azerbaijan 2,291,770.00 2008 est. 163 Azerbaijan 2,278,888.00 2008 est. 164 Chad 2,258,758.00 2008 est. 165 Guinea 2,230,049.00 2008 est. 166 Guinea 2,193,236.00 2008 est. 167 Somalia 2,181,050.00 2008 est. 168 Somalia 2,125,558.00 2008 est. 169 Sweden 2,052,890.00 2008 est. 170 Haiti 2,047,953.00 2008 est. 171 Haiti 2,047,083.00 2008 est. 172 Austria 1,986,411.00 2008 est. 173 Sweden 1,980,550.00 2008 est. 174 Austria 1,944,834.00 2008 est. 175 Hong Kong 1,941,448.00 2008 est. 176 Tajikistan 1,911,594.00 2008 est. 177 Benin 1,908,457.00 2008 est. 178 Chad 1,906,545.00 2008 est. 179 Tajikistan 1,897,356.00 2008 est. 180 Benin 1,882,421.00 2008 est. 181 Burundi 1,878,544.00 2008 est. 182 Honduras 1,868,940.00 2008 est. 183 Switzerland 1,852,580.00 2008 est. 184 Burundi 1,851,676.00 2008 est. 185 Honduras 1,825,770.00 2008 est. 186 Jordan 1,812,551.00 2008 est. 187 Switzerland 1,807,667.00 2008 est. 188 El Salvador 1,775,474.00 2008 est. 189 Hong Kong 1,772,820.00 2008 est. 190 Israel 1,717,362.00 2008 est. 191 Bulgaria 1,701,979.00 2008 est. 192 Bulgaria 1,691,092.00 2008 est. 193 Libya 1,682,183.00 2008 est. 194 Israel 1,636,574.00 2008 est. 195 El Salvador 1,634,816.00 2008 est. 196 Libya 1,611,001.00 2008 est. 197 Paraguay 1,589,873.00 2008 est. 198 Paraguay 1,585,573.00 2008 est. 199 Laos 1,570,702.00 2008 est. 200 Jordan 1,559,155.00 2008 est. 201 Laos 1,549,774.00 2008 est. 202 Nicaragua 1,513,312.00 2008 est. 203 Nicaragua 1,507,999.00 2008 est. 204 Papua New Guinea 1,481,417.00 2008 est. 205 Slovakia 1,420,966.00 2008 est. 206 Kyrgyzstan 1,419,374.00 2008 est. 207 Kyrgyzstan 1,398,878.00 2008 est. 208 Slovakia 1,386,259.00 2008 est. 209 Papua New Guinea 1,385,040.00 2008 est. 210 Togo 1,374,993.00 2008 est. 211 Togo 1,365,505.00 2008 est. 212 Turkmenistan 1,331,005.00 2008 est. 213 Turkmenistan 1,316,698.00 2008 est. 214 Sierra Leone 1,315,561.00 2008 est. 215 Singapore 1,277,862.00 2008 est. 216 Denmark 1,235,067.00 2008 est. 217 Denmark 1,215,418.00 2008 est. 218 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,212,007.00 2008 est. 219 Moldova 1,187,771.00 2008 est. 220 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,170,645.00 2008 est. 221 Finland 1,169,910.00 2008 est. 222 Georgia 1,168,021.00 2008 est. 223 Moldova 1,161,924.00 2008 est. 224 Costa Rica 1,134,205.00 2008 est. 225 Lebanon 1,122,595.00 2008 est. 226 Finland 1,121,187.00 2008 est. 227 Georgia 1,113,251.00 2008 est. 228 Eritrea 1,108,836.00 2008 est. 229 Lebanon 1,106,879.00 2008 est. 230 Eritrea 1,096,120.00 2008 est. 231 Costa Rica 1,095,763.00 2008 est. 232 Norway 1,078,181.00 2008 est. 233 Norway 1,046,550.00 2008 est. 234 Croatia 1,037,896.00 2008 est. 235 Croatia 1,035,712.00 2008 est. 236 Central African Republic 1,032,828.00 2008 est. 237 Kuwait 1,032,408.00 2008 est. 238 Ireland 1,024,635.00 2008 est. 239 Ireland 1,024,276.00 2008 est. 240 New Zealand 1,009,298.00 2008 est. 241 Central African Republic 999,330.00 2008 est. 242 New Zealand 997,134.00 2008 est. 243 Albania 944,592.00 2008 est. 244 Lithuania 915,187.00 2008 est. 245 Albania 908,527.00 2008 est. 246 Lithuania 906,097.00 2008 est. 247 United Arab Emirates 884,853.00 2008 est. 248 Armenia 870,864.00 2008 est. 249 Mongolia 865,425.00 2008 est. 250 Mongolia 860,669.00 2008 est. 251 Panama 851,044.00 2008 est. 252 Congo, Republic of the 842,771.00 2008 est. 253 Uruguay 837,252.00 2008 est. 254 Congo, Republic of the 833,624.00 2008 est. 255 Uruguay 824,096.00 2008 est. 256 Armenia 809,576.00 2008 est. 257 Oman 802,455.00 2008 est. 258 Mauritania 744,709.00 2008 est. 259 Liberia 741,223.00 2008 est. 260 Mauritania 740,675.00 2008 est. 261 Liberia 729,813.00 2008 est. 262 Jamaica 709,548.00 2008 est. 263 Jamaica 688,480.00 2008 est. 264 Oman 626,841.00 2008 est. 265 Latvia 568,683.00 2008 est. 266 Kuwait 568,657.00 2008 est. 267 Latvia 565,826.00 2008 est. 268 Macedonia 532,856.00 2008 est. 269 Namibia 527,948.00 2008 est. 270 Lesotho 525,203.00 2008 est. 271 Lesotho 522,485.00 2008 est. 272 Macedonia 513,684.00 2008 est. 273 Slovenia 494,496.00 2008 est. 274 Botswana 487,853.00 2008 est. 275 Slovenia 481,180.00 2008 est. 276 Botswana 464,278.00 2008 est. 277 Gambia, The 384,438.00 2008 est. 278 Gambia, The 379,668.00 2008 est. 279 Guinea-Bissau 347,886.00 2008 est. 280 Guinea-Bissau 344,087.00 2008 est. 281 Mauritius 341,018.00 2008 est. 282 Gaza Strip 337,670.00 2008 est. 283 Gabon 332,498.00 2008 est. 284 Gabon 331,181.00 2008 est. 285 Qatar 320,383.00 2008 est. 286 Estonia 317,852.00 2008 est. 287 Estonia 306,273.00 2008 est. 288 Trinidad and Tobago 301,561.00 2008 est. 289 Timor-Leste 284,903.00 2008 est. 290 Timor-Leste 272,212.00 2008 est. 291 Swaziland 266,311.00 2008 est. 292 Trinidad and Tobago 264,225.00 2008 est. 293 Fiji 242,567.00 2008 est. 294 Fiji 238,556.00 2008 est. 295 Guyana 220,797.00 2008 est. 296 Bahrain 210,938.00 2008 est. 297 Cyprus 199,767.00 2008 est. 298 Cyprus 190,665.00 2008 est. 299 Bhutan 190,104.00 2008 est. 300 Bahrain 170,471.00 2008 est. 301 Comoros 167,850.00 2008 est. 302 Qatar 167,475.00 2008 est. 303 Comoros 167,362.00 2008 est. 304 Bhutan 167,289.00 2008 est. 305 Solomon Islands 141,051.00 2008 est. 306 Equatorial Guinea 138,018.00 2008 est. 307 Equatorial Guinea 136,725.00 2008 est. 308 Suriname 130,534.00 2008 est. 309 Suriname 130,243.00 2008 est. 310 Macau 121,825.00 2008 est. 311 Luxembourg 116,305.00 2008 est. 312 Luxembourg 114,566.00 2008 est. 313 Djibouti 111,274.00 2008 est. 314 Brunei 110,153.00 2008 est. 315 Brunei 108,356.00 2008 est. 316 Djibouti 105,168.00 2008 est. 317 Cape Verde 103,650.00 2008 est. 318 Cape Verde 103,553.00 2008 est. 319 Malta 96,309.00 2008 est. 320 Malta 92,242.00 2008 est. 321 Maldives 89,505.00 2008 est. 322 Maldives 85,745.00 2008 est. 323 Bahamas, The 80,200.00 2008 est. 324 French Polynesia 79,540.00 2008 est. 325 Barbados 75,389.00 2008 est. 326 Barbados 75,265.00 2008 est. 327 Iceland 74,896.00 2008 est. 328 Belize 74,605.00 2008 est. 329 Belize 72,926.00 2008 est. 330 Vanuatu 58,900.00 2008 est. 331 New Caledonia 57,738.00 2008 est. 332 Netherlands Antilles 57,060.00 2008 est. 333 Netherlands Antilles 55,365.00 2008 est. 334 Samoa 53,417.00 2008 est. 335 Saint Lucia 48,358.00 2008 est. 336 Sao Tome and Principe 43,781.00 2008 est. 337 Sao Tome and Principe 42,340.00 2008 est. 338 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 34,373.00 2008 est. 339 Tonga 32,053.00 2008 est. 340 Tonga 30,981.00 2008 est. 341 Grenada 27,309.00 2008 est. 342 Micronesia, Federated States of 26,686.00 2008 est. 343 Kiribati 26,377.00 2008 est. 344 Aruba 25,742.00 2008 est. 345 Aruba 24,585.00 2008 est. 346 Seychelles 24,424.00 2008 est. 347 Seychelles 23,598.00 2008 est. 348 Antigua and Barbuda 19,560.00 2008 est. 349 Antigua and Barbuda 18,977.00 2008 est. 350 Andorra 18,685.00 2008 est. 351 Dominica 18,584.00 2008 est. 352 Marshall Islands 15,708.00 2008 est. 353 Bermuda 15,623.00 2008 est. 354 Greenland 15,221.00 2008 est. 355 Cayman Islands 11,790.00 2008 est. 356 Faroe Islands 11,725.00 2008 est. 357 Saint Kitts and Nevis 10,095.00 2008 est. 358 Saint Kitts and Nevis 10,081.00 2008 est. 359 Liechtenstein 8,102.00 2008 est. 360 British Virgin Islands 7,101.00 2008 est. 361 Monaco 6,687.00 2008 est. 362 San Marino 6,613.00 2008 est. 363 Gibraltar 6,308.00 2008 est. 364 Palau 5,973.00 2008 est. 365 Anguilla 3,538.00 2008 est. 366 Nauru 3,470.00 2008 est. 367 Montserrat 2,528.00 2008 est.

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Rank code: 2106

Country Comparison :: Maritime claims

This entry includes the following claims, the definitions of which are excerpted from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which alone contains the full and definitive descriptions: territorial sea - the sovereignty of a coastal state extends beyond its land territory and internal waters to an adjacent belt of sea, described as the territorial sea in the UNCLOS (Part II); this sovereignty extends to the air space over the territorial sea as well as its underlying seabed and subsoil; every state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles; the normal baseline for measuring the breadth of the territorial sea is the mean low-water line along the coast as marked on large-scale charts officially recognized by the coastal state; the UNCLOS describes specific rules for archipelagic states. contiguous zone - according to the UNCLOS (Article 33), this is a zone contiguous to a coastal state's territorial sea, over which it may exercise the control necessary to: prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration, or sanitary laws and regulations within its territory or territorial sea; punish infringement of the above laws and regulations committed within its territory or territorial sea; the contiguous zone may not extend beyond 24 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured (e.g. the US has claimed a 12-nautical mile contiguous zone in addition to its 12-nautical mile territorial sea). exclusive economic zone (EEZ) - the UNCLOS (Part V) defines the EEZ as a zone beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which a coastal state has: sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, of the waters superjacent to the seabed and of the seabed and its subsoil, and with regard to other activities for the economic exploitation and exploration of the zone, such as the production of energy from the water, currents, and winds; jurisdiction with regard to the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations, and structures; marine scientific research; the protection and preservation of the marine environment; the outer limit of the exclusive economic zone shall not exceed 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. continental shelf - the UNCLOS (Article 76) defines the continental shelf of a coastal state as comprising the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured where the outer edge of the continental margin does not extend up to that distance; the continental margin comprises the submerged prolongation of the landmass of the coastal state, and consists of the seabed and subsoil of the shelf, the slope and the rise; wherever the continental margin extends beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline, coastal states may extend their claim to a distance not to exceed 350 nautical miles from the baseline or 100 nautical miles from the 2500 meter isobath; it does not include the deep ocean floor with its oceanic ridges or the subsoil thereof. exclusive fishing zone - while this term is not used in the UNCLOS, some states (e.g., the United Kingdom) have chosen not to claim an EEZ, but rather to claim jurisdiction over the living resources off their coast; in such cases, the term exclusive fishing zone is often used; the breadth of this zone is normally the same as the EEZ or 200 nautical miles.

Rank country Maritime claims Date of Information

1 Antigua and Barbuda 200.00 NA 2 Antigua and Barbuda 200.00 NA 3 United Arab Emirates 200.00 NA 4 Angola 200.00 NA 5 American Samoa 200.00 NA 6 Argentina 200.00 NA 7 Australia 200.00 NA 8 Anguilla 200.00 NA 9 Bermuda 200.00 NA 10 Navassa Island 200.00 NA 11 Solomon Islands 200.00 NA 12 Solomon Islands 200.00 NA 13 Benin 200.00 NA 14 Burma 200.00 NA 15 Burma 200.00 NA 16 Belize 200.00 NA 17 Bangladesh 200.00 NA 18 Bahamas, The 200.00 NA 19 China 200.00 NA 20 China 200.00 NA 21 Congo, Republic of the 200.00 NA 22 Sri Lanka 200.00 NA 23 Sri Lanka 200.00 NA 24 Cambodia 200.00 NA 25 Cambodia 200.00 NA 26 Canada 200.00 NA 27 Canada 200.00 NA 28 Brunei 200.00 NA 29 Bulgaria 200.00 NA 30 Brazil 200.00 NA 31 Brazil 200.00 NA 32 El Salvador 200.00 NA 33 Equatorial Guinea 200.00 NA 34 Ireland 200.00 NA 35 Egypt 200.00 NA 36 Ecuador 200.00 NA 37 Dominican Republic 200.00 NA 38 Dominican Republic 200.00 NA 39 Dominica 200.00 NA 40 Djibouti 200.00 NA 41 Denmark 200.00 NA 42 Cook Islands 200.00 NA 43 Cook Islands 200.00 NA 44 Cape Verde 200.00 NA 45 Cuba 200.00 NA 46 Costa Rica 200.00 NA 47 Greenland 200.00 NA 48 Greenland 200.00 NA 49 Grenada 200.00 NA 50 Ghana 200.00 NA 51 Ghana 200.00 NA 52 Georgia 200.00 NA 53 Gabon 200.00 NA 54 Gambia, The 200.00 NA 55 French Southern and Antarctic Lands200.00 NA 56 Cote d'Ivoire 200.00 NA 57 Cote d'Ivoire 200.00 NA 58 Clipperton Island 200.00 NA 59 British Indian Ocean Territory 200.00 NA 60 India 200.00 NA 61 India 200.00 NA 62 Indonesia 200.00 NA 63 Iceland 200.00 NA 64 Iceland 200.00 NA 65 Morocco 200.00 NA 66 Montserrat 200.00 NA 67 Mayotte 200.00 NA 68 Madagascar 200.00 NA 69 Madagascar 200.00 NA 70 Liberia 200.00 NA 71 Latvia 200.00 NA 72 Christmas Island 200.00 NA 73 Korea, South 200.00 NA 74 Netherlands 200.00 NA 75 Nigeria 200.00 NA 76 Vanuatu 200.00 NA 77 Vanuatu 200.00 NA 78 Norfolk Island 200.00 NA 79 Niue 200.00 NA 80 New Caledonia 200.00 NA 81 Mozambique 200.00 NA 82 Malaysia 200.00 NA 83 Yemen 200.00 NA 84 Yemen 200.00 NA 85 Samoa 200.00 NA 86 Wake Island 200.00 NA 87 Wallis and Futuna 200.00 NA 88 Namibia 200.00 NA 89 Virgin Islands 200.00 NA 90 Vietnam 200.00 NA 91 Vietnam 200.00 NA 92 British Virgin Islands 200.00 NA 93 Venezuela 200.00 NA 94 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 200.00 NA 95 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 200.00 NA 96 Uruguay 200.00 NA 97 United States 200.00 NA 98 Ukraine 200.00 NA 99 United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges200.00 NA 100 United Kingdom 200.00 NA 101 Tanzania 200.00 NA 102 Taiwan 200.00 NA 103 Tuvalu 200.00 NA 104 Timor-Leste 200.00 NA 105 Sao Tome and Principe 200.00 NA 106 Togo 200.00 NA 107 Tonga 200.00 NA 108 Tokelau 200.00 NA 109 Turks and Caicos Islands 200.00 NA 110 Thailand 200.00 NA 111 Trinidad and Tobago 200.00 NA 112 Trinidad and Tobago 200.00 NA 113 South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands200.00 NA 114 Svalbard 200.00 NA 115 Saint Lucia 200.00 NA 116 Saint Lucia 200.00 NA 117 Spain 200.00 NA 118 Somalia 200.00 NA 119 Sierra Leone 200.00 NA 120 Sierra Leone 200.00 NA 121 Saint Helena 200.00 NA 122 Senegal 200.00 NA 123 Senegal 200.00 NA 124 South Africa 200.00 NA 125 South Africa 200.00 NA 126 Seychelles 200.00 NA 127 Seychelles 200.00 NA 128 Saint Kitts and Nevis 200.00 NA 129 Saint Kitts and Nevis 200.00 NA 130 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 200.00 NA 131 Russia 200.00 NA 132 Puerto Rico 200.00 NA 133 Philippines 200.00 NA 134 Romania 200.00 NA 135 Marshall Islands 200.00 NA 136 Guinea-Bissau 200.00 NA 137 Palau 200.00 NA 138 Papua New Guinea 200.00 NA 139 Portugal 200.00 NA 140 Panama 200.00 NA 141 Pakistan 200.00 NA 142 Pakistan 200.00 NA 143 Peru 200.00 NA 144 Peru 200.00 NA 145 Pitcairn Islands 200.00 NA 146 New Zealand 200.00 NA 147 New Zealand 200.00 NA 148 Suriname 200.00 NA 149 Nauru 200.00 NA 150 Norway 200.00 NA 151 Norway 200.00 NA 152 Mexico 200.00 NA 153 Mexico 200.00 NA 154 Maldives 200.00 NA 155 Oman 200.00 NA 156 Mauritania 200.00 NA 157 Mauritania 200.00 NA 158 Mauritius 200.00 NA 159 Mauritius 200.00 NA 160 Kiribati 200.00 NA 161 Korea, North 200.00 NA 162 Kenya 200.00 NA 163 Kenya 200.00 NA 164 Jan Mayen 200.00 NA 165 Jamaica 200.00 NA 166 Jamaica 200.00 NA 167 Japan 200.00 NA 168 Honduras 200.00 NA 169 Heard Island and McDonald Islands 200.00 NA 170 Haiti 200.00 NA 171 Guyana 200.00 NA 172 Guyana 200.00 NA 173 Guinea 200.00 NA 174 Guatemala 200.00 NA 175 Germany 200.00 NA 176 France 200.00 NA 177 French Polynesia 200.00 NA 178 Faroe Islands 200.00 NA 179 Faroe Islands 200.00 NA 180 Micronesia, Federated States of 200.00 NA 181 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 200.00 NA 182 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 200.00 NA 183 Fiji 200.00 NA 184 Costa Rica 200.00 NA 185 Coral Sea Islands 200.00 NA 186 Northern Mariana Islands 200.00 NA 187 Colombia 200.00 NA 188 Comoros 200.00 NA 189 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 200.00 NA 190 Cayman Islands 200.00 NA 191 Chile 200.00 NA 192 Barbados 200.00 NA 193 Ashmore and Cartier Islands 200.00 NA 194 Australia 200.00 NA 195 Argentina 200.00 NA 196 United Arab Emirates 200.00 NA 197 Libya 62.00 NA 198 Togo 30.00 NA 199 Malta 25.00 NA 200 Antigua and Barbuda 24.00 NA 201 United Arab Emirates 24.00 NA 202 Angola 24.00 NA 203 Finland 24.00 NA 204 El Salvador 24.00 NA 205 Egypt 24.00 NA 206 Dominican Republic 24.00 NA 207 China 24.00 NA 208 Sri Lanka 24.00 NA 209 Cambodia 24.00 NA 210 Canada 24.00 NA 211 Bulgaria 24.00 NA 212 Brazil 24.00 NA 213 Burma 24.00 NA 214 Belgium 24.00 NA 215 Bahrain 24.00 NA 216 Yemen 24.00 NA 217 Samoa 24.00 NA 218 Namibia 24.00 NA 219 Vietnam 24.00 NA 220 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 24.00 NA 221 Uruguay 24.00 NA 222 United States 24.00 NA 223 Tuvalu 24.00 NA 224 Timor-Leste 24.00 NA 225 Tunisia 24.00 NA 226 Trinidad and Tobago 24.00 NA 227 Syria 24.00 NA 228 Saint Lucia 24.00 NA 229 Spain 24.00 NA 230 Sierra Leone 24.00 NA 231 Senegal 24.00 NA 232 South Africa 24.00 NA 233 Seychelles 24.00 NA 234 Saint Kitts and Nevis 24.00 NA 235 Russia 24.00 NA 236 Romania 24.00 NA 237 Marshall Islands 24.00 NA 238 Qatar 24.00 NA 239 Portugal 24.00 NA 240 Panama 24.00 NA 241 Pakistan 24.00 NA 242 New Zealand 24.00 NA 243 Nicaragua 24.00 NA 244 Nauru 24.00 NA 245 Netherlands 24.00 NA 246 Vanuatu 24.00 NA 247 Mexico 24.00 NA 248 Maldives 24.00 NA 249 Oman 24.00 NA 250 Malta 24.00 NA 251 Mauritania 24.00 NA 252 Morocco 24.00 NA 253 Madagascar 24.00 NA 254 Korea, South 24.00 NA 255 Jamaica 24.00 NA 256 Japan 24.00 NA 257 Iran 24.00 NA 258 India 24.00 NA 259 Honduras 24.00 NA 260 Haiti 24.00 NA 261 Ghana 24.00 NA 262 Gabon 24.00 NA 263 France 24.00 NA 264 Dominica 24.00 NA 265 Djibouti 24.00 NA 266 Denmark 24.00 NA 267 Cyprus 24.00 NA 268 Cape Verde 24.00 NA 269 Cuba 24.00 NA 270 Cameroon 24.00 NA 271 Chile 24.00 NA 272 Australia 24.00 NA 273 Argentina 24.00 NA 274 Bangladesh 18.00 NA 275 Gambia, The 18.00 NA 276 Saudi Arabia 18.00 NA 277 Sudan 18.00 NA 278 Venezuela 15.00 NA 279 Aruba 12.00 NA 280 United Arab Emirates 12.00 NA 281 Algeria 12.00 NA 282 Australia 12.00 NA 283 Ashmore and Cartier Islands 12.00 NA 284 Solomon Islands 12.00 NA 285 Burma 12.00 NA 286 Belize 12.00 NA 287 Bangladesh 12.00 NA 288 Bahamas, The 12.00 NA 289 Belgium 12.00 NA 290 Bermuda 12.00 NA 291 Barbados 12.00 NA 292 Bahrain 12.00 NA 293 Finland 12.00 NA 294 Finland 12.00 NA 295 El Salvador 12.00 NA 296 Eritrea 12.00 NA 297 Estonia 12.00 NA 298 Equatorial Guinea 12.00 NA 299 Ireland 12.00 NA 300 Egypt 12.00 NA 301 Northern Mariana Islands 12.00 NA 302 Guyana 12.00 NA 303 Guinea 12.00 NA 304 Guatemala 12.00 NA 305 Greece 12.00 NA 306 Germany 12.00 NA 307 Guernsey 12.00 NA 308 Grenada 12.00 NA 309 Ghana 12.00 NA 310 Georgia 12.00 NA 311 Jersey 12.00 NA 312 Japan 12.00 NA 313 Iraq 12.00 NA 314 Cote d'Ivoire 12.00 NA 315 Italy 12.00 NA 316 Israel 12.00 NA 317 Iran 12.00 NA 318 Clipperton Island 12.00 NA 319 India 12.00 NA 320 Yemen 12.00 NA 321 Samoa 12.00 NA 322 Wake Island 12.00 NA 323 Wallis and Futuna 12.00 NA 324 Namibia 12.00 NA 325 Virgin Islands 12.00 NA 326 Vietnam 12.00 NA 327 Venezuela 12.00 NA 328 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12.00 NA 329 Uruguay 12.00 NA 330 United States 12.00 NA 331 Ukraine 12.00 NA 332 United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges12.00 NA 333 United Kingdom 12.00 NA 334 Tanzania 12.00 NA 335 Taiwan 12.00 NA 336 Tuvalu 12.00 NA 337 Turkey 12.00 NA 338 Timor-Leste 12.00 NA 339 Tunisia 12.00 NA 340 Tunisia 12.00 NA 341 Sao Tome and Principe 12.00 NA 342 Tonga 12.00 NA 343 Tokelau 12.00 NA 344 Turks and Caicos Islands 12.00 NA 345 Thailand 12.00 NA 346 Trinidad and Tobago 12.00 NA 347 Syria 12.00 NA 348 South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands12.00 NA 349 Sweden 12.00 NA 350 Sudan 12.00 NA 351 Saint Lucia 12.00 NA 352 Spain 12.00 NA 353 Sierra Leone 12.00 NA 354 Slovenia 12.00 NA 355 Saint Helena 12.00 NA 356 Senegal 12.00 NA 357 South Africa 12.00 NA 358 Seychelles 12.00 NA 359 Saint Kitts and Nevis 12.00 NA 360 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 12.00 NA 361 Saudi Arabia 12.00 NA 362 Russia 12.00 NA 363 Puerto Rico 12.00 NA 364 Romania 12.00 NA 365 Marshall Islands 12.00 NA 366 Qatar 12.00 NA 367 Guinea-Bissau 12.00 NA 368 Papua New Guinea 12.00 NA 369 Portugal 12.00 NA 370 Panama 12.00 NA 371 Poland 12.00 NA 372 Pakistan 12.00 NA 373 New Zealand 12.00 NA 374 Nicaragua 12.00 NA 375 Netherlands Antilles 12.00 NA 376 Netherlands Antilles 12.00 NA 377 Suriname 12.00 NA 378 Nauru 12.00 NA 379 Norway 12.00 NA 380 Netherlands 12.00 NA 381 Nigeria 12.00 NA 382 Vanuatu 12.00 NA 383 Norfolk Island 12.00 NA 384 Niue 12.00 NA 385 New Caledonia 12.00 NA 386 Mozambique 12.00 NA 387 Malaysia 12.00 NA 388 Mexico 12.00 NA 389 Monaco 12.00 NA 390 Monaco 12.00 NA 391 Montenegro 12.00 NA 392 Mayotte 12.00 NA 393 Madagascar 12.00 NA 394 Libya 12.00 NA 395 Lithuania 12.00 NA 396 Latvia 12.00 NA 397 Lebanon 12.00 NA 398 Maldives 12.00 NA 399 Oman 12.00 NA 400 Malta 12.00 NA 401 Mauritania 12.00 NA 402 Mauritius 12.00 NA 403 Morocco 12.00 NA 404 Kuwait 12.00 NA 405 Christmas Island 12.00 NA 406 Christmas Island 12.00 NA 407 Korea, South 12.00 NA 408 Kiribati 12.00 NA 409 Korea, North 12.00 NA 410 Kenya 12.00 NA 411 Jamaica 12.00 NA 412 Isle of Man 12.00 NA 413 Isle of Man 12.00 NA 414 Indonesia 12.00 NA 415 Iceland 12.00 NA 416 Croatia 12.00 NA 417 Honduras 12.00 NA 418 Heard Island and McDonald Islands 12.00 NA 419 Haiti 12.00 NA 420 Gabon 12.00 NA 421 Gambia, The 12.00 NA 422 French Southern and Antarctic Lands12.00 NA 423 France 12.00 NA 424 French Polynesia 12.00 NA 425 Micronesia, Federated States of 12.00 NA 426 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 12.00 NA 427 Fiji 12.00 NA 428 Colombia 12.00 NA 429 Comoros 12.00 NA 430 Cameroon 12.00 NA 431 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 12.00 NA 432 Cayman Islands 12.00 NA 433 Chile 12.00 NA 434 China 12.00 NA 435 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 12.00 NA 436 Dominica 12.00 NA 437 Djibouti 12.00 NA 438 Denmark 12.00 NA 439 Cyprus 12.00 NA 440 Cook Islands 12.00 NA 441 Cape Verde 12.00 NA 442 Cuba 12.00 NA 443 Costa Rica 12.00 NA 444 Sri Lanka 12.00 NA 445 Cambodia 12.00 NA 446 Canada 12.00 NA 447 Brunei 12.00 NA 448 Bulgaria 12.00 NA 449 Brazil 12.00 NA 450 Navassa Island 12.00 NA 451 Ashmore and Cartier Islands 12.00 NA 452 Argentina 12.00 NA 453 American Samoa 12.00 NA 454 Angola 12.00 NA 455 Albania 12.00 NA 456 Antigua and Barbuda 12.00 NA 457 Jan Mayen 10.00 NA 458 Norway 10.00 NA 459 Dominican Republic 6.00 NA 460 Turkey 6.00 NA 461 Bouvet Island 4.00 NA 462 Jan Mayen 4.00 NA 463 Svalbard 4.00 NA 464 Anguilla 3.00 NA 465 British Virgin Islands 3.00 NA 466 Singapore 3.00 NA 467 Palau 3.00 NA 468 Pitcairn Islands 3.00 NA 469 Montserrat 3.00 NA 470 Jordan 3.00 NA 471 Jersey 3.00 NA 472 Gibraltar 3.00 NA 473 Guernsey 3.00 NA 474 Greenland 3.00 NA 475 British Indian Ocean Territory 3.00 NA 476 Hong Kong 3.00 NA 477 Faroe Islands 3.00 NA 478 Coral Sea Islands 3.00 NA

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Rank code: 2107

Country Comparison :: International organization participation

This entry lists in alphabetical order by abbreviation those international organizations in which the subject country is a member or participates in some other way.

Rank country International organization participationDate of Information

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Rank code: 2108

Country Comparison :: Merchant marine

Merchant marine may be defined as all ships engaged in the carriage of goods; or all commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc. This entry contains information in four fields - total, ships by type, foreign-owned, and registered in other countries. Total includes the number of ships (1,000 GRT or over), total DWT for those ships, and total GRT for those ships. DWT or dead weight tonnage is the total weight of cargo, plus bunkers, stores, etc., that a ship can carry when immersed to the appropriate load line. GRT or gross register tonnage is a figure obtained by measuring the entire sheltered volume of a ship available for cargo and passengers and converting it to tons on the basis of 100 cubic feet per ton; there is no stable relationship between GRT and DWT. Ships by type includes a listing of barge carriers, bulk cargo ships, cargo ships, chemical tankers, combination bulk carriers, combination ore/oil carriers, container ships, liquefied gas tankers, livestock carriers, multifunctional large-load carriers, petroleum tankers, passenger ships, passenger/cargo ships, railcar carriers, refrigerated cargo ships, roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, short-sea passenger ships, specialized tankers, and vehicle carriers. Foreign-owned are ships that fly the flag of one country but belong to owners in another. Registered in other countries are ships that belong to owners in one country but fly the flag of another.

Rank country Merchant marine Date of Information

1 Panama 6,323 2008 2 Liberia 2,204 2008 3 China 1,826 2008 4 Malta 1,438 2008 5 Singapore 1,292 2008 6 Bahamas, The 1,223 2008 7 Antigua and Barbuda 1,146 2008 8 Hong Kong 1,114 2008 9 Russia 1,074 2008 10 Marshall Islands 1,049 2008 11 Indonesia 971 2008 12 Greece 869 2008 13 Cyprus 858 2008 14 Korea, South 812 2008 15 Norway 688 2008 16 Japan 683 2008 17 Cambodia 626 2008 18 Netherlands 622 2008 19 Turkey 612 2008 20 Italy 609 2008 21 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 525 2008 22 United Kingdom 518 2008 23 India 501 2008 24 United States 422 2008 25 Thailand 398 2008 26 Germany 393 2008 27 Philippines 391 2008 28 Vietnam 387 2008 29 Denmark 327 2008 30 Malaysia 306 2008 31 Isle of Man 273 2008 32 Gibraltar 240 2008 33 Belize 216 2008 34 Sweden 195 2008 35 Georgia 191 2008 36 Ukraine 189 2008 37 Sierra Leone 182 2008 38 Canada 175 2008 39 Korea, North 167 2008 40 Saint Kitts and Nevis 159 2008 41 Spain 158 2008 42 Netherlands Antilles 147 2008 43 France 138 2008 44 Bermuda 137 2008 45 Brazil 136 2008 46 Comoros 136 2008 47 Honduras 123 2008 48 Portugal 117 2008 49 Cayman Islands 109 2008 50 Taiwan 102 2008 51 Finland 98 2008 52 Azerbaijan 89 2008 53 Barbados 85 2008 54 Croatia 80 2008 55 Tuvalu 80 2008 56 Belgium 79 2008 57 Mongolia 77 2008 58 Syria 77 2008 59 Bulgaria 74 2008 60 Iran 74 2008 61 Monaco 70 2008 62 Nigeria 68 2008 63 Egypt 67 2008 64 Saudi Arabia 62 2008 65 Venezuela 62 2008 66 United Arab Emirates 58 2008 67 Mexico 55 2008 68 Vanuatu 54 2008 69 Dominica 53 2008 70 Slovakia 51 2008 71 Australia 50 2008 72 Argentina 46 2008 73 Lithuania 45 2008 74 Luxembourg 45 2008 75 Chile 44 2008 76 Kiribati 43 2008 77 Bangladesh 40 2008 78 Moldova 39 2008 79 Kuwait 38 2008 80 Ecuador 37 2008 81 Morocco 35 2008 82 Switzerland 35 2008 83 Algeria 33 2008 84 Lebanon 33 2008 85 Ireland 29 2008 86 Maldives 29 2008 87 Estonia 29 2008 88 Slovenia 29 2008 89 Sri Lanka 26 2008 90 Cook Islands 26 2008 91 Albania 24 2008 92 Burma 24 2008 93 Bolivia 23 2008 94 Paraguay 23 2008 95 Latvia 22 2008 96 Qatar 22 2008 97 Jordan 21 2008 98 Papua New Guinea 21 2008 99 Jamaica 20 2008 100 Colombia 17 2008 101 Libya 17 2008 102 Uruguay 17 2008 103 Romania 17 2008 104 French Polynesia 15 2008 105 Pakistan 15 2008 106 Poland 15 2008 107 Iraq 14 2008 108 New Zealand 13 2008 109 Tonga 13 2008 110 Faroe Islands 12 2008 111 Cuba 11 2008 112 Israel 11 2008 113 Togo 10 2008 114 Bahrain 9 2008 115 Ethiopia 9 2008 116 Fiji 9 2008 117 Tanzania 9 2008 118 Trinidad and Tobago 9 2008 119 Brunei 8 2008 120 Madagascar 8 2008 121 Seychelles 8 2008 122 Wallis and Futuna 8 2008 123 Peru 8 2008 124 Guyana 8 2008 125 Cape Verde 8 2008 126 Tunisia 7 2008 127 Turkmenistan 7 2008 128 Angola 6 2008 129 Montenegro 6 2008 130 Sao Tome and Principe 6 2008 131 Eritrea 5 2008 132 Kazakhstan 5 2008 133 Gambia, The 5 2008 134 Austria 4 2008 135 Yemen 4 2008 136 Ghana 4 2008 137 Micronesia, Federated States of 3 2008 138 South Africa 3 2008 139 Sudan 3 2008 140 Puerto Rico 3 2008 141 Mauritius 3 2008 142 Oman 3 2008 143 Gabon 2 2008 144 Greenland 2 2008 145 Iceland 2 2008 146 New Caledonia 2 2008 147 Mozambique 2 2008 148 Congo, Republic of the 1 2008 149 Dominican Republic 1 2008 150 Czech Republic 1 2008 151 Suriname 1 2008 152 Turks and Caicos Islands 1 2008 153 British Virgin Islands 1 2008 154 Samoa 1 2008 155 Namibia 1 2008 156 Timor-Leste 1 2008 157 Somalia 1 2008 158 Equatorial Guinea 1 2008 159 Laos 1 2008 160 Kenya 1 2008 161 Costa Rica 1 2008 162 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1 2008

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Rank code: 2109

Country Comparison :: National holiday

This entry gives the primary national day of celebration - usually independence day.

Rank country National holiday Date of Information

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Rank code: 2110

Country Comparison :: Nationality

This entry provides the identifying terms for citizens - noun and adjective.

Rank country Nationality Date of Information

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Rank code: 2111

Country Comparison :: Natural resources

This entry lists a country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources of commercial importance.

Rank country Natural resources Date of Information

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Rank code: 2112

Country Comparison :: Net migration rate

This entry includes the figure for the difference between the number of persons entering and leaving a country during the year per 1,000 persons (based on midyear population). An excess of persons entering the country is referred to as net immigration (e.g., 3.56 migrants/1,000 population); an excess of persons leaving the country as net emigration (e.g., -9.26 migrants/1,000 population). The net migration rate indicates the contribution of migration to the overall level of population change. High levels of migration can cause problems such as increasing unemployment and potential ethnic strife (if people are coming in) or a reduction in the labor force, perhaps in certain key sectors (if people are leaving).

Rank country (migrant(s)/1,000 population) Date of Information

1 United Arab Emirates 22.98 2009 est. 2 Afghanistan 21.00 2009 est. 3 Cayman Islands 16.48 2009 est. 4 Kuwait 16.02 2009 est. 5 Macau 14.56 2009 est. 6 Anguilla 14.06 2009 est. 7 San Marino 10.32 2009 est. 8 Aruba 9.70 2009 est. 9 Turks and Caicos Islands 9.02 2009 est. 10 Luxembourg 8.44 2009 est. 11 British Virgin Islands 8.13 2009 est. 12 Monaco 7.58 2009 est. 13 Andorra 6.89 2009 est. 14 Northern Mariana Islands 6.47 2009 est. 15 Australia 6.23 2009 est. 16 Jordan 5.83 2009 est. 17 Singapore 5.82 2009 est. 18 Canada 5.63 2009 est. 19 Isle of Man 5.23 2009 est. 20 Liberia 5.13 2009 est. 21 Botswana 5.00 2009 est. 22 Ireland 4.71 2009 est. 23 Liechtenstein 4.66 2009 est. 24 Hong Kong 4.38 2009 est. 25 United States 4.31 2009 est. 26 Burundi 4.04 2009 est. 27 Guernsey 3.80 2009 est. 28 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3.17 2009 est. 29 Portugal 3.14 2009 est. 30 French Polynesia 2.73 2009 est. 31 Jersey 2.73 2009 est. 32 Brunei 2.69 2009 est. 33 Denmark 2.48 2009 est. 34 Netherlands 2.46 2009 est. 35 New Zealand 2.46 2009 est. 36 Antigua and Barbuda 2.38 2009 est. 37 Israel 2.37 2009 est. 38 Greece 2.33 2009 est. 39 Bermuda 2.20 2009 est. 40 Germany 2.19 2009 est. 41 Rwanda 2.17 2009 est. 42 United Kingdom 2.16 2009 est. 43 Italy 2.06 2009 est. 44 Malta 2.02 2009 est. 45 Austria 1.85 2009 est. 46 Switzerland 1.76 2009 est. 47 Norway 1.71 2009 est. 48 Sweden 1.66 2009 est. 49 Croatia 1.59 2009 est. 50 France 1.48 2009 est. 51 Angola 1.34 2009 est. 52 Belgium 1.22 2009 est. 53 Mayotte 1.11 2009 est. 54 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1.07 2009 est. 55 Seychelles 1.05 2009 est. 56 Spain 0.99 2009 est. 57 Czech Republic 0.97 2009 est. 58 Palau 0.96 2009 est. 59 Hungary 0.87 2009 est. 60 Iceland 0.83 2009 est. 61 Finland 0.68 2009 est. 62 Sudan 0.63 2009 est. 63 Turkey 0.56 2009 est. 64 Slovenia 0.52 2009 est. 65 Costa Rica 0.47 2009 est. 66 Cyprus 0.42 2009 est. 67 Belarus 0.38 2009 est. 68 Gambia, The 0.30 2009 est. 69 Slovakia 0.30 2009 est. 70 Namibia 0.30 2009 est. 71 Russia 0.28 2009 est. 72 Oman 0.24 2009 est. 73 Bahrain 0.20 2009 est. 74 Taiwan 0.03 2009 est. 75 Argentina 0.00 2009 est. 76 Benin 0.00 2009 est. 77 Kenya 0.00 2009 est. 78 Gaza Strip 0.00 2009 est. 79 Serbia 0.00 2008 est. 80 Sierra Leone 0.00 2009 est. 81 West Bank 0.00 2009 est. 82 Somalia 0.00 2009 est. 83 Senegal 0.00 2009 est. 84 Guinea-Bissau 0.00 2009 est. 85 Gibraltar 0.00 2009 est. 86 Ethiopia -0.02 2009 est. 87 India -0.05 2009 est. 88 Mauritius -0.06 2009 est. 89 Paraguay -0.07 2009 est. 90 Brazil -0.09 2009 est. 91 Korea, North -0.09 2009 est. 92 Nigeria -0.10 2009 est. 93 Ukraine -0.11 2009 est. 94 Romania -0.13 2009 est. 95 South Africa -0.13 2009 est. 96 Uruguay -0.16 2009 est. 97 Egypt -0.20 2009 est. 98 Colombia -0.26 2009 est. 99 Suriname -0.26 2009 est. 100 Algeria -0.29 2009 est. 101 Barbados -0.31 2009 est. 102 Korea, South -0.33 2009 est. 103 Vietnam -0.38 2009 est. 104 China -0.39 2009 est. 105 Netherlands Antilles -0.39 2009 est. 106 Faroe Islands -0.41 2009 est. 107 Tunisia -0.41 2009 est. 108 Venezuela -0.42 2009 est. 109 Poland -0.47 2009 est. 110 Pakistan -0.48 2009 est. 111 Panama -0.49 2009 est. 112 Macedonia -0.52 2009 est. 113 Ghana -0.53 2009 est. 114 Niger -0.57 2009 est. 115 Lithuania -0.72 2009 est. 116 Morocco -0.72 2009 est. 117 Lesotho -0.78 2009 est. 118 Guinea -0.80 2009 est. 119 Ecuador -0.81 2009 est. 120 Peru -0.95 2009 est. 121 Mauritania -0.96 2009 est. 122 Puerto Rico -0.96 2009 est. 123 Bolivia -1.05 2009 est. 124 Sri Lanka -1.09 2009 est. 125 Nicaragua -1.11 2009 est. 126 Moldova -1.13 2009 est. 127 Saint Kitts and Nevis -1.15 2009 est. 128 Indonesia -1.24 2009 est. 129 Tajikistan -1.28 2009 est. 130 Honduras -1.30 2009 est. 131 Tanzania -1.30 2009 est. 132 Philippines -1.34 2009 est. 133 Cuba -1.56 2009 est. 134 Azerbaijan -1.69 2009 est. 135 Sao Tome and Principe -1.81 2009 est. 136 Congo, Republic of the -1.82 2009 est. 137 Turkmenistan -1.97 2009 est. 138 Haiti -2.07 2009 est. 139 Bahamas, The -2.13 2009 est. 140 Guatemala -2.21 2009 est. 141 Dominican Republic -2.22 2009 est. 142 Latvia -2.30 2009 est. 143 Fiji -2.47 2009 est. 144 Bangladesh -2.53 2009 est. 145 Kyrgyzstan -2.57 2009 est. 146 Zambia -2.59 2009 est. 147 Iran -2.62 2009 est. 148 Uzbekistan -2.94 2009 est. 149 Bulgaria -3.11 2009 est. 150 Estonia -3.26 2009 est. 151 El Salvador -3.27 2009 est. 152 Kazakhstan -3.30 2009 est. 153 Nepal -3.39 2009 est. 154 Gabon -3.48 2009 est. 155 Qatar -3.58 2009 est. 156 Mexico -3.61 2009 est. 157 Chad -4.08 2009 est. 158 Saint Lucia -4.14 2009 est. 159 Georgia -4.26 2009 est. 160 Albania -4.28 2009 est. 161 Armenia -4.56 2009 est. 162 Saint Pierre and Miquelon -4.96 2009 est. 163 Marshall Islands -5.41 2009 est. 164 Dominica -5.45 2009 est. 165 Virgin Islands -5.49 2009 est. 166 Mali -5.67 2009 est. 167 Jamaica -5.70 2009 est. 168 Greenland -5.99 2009 est. 169 Wallis and Futuna -6.08 2009 est. 170 American Samoa -6.99 2009 est. 171 Trinidad and Tobago -7.28 2009 est. 172 Guyana -7.44 2009 est. 173 Saudi Arabia -7.60 2009 est. 174 Samoa -8.81 2009 est. 175 Uganda -8.83 2009 est. 176 Grenada -10.55 2009 est. 177 Cape Verde -11.67 2009 est. 178 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -11.80 2009 est. 179 Maldives -12.58 2009 est. 180 Micronesia, Federated States of -21.03 2009 est.

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Rank code: 2113

Country Comparison :: Geography - note

This entry includes miscellaneous geographic information of significance not included elsewhere.

Rank country Geography - note Date of Information

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Rank code: 2115

Country Comparison :: Political pressure groups and leaders

This entry includes a listing of a country's political, social, labor, or religious organizations that are involved in politics, or that exert political pressure, but whose leaders do not stand for legislative election. International movements or organizations are generally not listed.

Rank country Political pressure groups and leadersDate of Information

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Rank code: 2116

Country Comparison :: Economy - overview

This entry briefly describes the type of economy, including the degree of market orientation, the level of economic development, the most important natural resources, and the unique areas of specialization. It also characterizes major economic events and policy changes in the most recent 12 months and may include a statement about one or two key future macroeconomic trends.

Rank country Economy - overview Date of Information

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Rank code: 2117

Country Comparison :: Pipelines

This entry gives the lengths and types of pipelines for transporting products like natural gas, crude oil, or petroleum products.

Rank country (km) Date of Information

1 United States 548,665.00 2006 2 United States 244,620.00 2006 3 Russia 158,767.00 2008 4 Canada 74,980.00 2006 5 Russia 74,285.00 2008 6 Ukraine 33,327.00 2008 7 Argentina 28,138.00 2008 8 China 28,132.00 2008 9 Australia 27,105.00 2008 10 Germany 24,364.00 2008 11 Canada 23,564.00 2006 12 Mexico 22,705.00 2006 13 China 20,204.00 2008 14 Iran 19,246.00 2008 15 Italy 17,544.00 2008 16 France 14,688.00 2008 17 Algeria 14,648.00 2008 18 Russia 13,658.00 2008 19 Poland 13,631.00 2008 20 Kazakhstan 11,146.00 2008 21 Pakistan 10,402.00 2008 22 Kazakhstan 10,376.00 2008 23 Brazil 9,892.00 2008 24 China 9,746.00 2008 25 Uzbekistan 9,706.00 2008 26 Mexico 8,688.00 2006 27 Iran 7,936.00 2008 28 Spain 7,738.00 2008 29 India 7,678.00 2008 30 Algeria 7,579.00 2008 31 Turkey 7,555.00 2008 32 United Kingdom 7,541.00 2008 33 Iran 7,018.00 2008 34 Czech Republic 7,010.00 2008 35 Libya 6,987.00 2008 36 India 6,876.00 2008 37 Slovakia 6,769.00 2008 38 Venezuela 6,695.00 2008 39 Mexico 6,520.00 2006 40 Turkmenistan 6,417.00 2008 41 Colombia 6,094.00 2008 42 India 6,061.00 2008 43 Argentina 5,939.00 2008 44 Indonesia 5,797.00 2008 45 Indonesia 5,721.00 2008 46 Egypt 5,586.00 2008 47 Iraq 5,418.00 2008 48 Belarus 5,250.00 2008 49 France 5,080.00 2008 50 Venezuela 5,036.00 2008 51 Bolivia 4,883.00 2008 52 Colombia 4,560.00 2008 53 Brazil 4,517.00 2008 54 Ukraine 4,514.00 2008 55 Brazil 4,465.00 2008 56 United Kingdom 4,417.00 2008 57 Hungary 4,407.00 2008 58 Egypt 4,314.00 2008 59 Saudi Arabia 4,239.00 2008 60 Ukraine 4,211.00 2008 61 Oman 4,126.00 2008 62 Nigeria 4,090.00 2008 63 Sudan 4,070.00 2008 64 Japan 3,862.00 2008 65 Germany 3,843.00 2008 66 Netherlands 3,816.00 2008 67 Turkey 3,636.00 2008 68 Argentina 3,629.00 2008 69 Romania 3,588.00 2008 70 Oman 3,558.00 2008 71 Spain 3,445.00 2008 72 Nigeria 3,396.00 2008 73 Colombia 3,383.00 2008 74 Germany 3,379.00 2008 75 Azerbaijan 3,361.00 2008 76 Australia 3,258.00 2008 77 France 3,036.00 2008 78 Algeria 2,933.00 2008 79 Bulgaria 2,926.00 2008 80 Syria 2,900.00 2008 81 Libya 2,860.00 2008 82 Denmark 2,858.00 2008 83 Austria 2,721.00 2008 84 Chile 2,676.00 2008 85 Bangladesh 2,597.00 2008 86 Nigeria 2,560.00 2008 87 Iraq 2,501.00 2008 88 Bolivia 2,475.00 2008 89 Romania 2,424.00 2008 90 Armenia 2,233.00 2008 91 Burma 2,228.00 2008 92 India 2,156.00 2008 93 United Arab Emirates 2,129.00 2008 94 Tunisia 2,102.00 2008 95 Pakistan 2,076.00 2008 96 Syria 2,000.00 2008 97 Malaysia 1,965.00 2008 98 Algeria 1,937.00 2008 99 Serbia 1,921.00 2008 100 Moldova 1,906.00 2008 101 Saudi Arabia 1,880.00 2008 102 Mexico 1,875.00 2006 103 New Zealand 1,838.00 2008 104 Belarus 1,730.00 2008 105 Lithuania 1,695.00 2008 106 Switzerland 1,662.00 2008 107 Iraq 1,637.00 2008 108 Sudan 1,613.00 2008 109 Georgia 1,591.00 2008 110 Bolivia 1,589.00 2008 111 Ireland 1,550.00 2008 112 Belarus 1,528.00 2008 113 Venezuela 1,484.00 2008 114 Kazakhstan 1,465.00 2008 115 Turkmenistan 1,457.00 2008 116 Azerbaijan 1,424.00 2008 117 Korea, South 1,423.00 2008 118 Poland 1,384.00 2008 119 South Africa 1,379.00 2008 120 Ecuador 1,374.00 2008 121 Indonesia 1,370.00 2008 122 Yemen 1,367.00 2008 123 Thailand 1,348.00 2008 124 Belgium 1,330.00 2008 125 Croatia 1,327.00 2008 126 United Arab Emirates 1,310.00 2008 127 Ecuador 1,301.00 2008 128 Georgia 1,253.00 2008 129 Italy 1,241.00 2008 130 Greece 1,197.00 2008 131 Tunisia 1,195.00 2008 132 Saudi Arabia 1,183.00 2008 133 Saudi Arabia 1,148.00 2008 134 Portugal 1,098.00 2008 135 Kazakhstan 1,095.00 2008 136 Peru 1,078.00 2008 137 Peru 1,018.00 2008 138 Hungary 987.00 2008 139 South Africa 980.00 2008 140 Venezuela 980.00 2008 141 Qatar 978.00 2008 142 Egypt 956.00 2008 143 Latvia 948.00 2008 144 Kenya 928.00 2008 145 Iraq 918.00 2008 146 Mozambique 918.00 2008 147 South Africa 908.00 2008 148 Egypt 895.00 2008 149 Chile 892.00 2008 150 Cameroon 889.00 2008 151 Tanzania 888.00 2008 152 Uzbekistan 868.00 2008 153 Estonia 859.00 2008 154 Slovenia 840.00 2008 155 Morocco 830.00 2008 156 Korea, South 827.00 2008 157 Costa Rica 796.00 2008 158 Pakistan 792.00 2008 159 Sweden 786.00 2008 160 Poland 777.00 2008 161 Libya 776.00 2008 162 Zambia 771.00 2008 163 Chile 769.00 2008 164 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 756.00 2008 165 Indonesia 735.00 2008 166 Gabon 723.00 2008 167 Netherlands 716.00 2008 168 United Kingdom 699.00 2008 169 Finland 694.00 2008 170 Austria 663.00 2008 171 Trinidad and Tobago 659.00 2008 172 Kazakhstan 658.00 2008 173 Peru 654.00 2008 174 Croatia 583.00 2008 175 Iran 570.00 2008 176 Spain 560.00 2008 177 Burma 558.00 2008 178 Tajikistan 549.00 2008 179 Czech Republic 547.00 2008 180 Kuwait 540.00 2008 181 Laos 540.00 2008 182 Belgium 535.00 2008 183 Peru 533.00 2008 184 Chile 519.00 2008 185 Guatemala 480.00 2008 186 Afghanistan 466.00 2008 187 United Arab Emirates 458.00 2008 188 Israel 442.00 2008 189 Jordan 439.00 2008 190 Morocco 439.00 2008 191 Ecuador 435.00 2008 192 Slovakia 416.00 2008 193 Latvia 415.00 2008 194 Taiwan 406.00 2008 195 Qatar 382.00 2008 196 Tunisia 372.00 2008 197 Netherlands 365.00 2008 198 Brazil 353.00 2008 199 Albania 339.00 2008 200 Bulgaria 339.00 2008 201 Trinidad and Tobago 336.00 2008 202 Hungary 335.00 2008 203 New Zealand 331.00 2008 204 Serbia 323.00 2008 205 Thailand 323.00 2008 206 Egypt 320.00 2008 207 Ghana 309.00 2008 208 New Zealand 288.00 2008 209 Mozambique 278.00 2008 210 Zimbabwe 270.00 2008 211 Kuwait 269.00 2008 212 Macedonia 268.00 2008 213 Oman 263.00 2008 214 Israel 261.00 2008 215 Kyrgyzstan 254.00 2008 216 Tanzania 253.00 2008 217 Chad 250.00 2008 218 Australia 240.00 2008 219 Gabon 240.00 2008 220 Cuba 230.00 2008 221 Mexico 228.00 2006 222 Uruguay 226.00 2008 223 United Arab Emirates 220.00 2008 224 United Arab Emirates 212.00 2008 225 Saudi Arabia 212.00 2008 226 Albania 207.00 2008 227 Congo, Republic of the 207.00 2008 228 Vietnam 206.00 2008 229 New Zealand 198.00 2008 230 Papua New Guinea 195.00 2008 231 Portugal 188.00 2008 232 Cote d'Ivoire 180.00 2008 233 Israel 176.00 2008 234 New Zealand 172.00 2008 235 Japan 167.00 2008 236 Belgium 158.00 2008 237 Austria 157.00 2008 238 Bulgaria 156.00 2008 239 Sudan 156.00 2008 240 Luxembourg 155.00 2008 241 Uruguay 155.00 2008 242 Korea, North 154.00 2008 243 Qatar 145.00 2008 244 Venezuela 141.00 2008 245 Qatar 132.00 2008 246 Russia 127.00 2008 247 Russia 122.00 2008 248 Macedonia 120.00 2008 249 Lithuania 114.00 2008 250 Malaysia 114.00 2008 251 Philippines 112.00 2008 252 Denmark 107.00 2008 253 Philippines 107.00 2008 254 Singapore 106.00 2008 255 Nigeria 97.00 2008 256 Yemen 96.00 2008 257 Czech Republic 94.00 2008 258 Switzerland 94.00 2008 259 Cote d'Ivoire 92.00 2008 260 United Arab Emirates 90.00 2008 261 Qatar 90.00 2008 262 Angola 87.00 2008 263 Cote d'Ivoire 86.00 2008 264 Greece 75.00 2008 265 Indonesia 73.00 2008 266 Vietnam 66.00 2008 267 Norway 64.00 2008 268 Brazil 62.00 2008 269 Egypt 59.00 2008 270 United Kingdom 59.00 2008 271 Kuwait 57.00 2008 272 Nicaragua 54.00 2008 273 Japan 53.00 2008 274 Suriname 50.00 2008 275 Jordan 49.00 2008 276 Bolivia 47.00 2008 277 Indonesia 44.00 2008 278 Lebanon 43.00 2008 279 Senegal 43.00 2008 280 United Kingdom 43.00 2008 281 Vietnam 42.00 2008 282 Argentina 41.00 2008 283 Cuba 41.00 2008 284 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 39.00 2008 285 Equatorial Guinea 38.00 2008 286 Tajikistan 38.00 2008 287 Brunei 37.00 2008 288 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 37.00 2008 289 Bahrain 32.00 2008 290 Malaysia 31.00 2008 291 Norway 31.00 2008 292 Russia 23.00 2008 293 Yemen 22.00 2008 294 Nigeria 21.00 2008 295 Bahrain 20.00 2008 296 Liechtenstein 20.00 2008 297 Brunei 18.00 2008 298 Kyrgyzstan 16.00 2008 299 Peru 15.00 2008 300 Egypt 13.00 2008 301 Indonesia 12.00 2008 302 Iran 12.00 2008 303 Portugal 11.00 2008 304 South Africa 11.00 2008 305 Slovenia 11.00 2008 306 Egypt 9.00 2008 307 Senegal 8.00 2008 308 Tanzania 8.00 2008 309 Congo, Republic of the 7.00 2008 310 Switzerland 7.00 2008 311 Iran 7.00 2008 312 Ecuador 5.00 2008 313 Ghana 5.00 2008 314 Kenya 4.00 2008 315 Egypt 3.00 2008 316 Malaysia 3.00 2008 317 Angola 2.00 2008 318 India 2.00 2008 319 Azerbaijan 1.00 2008 320 Australia 1.00 2008

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Rank code: 2118

Country Comparison :: Political parties and leaders

This entry includes a listing of significant political organizations and their leaders.

Rank country Political parties and leaders Date of Information

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Rank code: 2119

Country Comparison :: Population

This entry gives an estimate from the US Bureau of the Census based on statistics from population censuses, vital statistics registration systems, or sample surveys pertaining to the recent past and on assumptions about future trends. The total population presents one overall measure of the potential impact of the country on the world and within its region. Note: Starting with the 1993 Factbook, demographic estimates for some countries (mostly African) have explicitly taken into account the effects of the growing impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These countries are currently: The Bahamas, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Rank country Population Date of Information

1 China 1,338,612,968 July 2009 est. 2 India 1,166,079,217 July 2009 est. 3 United States 307,212,123 July 2009 est. 4 Indonesia 240,271,522 July 2009 est. 5 Brazil 198,739,269 July 2009 est. 6 Pakistan 176,242,949 July 2009 est. 7 Bangladesh 156,050,883 July 2009 est. 8 Nigeria 149,229,090 July 2009 est. 9 Russia 140,041,247 July 2009 est. 10 Japan 127,078,679 July 2009 est. 11 Mexico 111,211,789 July 2009 est. 12 Philippines 97,976,603 July 2009 est. 13 Vietnam 86,967,524 July 2009 est. 14 Ethiopia 85,237,338 July 2009 est. 15 Egypt 83,082,869 July 2009 est. 16 Germany 82,329,758 July 2009 est. 17 Turkey 76,805,524 July 2009 est. 18 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 68,692,542 July 2009 est. 19 Iran 66,429,284 July 2009 est. 20 Thailand 65,905,410 July 2009 est. 21 France 64,057,792 July 2009 est. 22 United Kingdom 61,113,205 July 2009 est. 23 Italy 58,126,212 July 2009 est. 24 South Africa 49,052,489 July 2009 est. 25 Korea, South 48,508,972 July 2009 est. 26 Burma 48,137,741 July 2009 est. 27 Ukraine 45,700,395 July 2009 est. 28 Colombia 45,644,023 July 2009 est. 29 Sudan 41,087,825 July 2009 est. 30 Tanzania 41,048,532 July 2009 est. 31 Argentina 40,913,584 July 2009 est. 32 Spain 40,525,002 July 2009 est. 33 Kenya 39,002,772 July 2009 est. 34 Poland 38,482,919 July 2009 est. 35 Morocco 34,859,364 July 2009 est. 36 Algeria 34,178,188 July 2009 est. 37 Canada 33,487,208 July 2009 est. 38 Uganda 32,369,558 July 2009 est. 39 Peru 29,546,963 July 2009 est. 40 Iraq 28,945,657 July 2009 est. 41 Saudi Arabia 28,686,633 July 2009 est. 42 Nepal 28,563,377 July 2009 est. 43 Afghanistan 28,396,000 NA 44 Uzbekistan 27,606,007 July 2009 est. 45 Venezuela 26,814,843 July 2009 est. 46 Malaysia 25,715,819 July 2009 est. 47 Ghana 23,832,495 July 2009 est. 48 Yemen 23,822,783 July 2009 est. 49 Taiwan 22,974,347 July 2009 est. 50 Korea, North 22,665,345 July 2009 est. 51 Romania 22,215,421 July 2009 est. 52 Mozambique 21,669,278 July 2009 est. 53 Sri Lanka 21,324,791 July 2009 est. 54 Australia 21,262,641 July 2009 est. 55 Madagascar 20,653,556 July 2009 est. 56 Cote d'Ivoire 20,617,068 July 2009 est. 57 Syria 20,178,485 July 2009 est. 58 Cameroon 18,879,301 July 2009 est. 59 Netherlands 16,715,999 July 2009 est. 60 Chile 16,601,707 July 2009 est. 61 Burkina Faso 15,746,232 July 2009 est. 62 Kazakhstan 15,399,437 July 2009 est. 63 Niger 15,306,252 July 2009 est. 64 Ecuador 14,573,101 July 2009 est. 65 Cambodia 14,494,293 July 2009 est. 66 Malawi 14,268,711 July 2009 est. 67 Senegal 13,711,597 July 2009 est. 68 Guatemala 13,276,517 July 2009 est. 69 Angola 12,799,293 July 2009 est. 70 Mali 12,666,987 July 2009 est. 71 Zambia 11,862,740 July 2009 est. 72 Cuba 11,451,652 July 2009 est. 73 Zimbabwe 11,392,629 July 2009 est. 74 Greece 10,737,428 July 2009 est. 75 Portugal 10,707,924 July 2009 est. 76 Tunisia 10,486,339 July 2009 est. 77 Rwanda 10,473,282 July 2009 est. 78 Belgium 10,414,336 July 2009 est. 79 Chad 10,329,208 July 2009 est. 80 Czech Republic 10,211,904 July 2009 est. 81 Guinea 10,057,975 July 2009 est. 82 Hungary 9,905,596 July 2009 est. 83 Somalia 9,832,017 July 2009 est. 84 Bolivia 9,775,246 July 2009 est. 85 Dominican Republic 9,650,054 July 2009 est. 86 Belarus 9,648,533 July 2009 est. 87 Sweden 9,059,651 July 2009 est. 88 Haiti 9,035,536 July 2009 est. 89 Burundi 8,988,091 July 2009 est. 90 Benin 8,791,832 July 2009 est. 91 Azerbaijan 8,238,672 July 2009 est. 92 Austria 8,210,281 July 2009 est. 93 Honduras 7,792,854 July 2009 est. 94 Switzerland 7,604,467 July 2009 est. 95 Serbia 7,379,339 July 2009 est. 96 Tajikistan 7,349,145 July 2009 est. 97 Israel 7,233,701 July 2009 est. 98 Bulgaria 7,204,687 July 2009 est. 99 El Salvador 7,185,218 July 2009 est. 100 Hong Kong 7,055,071 July 2009 est. 101 Paraguay 6,995,655 July 2009 est. 102 Laos 6,834,942 July 2009 est. 103 Sierra Leone 6,440,053 July 2009 est. 104 Jordan 6,342,948 July 2009 est. 105 Libya 6,310,434 July 2009 est. 106 Papua New Guinea 6,057,263 July 2009 est. 107 Togo 6,019,877 July 2009 est. 108 Nicaragua 5,891,199 July 2009 est. 109 Eritrea 5,647,168 July 2009 est. 110 Denmark 5,500,510 July 2009 est. 111 Slovakia 5,463,046 July 2009 est. 112 Kyrgyzstan 5,431,747 July 2009 est. 113 Finland 5,250,275 July 2009 est. 114 Turkmenistan 4,884,887 July 2009 est. 115 United Arab Emirates 4,798,491 July 2009 est. 116 Norway 4,660,539 July 2009 est. 117 Singapore 4,657,542 July 2009 est. 118 Georgia 4,615,807 July 2009 est. 119 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4,613,414 July 2009 est. 120 Central African Republic 4,511,488 July 2009 est. 121 Croatia 4,489,409 July 2009 est. 122 Moldova 4,320,748 July 2009 est. 123 Costa Rica 4,253,877 July 2009 est. 124 New Zealand 4,213,418 July 2009 est. 125 Ireland 4,203,200 July 2009 est. 126 Lebanon 4,017,095 July 2009 est. 127 Congo, Republic of the 4,012,809 July 2009 est. 128 Puerto Rico 3,971,020 July 2009 est. 129 Albania 3,639,453 July 2009 est. 130 Lithuania 3,555,179 July 2009 est. 131 Uruguay 3,494,382 July 2009 est. 132 Liberia 3,441,790 July 2009 est. 133 Oman 3,418,085 July 2009 est. 134 Panama 3,360,474 July 2009 est. 135 Mauritania 3,129,486 July 2009 est. 136 Mongolia 3,041,142 July 2009 est. 137 Armenia 2,967,004 July 2009 est. 138 Jamaica 2,825,928 July 2009 est. 139 Kuwait 2,691,158 July 2009 est. 140 West Bank 2,461,267 July 2009 est. 141 Latvia 2,231,503 July 2009 est. 142 Lesotho 2,130,819 July 2009 est. 143 Namibia 2,108,665 July 2009 est. 144 Macedonia 2,066,718 July 2009 est. 145 Slovenia 2,005,692 July 2009 est. 146 Botswana 1,990,876 July 2009 est. 147 Kosovo 1,804,838 July 2009 est. 148 Gambia, The 1,782,893 July 2009 est. 149 Gaza Strip 1,551,859 July 2009 est. 150 Guinea-Bissau 1,533,964 July 2009 est. 151 Gabon 1,514,993 July 2009 est. 152 Estonia 1,299,371 July 2009 est. 153 Mauritius 1,284,264 July 2009 est. 154 Trinidad and Tobago 1,229,953 July 2009 est. 155 Timor-Leste 1,131,612 July 2009 est. 156 Swaziland 1,123,913 July 2009 est. 157 Fiji 944,720 July 2009 est. 158 Qatar 833,285 July 2009 est. 159 Cyprus 796,740 July 2009 est. 160 Guyana 772,298 July 2009 est. 161 Comoros 752,438 July 2009 est. 162 Bahrain 727,785 July 2009 est. 163 Bhutan 691,141 July 2009 est. 164 Montenegro 672,180 July 2009 est. 165 Equatorial Guinea 633,441 July 2009 est. 166 Solomon Islands 595,613 July 2009 est. 167 Macau 559,846 July 2009 est. 168 Djibouti 516,055 July 2009 est. 169 Luxembourg 491,775 July 2009 est. 170 Suriname 481,267 July 2009 est. 171 Cape Verde 429,474 July 2009 est. 172 Western Sahara 405,210 July 2009 est. 173 Malta 405,165 July 2009 est. 174 Maldives 396,334 July 2009 est. 175 Brunei 388,190 July 2009 est. 176 Bahamas, The 309,156 July 2009 est. 177 Belize 307,899 July 2009 est. 178 Iceland 306,694 July 2009 est. 179 French Polynesia 287,032 July 2009 est. 180 Barbados 284,589 July 2009 est. 181 New Caledonia 227,436 July 2009 est. 182 Netherlands Antilles 227,049 July 2009 est. 183 Mayotte 223,765 July 2009 est. 184 Samoa 219,998 July 2009 est. 185 Vanuatu 218,519 July 2009 est. 186 Sao Tome and Principe 212,679 July 2009 est. 187 Saint Lucia 160,267 July 2009 est. 188 Tonga 120,898 July 2009 est. 189 Kiribati 112,850 July 2009 est. 190 Virgin Islands 109,825 July 2009 est. 191 Micronesia, Federated States of 107,434 July 2009 est. 192 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 104,574 July 2009 est. 193 Aruba 103,065 July 2009 est. 194 Jersey 91,626 July 2009 est. 195 Grenada 90,739 July 2009 est. 196 Northern Mariana Islands 88,662 July 2009 est. 197 Seychelles 87,476 July 2009 est. 198 Antigua and Barbuda 85,632 July 2009 est. 199 Andorra 83,888 July 2009 est. 200 Isle of Man 76,512 July 2009 est. 201 Dominica 72,660 July 2009 est. 202 Bermuda 67,837 July 2009 est. 203 Guernsey 65,870 July 2009 est. 204 American Samoa 65,628 July 2009 est. 205 Marshall Islands 64,522 July 2009 est. 206 Greenland 57,600 July 2009 est. 207 Cayman Islands 49,035 July 2009 est. 208 Faroe Islands 48,856 July 2009 est. 209 Saint Kitts and Nevis 40,131 July 2009 est. 210 Liechtenstein 34,761 July 2009 est. 211 Monaco 32,965 July 2009 est. 212 San Marino 30,324 July 2009 est. 213 Saint Martin 29,820 July 2009 est. 214 Gibraltar 28,034 July 2009 est. 215 British Virgin Islands 24,491 July 2009 est. 216 Turks and Caicos Islands 22,942 July 2009 est. 217 Palau 20,796 July 2009 est. 218 Akrotiri 15,700 NA 219 Dhekelia 15,700 NA 220 Wallis and Futuna 15,289 July 2009 est. 221 Anguilla 14,436 July 2009 est. 222 Nauru 14,019 July 2009 est. 223 Tuvalu 12,373 July 2009 est. 224 Cook Islands 11,870 July 2009 est. 225 Saint Helena 7,637 July 2009 est. 226 Saint Barthelemy 7,448 July 2009 est. 227 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 7,051 July 2009 est. 228 Montserrat 5,097 July 2009 est. 229 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 3,140 July 2008 est. 230 Norfolk Island 2,141 July 2009 est. 231 Svalbard 2,116 July 2009 est. 232 Tokelau 1,416 July 2009 est. 233 Christmas Island 1,402 July 2009 est. 234 Niue 1,398 July 2009 est. 235 Holy See (Vatican City) 826 July 2009 est. 236 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 596 July 2009 est. 237 Pitcairn Islands 48 July 2009 est.

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Rank code: 2120

Country Comparison :: Ports and terminals

This entry lists major ports and terminals primarily on the basis of the amount of cargo tonnage shipped through the facilities on an annual basis. In some instances, the number of containers handled or ship visits were also considered.

Rank country Ports and terminals Date of Information

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Rank code: 2121

Country Comparison :: Railways

This entry states the total route length of the railway network and of its component parts by gauge: broad, standard, narrow, and dual. Other gauges are listed under note.

Rank country (km) Date of Information

1 United States 226,427 2007 2 Russia 87,157 2006 3 China 77,834 2008 4 India 63,327 2007 5 Canada 46,688 2008 6 Germany 41,896 2008 7 Australia 37,855 2008 8 Argentina 31,409 2008 9 France 29,213 2008 10 Brazil 28,857 2008 11 Japan 23,506 2008 12 Poland 22,314 2007 13 Ukraine 21,655 2008 14 South Africa 20,872 2008 15 Italy 19,729 2008 16 Mexico 17,516 2008 17 United Kingdom 16,454 2008 18 Spain 15,288 2008 19 Kazakhstan 13,700 2008 20 Sweden 11,633 2008 21 Romania 10,788 2008 22 Czech Republic 9,620 2008 23 Turkey 8,697 2008 24 Cuba 8,598 2006 25 Indonesia 8,529 2008 26 Iran 8,442 2008 27 Hungary 8,057 2008 28 Pakistan 7,791 2007 29 Austria 6,399 2008 30 Sudan 5,978 2008 31 Finland 5,794 2008 32 Belarus 5,538 2008 33 Chile 5,481 2008 34 Korea, North 5,235 2006 35 Egypt 5,063 2008 36 Switzerland 4,888 2008 37 Mozambique 4,787 2008 38 Bulgaria 4,294 2008 39 New Zealand 4,128 2008 40 Norway 4,114 2009 41 Thailand 4,071 2008 42 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 4,007 2008 43 Algeria 3,973 2008 44 Burma 3,955 2008 45 Colombia 3,802 2008 46 Tanzania 3,689 2008 47 Uzbekistan 3,645 2008 48 Slovakia 3,622 2008 49 Nigeria 3,505 2008 50 Bolivia 3,504 2008 51 Korea, South 3,381 2008 52 Serbia 3,379 2006 53 Ireland 3,237 2008 54 Belgium 3,233 2008 55 Zimbabwe 3,077 2008 56 Turkmenistan 2,980 2008 57 Netherlands 2,811 2008 58 Portugal 2,786 2008 59 Kenya 2,778 2008 60 Bangladesh 2,768 2008 61 Angola 2,764 2008 62 Croatia 2,722 2008 63 Denmark 2,667 2008 64 Namibia 2,629 2008 65 Greece 2,548 2008 66 Vietnam 2,347 2008 67 Latvia 2,298 2008 68 Iraq 2,272 2008 69 Tunisia 2,159 2008 70 Zambia 2,157 2008 71 Azerbaijan 2,122 2008 72 Syria 2,052 2008 73 Peru 1,989 2008 74 Morocco 1,907 2008 75 Malaysia 1,849 2008 76 Mongolia 1,810 2008 77 Dominican Republic 1,784 2008 78 Lithuania 1,765 2008 79 Uruguay 1,641 2008 80 Georgia 1,612 2008 81 Taiwan 1,588 2007 82 Sri Lanka 1,449 2007 83 Saudi Arabia 1,392 2008 84 Uganda 1,244 2008 85 Slovenia 1,228 2007 86 Guinea 1,185 2008 87 Moldova 1,138 2008 88 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,000 2008 89 Cameroon 987 2008 90 Ecuador 965 2008 91 Ghana 947 2008 92 Estonia 919 2008 93 Israel 913 2008 94 Senegal 906 2008 95 Philippines 897 2008 96 Albania 896 2008 97 Botswana 888 2008 98 Madagascar 854 2008 99 Armenia 845 2008 100 Gabon 814 2008 101 Venezuela 806 2008 102 Malawi 797 2008 103 Congo, Republic of the 795 2008 104 Honduras 699 2008 105 Macedonia 699 2008 106 Ethiopia 681 2008 107 Tajikistan 680 2008 108 Cote d'Ivoire 660 2008 109 Burkina Faso 622 2008 110 Cambodia 602 2008 111 Fiji 597 2008 112 Mali 593 2008 113 Benin 578 2008 114 Togo 532 2008 115 Jordan 507 2008 116 Kyrgyzstan 470 2008 117 Kosovo 430 2007 118 Liberia 429 2008 119 Lebanon 401 2008 120 Guatemala 332 2008 121 Eritrea 306 2008 122 Swaziland 301 2008 123 El Salvador 283 2008 124 Costa Rica 278 2008 125 Luxembourg 275 2008 126 Montenegro 250 2007 127 Djibouti 100 2008 128 Panama 76 2008 129 Isle of Man 63 2008 130 Nepal 59 2008 131 Saint Kitts and Nevis 50 2008 132 Paraguay 36 2008

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Rank code: 2122

Country Comparison :: Religions

This entry is an ordered listing of religions by adherents starting with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total population. The core characteristics and beliefs of the world's major religions are described below. Baha'i - Founded by Mirza Husayn-Ali (known as Baha'u'llah) in Iran in 1852, Baha'i faith emphasizes monotheism and believes in one eternal transcendent God. Its guiding focus is to encourage the unity of all peoples on the earth so that justice and peace may be achieved on earth. Baha'i revelation contends the prophets of major world religions reflect some truth or element of the divine, believes all were manifestations of God given to specific communities in specific times, and that Baha'u'llah is an additional prophet meant to call all humankind. Bahais are an open community, located worldwide, with the greatest concentration of believers in South Asia. Buddhism - Religion or philosophy inspired by the 5th century B.C. teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (also known as Gautama Buddha "the enlightened one"). Buddhism focuses on the goal of spiritual enlightenment centered on an understanding of Gautama Buddha's Four Noble Truths on the nature of suffering, and on the Eightfold Path of spiritual and moral practice, to break the cycle of suffering of which we are a part. Buddhism ascribes to a karmic system of rebirth. Several schools and sects of Buddhism exist, differing often on the nature of the Buddha, the extent to which enlightenment can be achieved - for one or for all, and by whom - religious orders or laity. Basic Groupings Theravada Buddhism: The oldest Buddhist school, Theravada is practiced mostly in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, and Thailand, with minority representation elsewhere in Asia and the West. Theravadans follow the Pali Canon of Buddha's teachings, and believe that one may escape the cycle of rebirth, worldly attachment, and suffering for oneself; this process may take one or several lifetimes. Mahayana Buddhism, including subsets Zen and Tibetan Buddhism: Forms of Mahayana Buddhism are common in East Asia and Tibet, and parts of the West. Mahayanas have additional scriptures beyond the Pali Canon and believe the Buddha is eternal and still teaching. Unlike Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana schools maintain the Buddha-nature is present in all beings and all will ultimately achieve enlightenment. Christianity - Descending from Judaism, Christianity's central belief maintains Jesus of Nazareth is the promised messiah of the Hebrew Scriptures, and that his life, death, and resurrection are salvific for the world. Christianity is one of the three monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, along with Islam and Judaism, which traces its spiritual lineage to Abraham of the Hebrew Scriptures. Its sacred texts include the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament (or the Christian Gospels). Basic Groupings Catholicism (or Roman Catholicism): This is the oldest established western Christian church and the world's largest single religious body. It is supranational, and recognizes a hierarchical structure with the Pope, or Bishop of Rome, as its head, located at the Vatican. Catholics believe the Pope is the divinely ordered head of the Church from a direct spiritual legacy of Jesus' apostle Peter. Catholicism is comprised of 23 particular Churches, or Rites - one Western (Latin-Rite) and 22 Eastern. The Latin Rite is by far the largest, making up about 98% of Catholic membership. Eastern-Rite Churches, such as the Maronite Church and the Ukrainian Catholic Church, are in communion with Rome although they preserve their own worship traditions and their immediate hierarchy consists of clergy within their own rite. The Catholic Church has a comprehensive theological and moral doctrine specified for believers in its catechism, which makes it unique among most forms of Christianity. Mormonism (including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints): Originating in 1830 in the United States under Joseph Smith, Mormonism is not characterized as a form of Protestant Christianity because it claims additional revealed Christian scriptures after the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. The Book of Mormon maintains there was an appearance of Jesus in the New World following the Christian account of his resurrection, and that the Americas are uniquely blessed continents. Mormonism believes earlier Christian traditions, such as the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant reform faiths, are apostasies and that Joseph Smith's revelation of the Book of Mormon is a restoration of true Christianity. Mormons have a hierarchical religious leadership structure, and actively proselytize their faith; they are located primarily in the Americas and in a number of other Western countries. Orthodox Christianity: The oldest established eastern form of Christianity, the Holy Orthodox Church, has a ceremonial head in the Bishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), also known as a Patriarch, but its various regional forms (e.g., Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox) are autocephalous (independent of Constantinople's authority, and have their own Patriarchs). Orthodox churches are highly nationalist and ethnic. The Orthodox Christian faith shares many theological tenets with the Roman Catholic Church, but diverges on some key premises and does not recognize the governing authority of the Pope. Protestant Christianity: Protestant Christianity originated in the 16th century as an attempt to reform Roman Catholicism's practices, dogma, and theology. It encompasses several forms or denominations which are extremely varied in structure, beliefs, relationship to state, clergy, and governance. Many protestant theologies emphasize the primary role of scripture in their faith, advocating individual interpretation of Christian texts without the mediation of a final religious authority such as the Roman Pope. The oldest Protestant Christianities include Lutheranism, Calvinism (Presbyterians), and Anglican Christianity (Episcopalians), which have established liturgies, governing structure, and formal clergy. Other variants on Protestant Christianity, including Pentecostal movements and independent churches, may lack one or more of these elements, and their leadership and beliefs are individualized and dynamic. Hinduism - Originating in the Vedic civilization of India (second and first millennium B.C.), Hinduism is an extremely diverse set of beliefs and practices with no single founder or religious authority. Hinduism has many scriptures; the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad-Gita are among some of the most important. Hindus may worship one or many deities, usually with prayer rituals within their own home. The most common figures of devotion are the gods Vishnu, Shiva, and a mother goddess, Devi. Most Hindus believe the soul, or atman, is eternal, and goes through a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (samsara) determined by one's positive or negative karma, or the consequences of one's actions. The goal of religious life is to learn to act so as to finally achieve liberation (moksha) of one's soul, escaping the rebirth cycle. Islam - The third of the monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, Islam originated with the teachings of Muhammad in the 7th century. Muslims believe Muhammad is the final of all religious prophets (beginning with Abraham) and that the Qu'ran, which is the Islamic scripture, was revealed to him by God. Islam derives from the word submission, and obedience to God is a primary theme in this religion. In order to live an Islamic life, believers must follow the five pillars, or tenets, of Islam, which are the testimony of faith (shahada), daily prayer (salah), giving alms (zakah), fasting during Ramadan (sawm), and the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj). Basic Groupings The two primary branches of Islam are Sunni and Shia, which split from each other over a religio-political leadership dispute about the rightful successor to Muhammad. The Shia believe Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali, was the only divinely ordained Imam (religious leader), while the Sunni maintain the first three caliphs after Muhammad were also legitimate authorities. In modern Islam, Sunnis and Shia continue to have different views of acceptable schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and who is a proper Islamic religious authority. Islam also has an active mystical branch, Sufism, with various Sunni and Shia subsets. Sunni Islam accounts for over 75% of the world's Muslim population. It recognizes the Abu Bakr as the first caliph after Muhammad. Sunni has four schools of Islamic doctrine and law - Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali - which uniquely interpret the Hadith, or recorded oral traditions of Muhammad. A Sunni Muslim may elect to follow any one of these schools, as all are considered equally valid. Shia Islam represents 10-20% of Muslims worldwide, and its distinguishing feature is its reverence for Ali as an infallible, divinely inspired leader, and as the first Imam of the Muslim community after Muhammad. A majority of Shia are known as "Twelvers," because they believe that the 11 familial successor imams after Muhammad culminate in a 12th Imam (al-Mahdi) who is hidden in the world and will reappear at its end to redeem the righteous. Variants Ismaili faith: A sect of Shia Islam, its adherents are also known as "Seveners," because they believe that the rightful seventh Imam in Islamic leadership was Isma'il, the elder son of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq. Ismaili tradition awaits the return of the seventh Imam as the Mahdi, or Islamic messianic figure. Ismailis are located in various parts of the world, particularly South Asia and the Levant. Alawi faith: Another Shia sect of Islam, the name reflects followers' devotion to the religious authority of Ali. Alawites are a closed, secretive religious group who assert they are Shia Muslims, although outside scholars speculate their beliefs may have a syncretic mix with other faiths originating in the Middle East. Alawis live mostly in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey. Druze faith: A highly secretive tradition and a closed community that derives from the Ismaili sect of Islam; its core beliefs are thought to emphasize a combination of Gnostic principles believing that the Fatimid caliph, al-Hakin, is the one who embodies the key aspects of goodness of the universe, which are, the intellect, the word, the soul, the preceder, and the follower. The Druze have a key presence in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. Jainism - Originating in India, Jain spiritual philosophy believes in an eternal human soul, the eternal universe, and a principle of "the own nature of things." It emphasizes compassion for all living things, seeks liberation of the human soul from reincarnation through enlightenment, and values personal responsibility due to the belief in the immediate consequences of one's behavior. Jain philosophy teaches non-violence and prescribes vegetarianism for monks and laity alike; its adherents are a highly influential religious minority in Indian society. Judaism - One of the first known monotheistic religions, likely dating to between 2000-1500 B.C., Judaism is the native faith of the Jewish people, based upon the belief in a covenant of responsibility between a sole omnipotent creator God and Abraham, the patriarch of Judaism's Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh. Divine revelation of principles and prohibitions in the Hebrew Scriptures form the basis of Jewish law, or halakhah, which is a key component of the faith. While there are extensive traditions of Jewish halakhic and theological discourse, there is no final dogmatic authority in the tradition. Local communities have their own religious leadership. Modern Judaism has three basic categories of faith: Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform/Liberal. These differ in their views and observance of Jewish law, with the Orthodox representing the most traditional practice, and Reform/Liberal communities the most accommodating of individualized interpretations of Jewish identity and faith. Shintoism - A native animist tradition of Japan, Shinto practice is based upon the premise that every being and object has its own spirit or kami. Shinto practitioners worship several particular kamis, including the kamis of nature, and families often have shrines to their ancestors' kamis. Shintoism has no fixed tradition of prayers or prescribed dogma, but is characterized by individual ritual. Respect for the kamis in nature is a key Shinto value. Prior to the end of World War II, Shinto was the state religion of Japan, and bolstered the cult of the Japanese emperor. Sikhism - Founded by the Guru Nanak (born 1469), Sikhism believes in a non-anthropomorphic, supreme, eternal, creator God; centering one's devotion to God is seen as a means of escaping the cycle of rebirth. Sikhs follow the teachings of Nanak and nine subsequent gurus. Their scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib - also known as the Adi Granth - is considered the living Guru, or final authority of Sikh faith and theology. Sikhism emphasizes equality of humankind and disavows caste, class, or gender discrimination. Taoism - Chinese philosophy or religion based upon Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, which centers on belief in the Tao, or the way, as the flow of the universe and the nature of things. Taoism encourages a principle of non-force, or wu-wei, as the means to live harmoniously with the Tao. Taoists believe the esoteric world is made up of a perfect harmonious balance and nature, while in the manifest world - particularly in the body - balance is distorted. The Three Jewels of the Tao - compassion, simplicity, and humility - serve as the basis for Taoist ethics. Zoroastrianism - Originating from the teachings of Zoroaster in about the 9th or 10th century B.C., Zoroastrianism may be the oldest continuing creedal religion. Its key beliefs center on a transcendent creator God, Ahura Mazda, and the concept of free will. The key ethical tenets of Zoroastrianism expressed in its scripture, the Avesta, are based on a dualistic worldview where one may prevent chaos if one chooses to serve God and exercises good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. Zoroastrianism is generally a closed religion and members are almost always born to Zoroastrian parents. Prior to the spread of Islam, Zoroastrianism dominated greater Iran. Today, though a minority, Zoroastrians remain primarily in Iran, India, and Pakistan.