Income Equality, Life Expectancy, Democracy Index … and Climate Contributions

Income Equality, Life Expectancy, Democracy Index … and Climate Contributions

2014

123 out of 145 countries with full data in ClimatePositions are included in an inventory of Income Equality (see the source at the bottom), which shows how much the 10% poorest earns compared to the 10% richest. 53 out of the 123 countries are Contribution Free (no climate debt) in ClimatePositions 2010 and 70 countries are not.

The table below shows the difference between the two groups of countries in terms of Income Equality, Life Expectancy, number of Full Democracies and number of Authoritarian Regimes. To clarify the trend the 20 countries with the largest Climate Contributions appear at the top of the table. The 123 countries represent 95% of the world population.

Income equality, life exp., dem.

The trend is clear and disturbing in terms of human development: Contribution Free countries have greater Income Inequality, lower Life Expectancy and tend to be Authoritarian Regimes rather than Full Democracies. Conversely, countries with Climate Contributions (debt) have greater Income Equality, longer Life Expectancy, more Full Democracies and fewer Authoritarian Regimes. The 20 countries with the largest Climate Contributions follow the same pattern only more significant (see the table). The statistic says nothing about what is causing what – or what defines the good life.

The world is still waiting for the first Contribution Free country with Income Inequality under 7.0, Life Expectancy over 70 years and Full Democracy. The following 7 countries could be first on the podium just by paying their full Climate Contributions (climate debt) to a Global Fund (non-existent): Sweden, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Austria, Finland and Norway. Paying as a group the Global Fund would to a start hold $313 billion (update 2010). Costa Rica is on the other hand Contribution Free and passes on all parameters except a hideously large Income Inequality. Romania is also doing well but has a problem with a Flawed Democracy.

Below are the 123 countries ranked by Income Equality. The list read as follows: In Japan the 10% wealthiest residents have an income 4.5 times larger than the 10% poorest, the Life Expectancy is 83.9 years, the Climate Contribution (debt) is $1,429 per capita and the governance is Full Democracy (nothing mentioned means Flawed Democracy or Hybrid Regime).

  Income Life     Climate  Democracy
    Equality Expectancy  Contribution      Index
    ↓          ↓
1.  Japan 4.5 83.9    $1,429 Full democracy
2.  Czech Republic 5.2 77.4    $662 Full democracy
3.  Bosnia and Herz. 5.4 79.0    $191  
4.  Hungary 5.5 75.0    $227  
5.  Finland 5.6 79.4    $1,757 Full democracy
6.  Slovenia 5.9 77.5    $987  
7.  Ukraine 5.9 68.7    $96  
8.  Norway 6.1 80.3    $2,036 Full democracy
9.  Sweden 6.2 81.2    $654 Full democracy
10.  Kyrgyzstan 6.4 69.5    $0  
11.  Pakistan 6.5 66.4    $0  
12.  Ethiopia 6.6 56.6    $0 Authoritarian regime
13.  Turkey 6.6 72.8    $150  
14.  Slovakia 6.7 76.0    $391  
15.  Austria 6.9 79.9    $1,536 Full democracy
16.  Belarus 6.9 71.5    $118 Authoritarian regime
17.  Germany 6.9 80.2    $1,065 Full democracy
18.  Vietnam 6.9 72.4    $0 Authoritarian regime
19.  Bulgaria 7.0 73.8    $219  
20.  Albania 7.2 77.6    $8  
21.  Croatia 7.3 76.0    $344  
22.  Bangladesh 7.5 70.1    $0  
23.  Romania 7.5 74.2    $0  
24.  Indonesia 7.8 71.6    $23  
25.  South Korea 7.8 79.3    $1,904 Full democracy
26.  Tajikistan 7.8 66.4    $0 Authoritarian regime
27.  Armenia 8.0 73.5    $88  
28.  Egypt 8.0 72.9    $25  
29.  Denmark 8.1 78.8    $612 Full democracy
30.  Belgium 8.2 79.7    $2,619 Full democracy
31.  Moldova 8.2 69.5    $0  
32.  Mongolia 8.2 68.6    $0  
33.  Laos 8.3 62.8    $0 Authoritarian regime
34.  Kazakhstan 8.5 69.6    $489 Authoritarian regime
35.  India 8.6 67.1    $0  
36.  Yemen 8.6 64.1    $0 Authoritarian regime
37.  Poland 8.8 76.3    $232  
38.  Switzerland 9.0 81.2    $612 Full democracy
39.  France 9.1 81.5    $897 Full democracy
40.  Netherlands 9.2 80.9    $3,092 Full democracy
41.  Tanzania 9.2 53.1    $0  
42.  Benin 9.4 60.3    $0  
43.  Canada 9.4 81.5    $3,429 Full democracy
44.  Ireland 9.4 80.3    $2,123 Full democracy
45.  Algeria 9.6 74.7    $13 Authoritarian regime
46.  Azerbaijan 9.7 71.3    $0 Authoritarian regime
47.  Greece 10.2 80.1    $1,213  
48.  Spain 10.3 81.3    $1,151 Full democracy
49.  Lithuania 10.4 75.6    $47  
50.  Guinea 10.5 58.6    $0 Authoritarian regime
51.  Uzbekistan 10.6 72.8    $30 Authoritarian regime
52.  Estonia 10.8 73.6    $1,248  
53.  Malawi 10.9 52.3    $0  
54.  Sri Lanka 11.1 75.9    $0  
55.  Jordan 11.3 80.2    $45 Authoritarian regime
56.  Burkina Faso 11.6 54.1    $0  
57.  Italy 11.6 81.9    $720  
58.  Latvia 11.6 72.9    $76  
59.  Morocco 11.7 76.1    $0 Authoritarian regime
60.  Mauritania 12.0 61.5    $0  
61.  Cambodia 12.2 63.0    $0  
62.  Senegal 12.3 60.2    $0  
63.  Turkmenistan 12.3 68.8    $538 Authoritarian regime
64.  New Zealand 12.4 80.7    $1,261 Full democracy
65.  Australia 12.5 81.9    $4,387 Full democracy
66.  Macedonia 12.5 75.4    $0  
67.  Mali 12.5 53.1    $0  
68.  Thailand 12.6 73.8    $146  
69.  Russia 12.7 66.5    $630 Authoritarian regime
70.  Liberia 12.8 57.4    $0  
71.  Namibia 12.8 52.2    $19  
72.  Trinidad and T. 12.9 71.7    $6,805  
73.  Israel 13.4 81.1    $1,258  
74.  Tunisia 13.4 75.2    $21  
75.  Kenya 13.6 63.1    $0  
76.  United Kingdom 13.8 80.2    $870 Full democracy
77.  Ghana 14.1 61.5    $0  
78.  Portugal 15.0 78.7    $574  
79.  Georgia 15.4 77.3    $0  
80.  Philippines 15.5 71.9    $0  
81.  Cameroon 15.7 54.7    $0 Authoritarian regime
82.  Nepal 15.8 66.5    $0  
83.  United States 15.9 78.5    $3,877 Full democracy
84.  Côte d’Ivoire 16.6 57.3    $0 Authoritarian regime
85.  Uganda 16.6 53.5    $0  
86.  Iran 17.2 70.4    $420 Authoritarian regime
87.  Jamaica 17.3 73.4    $114  
88.  Singapore 17.7 83.8    $9,924  
89.  Nigeria 17.8 52.1    $0 Authoritarian regime
90.  Rwanda 18.6 58.4    $0 Authoritarian regime
91.  Mozambique 18.8 52.0    $0  
92.  Venezuela 18.8 74.1    $305  
93.  Guinea-Bissau 19.0 49.1    $0 Authoritarian regime
94.  Madagascar 19.2 64.0    $0 Authoritarian regime
95.  Burundi 19.3 59.2    $0  
96.  Uruguay 20.1 76.4    $23 Full democracy
97.  Gambia 20.2 63.8    $0 Authoritarian regime
98.  China 21.6 74.8    $139 Authoritarian regime
99.  Mexico 21.6 76.7    $190  
100.  Malaysia 22.1 74.0    $487  
101.  Costa Rica 23.4 77.9    $0 Full democracy
102.  Papua New G. 23.8 66.5    $0  
103.  Swaziland 25.1 49.4    $0 Authoritarian regime
104.  Dominican Rep. 25.3 77.4    $43  
105.  Peru 26.1 72.7    $0  
106.  Chile 26.2 78.1    $236  
107.  Nicaragua 31.0 72.2    $0  
108.  Argentina 31.6 77.1    $180  
109.  South Africa 33.1 49.4    $442  
110.  Guatemala 33.9 71.2    $4  
111.  Ecuador 35.2 75.9    $42  
112.  El Salvador 38.6 73.7    $0  
113.  Paraguay 38.8 76.4    $0  
114.  Brazil 40.6 72.8    $62  
115.  Botswana 43.0 55.7    $54  
116.  Niger 46.0 53.8    $0  
117.  Panama 49.9 78.0    $157  
118.  Haiti 54.4 62.5    $0  
119.  Honduras 59.4 70.7    $20  
120.  Colombia 60.4 74.8    $0  
121.  Centr. African R. 69.2 50.5    $0 Authoritarian regime
122.  Sierra Leone 87.2 56.6    $0  
123.  Bolivia 93.9 67.9    $10  
.
Data on income equality is from Wikipedia (links in the menu “Calculations”).
Democratic Index is from Wikipedia (links in the menu “Calculations”).
Data on Life expectancy at birth is from Central Intelligence Agency (The World Factbook) (links in the menu “Calculations”).
Drawing by Claus Andersen, 2013.

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