This letter went out at the beginning of December 2002, as a little light humor, but has in fact gained more hits from all over the world than anything we have ever sent out (with the only exception being  The Etiquette of Formal & Business Dining which was sent out in December 2001).  Like the Etiquette piece it would appear destined to keep being forwarded on to ever increasing numbers of people - which is a good thing if they are introduced to the rest of our site by it.  It has also, it would seem, obviously started a lot of conversations, and I have received many emails and phone calls, not exactly arguing with me, but suggesting that religion and ethnicity might be the real reason for a nation being more civilized, free, prosperous or successful.  So, for the fun of it, I have added these factors into the lists below.  Personally I do not think religion and ethnicity are anywhere near as important as whether or not the people who founded a country are the descendents of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings, but check for yourselves, and I believe you will agree that my original hypothesis still holds true.

Letter from the President

December 1st, 2002 (Revised December 15th, 2002)

John Hathaway-Bates
President & Executive Director

Please Note: The "Letter from the President" evolved in 2001 from the "Tomorrow's News" that we had published in The Business Forum Calendar & Update since 1984.  It started out as a simple way for me to convey the benefits from conversations I have with leaders in Government, Academia and Business and the potential problems that I learn about during my occupation as the Moderator of Think Groups for The Business Forum.  However, since we began publishing on-line it has over the years become a personal "Bantering" from someone (me) surrounded day by day in the endeavor of Change. Usually it is whimsical in nature, and nothing more than my viewpoints on what I see happening around me, or to me, on a daily basis.  The "Letter from the President" therefore, has little or nothing to do anymore with The Business Forum, it is just me sharing my thoughts, concerns and ideas with anyone who cares to read them.

On November 12th, 2002 there was an article about the Heritage Foundation’s latest Index of Economic Freedom in the Wall Street Journal, entitled "Liberty = Prosperity", which attributed a nation’s economic freedom to the application of property rights and the rule of law.  This started me thinking.  Property rights exist even in the most "repressed" countries of the world like Zimbabwe and Iraq, except the rights there usually all belong to one man.  Also, there is a very strong rule of law in both Cuba and North Korea, some of them not very nice laws, but they are there and the citizens of those countries are undoubtedly ruled by the application of them.  Therefore, there has to be something else, one unquestionable factor common to all, which makes certain nations more economically free and less corrupt, and their citizens better off than those of other nations.  So I have researched and contemplated upon several such lists and I have found only one common denominator that applies to all of the "successful" countries, and regrettably damns all other countries not possessing this attribute to probably always be as they presently are.

The only common denominator I am able to come up with is as follows: 

All the really successful countries in the world today are those nations whose citizens are the descendents of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings; or they are nations established as trading posts or independent entities, built without any consideration of, or input from, the indigenous local population, by the descendents of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings.

Merely being colonized by the descendents of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings does not seem to have anything more than a temporary cosmetic effect.  A nation actually has to be established either as a trading post totally independent of the local population, or completely from scratch with no thought to the culture of the original inhabitants, by the descendents of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings.  Then it has to be run totally oblivious to the wishes or needs of the local population for at least a hundred years, for there to be any real effect at all.  Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, the United States, etc. are examples of this.  Countries that were colonized by the descendents of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings, but where the local inhabitants managed to survive as a majority, maintain their own culture, and finally expel their colonizers (i.e.: Sudan, Nigeria, Burma, Zimbabwe, Pakistan or India, etc., etc.) actually seem to be compounded in their loss of civility to at least one group or another by having been colonized - and who can blame them for that?

That, my friends, is it!  I can find no other indisputable common factor that either determines the quality of life, innate honesty and economic success of any country presently included in the United Nations.  In fact, the lack of this factor of development seems to condemn the citizens of every nation without it to anarchy, low wages, or third-world-dom dictatorship.  It appears to be an incontestable law.  Some people have long pointed out that Protestant countries, by and large, are richer, freer and safer to live in than those that adhere to any other religion.  This correlation also makes a lot of sense, for if you had been raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings on a continuous basis for several hundred years you would probably protest a bit too, and as Darwin pointed out, you would of course pass that talent (mutation) on to your descendents.  

However, contemplating the various lists involved, it could actually be said that the less zealously religious the citizens, the more successful the country is likely to be.

Also, or so it seems obvious to me, those administrative systems and religions that were introduced and developed furthest from those areas consistently being raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings seem the least likely to be affected by the Protestant thing.  It might also be said that such nations, administrative bureaucracies and religions are also the least likely to call upon their adherents to go off in little boats to impose their concepts and freedoms on others, (once called colonizing and/or missionary work and today called nation building and/or foreign aid).

For those who were not taught this fact of life by their History teachers and have never sat through the Introduction to Genetic Economics 101, (most students miss this important tidbit as it comes just before lunch on the third day of the introduction, when most of them are already dozing off), I truly believe that I can prove this theory.  

Let me show you the lists (the best and the worst) with symbols that show those nations the majority of whose citizens are the descendents of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings; and those nations actually established as trading posts or independent entities by the descendents of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings. . . . and of course, those who were not!

Nations where the majority of whose citizens are the descendents of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings
  Nations established by the descendents of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings
  Nations actually established as, or forced to become, trading posts and independent entities by the descendents of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings
Nations THAT WERE NOT established as trading posts by the descendents of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings, or where the majority of whose citizens ARE NOT the descendents of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings.

The TOP countries on the Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom List are:

1.   Hong Kong      ONLY 43% OF POPULATION PRACTICE ANY RELIGION AT ALL (CHRISTIAN 10%)
Chinese 95%, other 5% -- eclectic mixture of local religions 33%, Christian 10%
2.   Singapore        NO RELIGION IS REALLY A MAJORITY IN SINGAPORE
Chinese 76.7%, Malay 14%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% -- Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist
3.   Luxembourg      RELIGIOUS PROFILING FORBIDDEN BY LAW
Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kososvo) and European (guest and resident workers) -- the greatest preponderance of the population is Roman Catholic with a very few Protestants, Jews, and Muslims. Note: 1979 legislation forbids the collection of religious statistics
3.   New Zealand      80%
European (British) 74.5%, Maori 9.7%, other European 4.6%, Pacific Islander 3.8%, Asian & others 7.4% -- Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 33%
5.   Ireland      92%
Celtic, English -- Roman Catholic 91.6%, Church of Ireland 2.5%, other 5.9%
6.   Denmark      97% 
Scandinavian, German, Inuit, Faroese -- Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, Muslim 2%
6.   Estonia      90%  
Estonians 65%, Russians 28%, Ukrainians 2.5%, Belarusians 1.4%, Finns 0.9%, other 2.2% -- Lutheran, the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox, subordinated to Constantinople, the Estonian Orthodox, subordinated to the Moscow Patriarchate, Baptist
6.   United States of America      56%
white 77.1%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1.5%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.3%, other 4% (2000) Note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (especially of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.) -- Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10%
9.   Australia     41%  
European 92%, Asian 6%, Aboriginal 2% -- Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 21%, other non-Christian 5%, no religion 15%.
9.   United Kingdom (Great Britain)     64%  
English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8% -- Anglican and Roman Catholic 40 million, Muslim 1.5 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 500,000, Hindu 500,000, Jewish 350,000
11.   Finland     89%  
Finn 93%, Swede 6%, Sami 0.11%, Roma 0.12%, Tatar 0.02% -- Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Russian Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1%
11.   Iceland      87%  
homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts -- Evangelical Lutheran 93%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 6%
11.   The Netherlands      60% 31%
Dutch 83%, other 17% (of which 9% are non-western origin mainly Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese and Indonesians) -- Roman Catholic 31%, Protestant 21%, Muslim 4.4%, other 3.6%, unaffiliated 40%
11.   Sweden      87%   
Indigenous Swedes, ethnic Finns, ethnic Lapps. (Immigrants: Finns, Bosnians, Iranians, Norwegians, Danes and Turks) -- Lutheran (87%), Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim
15.   Switzerland      46% 40%  
German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6% -- Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9%
16 Bahrain      98%   
Bahraini 63%, Asian 19%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8% -- Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30%
16 Chile       89%    11%
white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other 2% -- Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%
Note: A small, yet influential number of Irish and English immigrants came to Chile during the colonial period. German immigration began in 1848 and lasted for 90 years; the southern provinces of Valdivia, Llanquihue, and Osorno show a strong German influence. (US State Department) Obviously, their ancestors were definitely raped, pillaged and looted by Vikings. 
18 Canada      46% 36%
British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26% -- Roman Catholic 46%, Protestant 36%
19 Austria      78%  
German 88%, non-nationals 9.3% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Roma), naturalized 2% (includes those who have lived in Austria at least three generations) -- Roman Catholic 78%, Protestant 5%, Muslim and other 17%
19 Belgium      75%  
Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11% -- Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
19 Germany      35% 34%   
German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, Spanish) -- Protestant 35%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 27.3%
22 The Bahamas      83%  
black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% -- Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2%
22 Cyprus      78%  
Greek 85.2%, Turkish 11.6%, other 3.2% -- Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and other 4%
24 Barbados      67%  
black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6% -- Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
24 United Arab Emirates      96%  
Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% Note: less than 20% are UAE citizens -- Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
26 El Salvador       83%  
mestizo 90%, Amerindian 1%, white 9% -- Roman Catholic 83% Note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout the country; in 1992, there were an estimated 1 million Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador.

As ever, there must always be just one exception to any Rule, per Murphy's Law, for it to be unequivocally true and correct.
27 Norway      87%  
homogeneous Norwegian, Sami 20,000 -- Evangelical Lutheran 86% (state church), other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, other 1%, none and unknown 10%

The BOTTOM countries on the Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom List are:

139.   Bosnia and Herzegovina     40%  31%  
Serb 31%, Bosniak 44%, Croat 17%, Yugoslav 5.5%, other 2.5% Note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam -- Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, Protestant 4%, other 10%

140.   Nigeria        50%   40%  
Nigeria, which is Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5% -- Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%

141.   Sierra Leone      60% - Indigenous beliefs 30% 10%
African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians -- Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%

142.   Guinea-Bissau      Indigenous beliefs 50%  45%
African tribes 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1% -- indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%

143.   Suriname         27%  23%    25%    20%
Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2% -- Hindu 27.4%, Roman Catholic 22.8%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5%

144.   Syria      86% 
Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7% -- Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%

145.   Tajikistan      85%
Tajik 64.9%, Uzbek 25%, Russian 3.5%, other 6.6% -- Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%

146.   Iran      99% 
Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1% -- Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%

147.   Turkmenistan      89%  
Turkmen 77%, Uzbek 9.2%, Russian 6.7%, Kazakh 2%, other 5.1% -- Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%

148.   Burma (Myanmar)     89%
Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5% -- Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%

149.  Uzbekistan      88% 
 Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% -- Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%

150.   Yugoslavia      65%   
Serb 62.6%, Albanian 16.5%, Montenegrin 5%, Hungarian 3.3%, other 12.6% -- Orthodox 65%, Muslim 19%, Roman Catholic 4%, Protestant 1%

151.   Belarus      80%  
Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish, Ukrainian, and other 7.4% -- Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20%

152.   Libya      97% 
Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians 3% -- Sunni Muslim 97%

153:   Laos        60%   
Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien) 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% -- Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)

154.   Zimbabwe     
African Tribes 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1% -- syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%

155.   Cuba      85% 
mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1% -- nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented

156.   North Korea    
Korean: racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese -- traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) Note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom

157.   Angola      Indigenous beliefs 47%  38%
African tribes Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, other 22%, mestico (mixed European and Native African) 2%, European 1% -- indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15%

158.   Burundi      62%  Indigenous beliefs 32%
African tribes Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000 South Asians 2,000 -- Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%, indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%

159.   Congo      55%  
African tribes Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3% Note: Europeans estimated at 8,500 mostly French, before the 1997 civil war; may be half that in 1998, following the widespread destruction of foreign businesses in 1997 -- Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%

160.   Iraq      95% 
Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5% -- Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%

161.   Sudan      70%
black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1% -- Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)

2003 Report

Although I have now obviously and completely proved my point about Economic Freedom, I think, there are more lists that prove even more definitely that being a nation founded by the descendants of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings; or being a nation that was established as a trading post, or an independent entity, by the descendants of ancestors who were raped, pillaged and looted by the Vikings, leads to a country being far more civilized and its citizens far better off financially.  Race, Language and Religion have little or nothing to do with it.  For example:

The Business Forum World GDP Listings - $US

Source: United Nations Statistics Division

Countries with the HIGHEST GDP are:

1.   Bermuda - $44,060      66%  
black 58%, white 36%, other 6% -- non-Anglican Protestant 39%, Anglican 27%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 19%
2.   Luxembourg - $ 43,372    RELIGIOUS PROFILING FORBIDDEN BY LAW
Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kososvo) and European (guest and resident workers) -- the greatest preponderance of the population is Roman Catholic with a very few Protestants, Jews, and Muslims. Note: 1979 legislation forbids the collection of religious statistics
3.   Japan - $37,494    99%  
Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 51,126, Chinese 24,424, Brazilian 18,223, Filipino 8,995, other 23,792 -- observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
As ever, there must always be just one exception to any Rule, per Murphy's Law, for it to be unequivocally true and correct.
4.   Norway - $36,198    94%
Norwegian, Sami 20,000 -- Evangelical Lutheran 86% (state church), other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, other 1%, none and unknown 10%
5.   United States of America - $34,637      
white 77.1%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1.5%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.3%, other 4% (2000) Note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (especially of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.) -- Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10%
6.   Liechtenstein - $33,394    76%
Alemannic 87.5%, Italian, Turkish, and other 12.5% -- Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 7.4%
7.   Switzerland - $33,394    46% 40%  
German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6% -- Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9%
8.   Iceland - $30,681    87%  
homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts -- Evangelical Lutheran 93%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic, none
9.   Denmark - $30,141   97%  
Scandinavian, German, Inuit, Faroese -- Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, Muslim 2%
10.  Qatar - $29,100     99%  
Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14% -- Muslim 95%
11.  Sweden - $25,903    87%   
Indigenous Swedes, ethnic Finns, ethnic Lapps. (Immigrants: Finns, Bosnians, Iranians, Norwegians, Danes and Turks) -- Lutheran (87%), Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim
12.  Ireland - $25,066    92%  
Celtic, English -- Roman Catholic 91.6%, Church of Ireland 2.5%, other 5.9% (1998)
13.  Great Britain (United Kingdom) - $24,058    64%  
English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8% -- Anglican and Roman Catholic 40 million, Muslim 1.5 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 500,000, Hindu 500,000, Jewish 350,000
14.  Hong Kong - $23,709    ONLY 43% OF POPULATION PRACTICE A RELIGION (CHRISTIAN 8%)
Chinese 95%, other 5% -- eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%
15.  Finland - $23,377    89%  
Finn 93%, Swede 6%, Sami 0.11%, Roma 0.12%, Tatar 0.02% -- Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Russian Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1%

Countries with the LOWEST GDP are:

188. Somalia - $216      99%
Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including Arabs 30,000) -- Sunni Muslim
189. Tanzania - $210    45% 45%   
mainland - native African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, native African, mixed Arab and native African -- mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim
190. Burkina Faso - $204    Indigenous beliefs 40%  50%  20%
African tribes Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani -- indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%
191. Eritrea - $202    50%   48%
Tigrinya 50%, Tigre 31.4%, Saho 5%, Afar 5%, Begia 2.5%, Bilen 2.1%, Kunama 2%, Nara 1.5%, and Rashaida .5%. -- Christian 50%, mostly Orthodox, Muslim 48%, indigenous beliefs 2%.
192. Mozambique - $195   Indigenous beliefs 50% 30% 17%  
African tribes Makua, Tsonga, Makonde, Shangaan, Shona, Sena, Ndau, and other indigenous groups, and approximately 10,000 Europeans, 35,000 Euro-Africans, and 15,000 South Asians -- Christian 30%, Muslim 17%, indigenous beliefs 45%.
193. Rwanda - $187    95%
African tribes Hutu 85%, Tutsi 14%, Twa 1% -- Christian 93.5%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, Muslim 4.6%
194. Niger - $170    95%
African tribes Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fulani 8.5%, Tuareg 8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%; Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2% -- Islam (95%)
195. Tajikistan - $143    85%
Tajik 67%, Uzbek 23%, Russian 3.5%, other 6.5% -- Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 5%, other 15%.
196. Sierra Leone - $142    60% 30%
African tribes Temne 30%, Mende 30%, Krio 1%, balance spread over 15 other tribal groups, and a small Lebanese community -- Muslim 60%, Christian 30%, indigenous beliefs 10%
197. Malawi - $141    55%  20%  20%
African tribes Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European -- Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 3%, other 2%
198. Democratic Republic of the Congo - $129    55%  25%
More than 200 African ethnic groups; the Luba , Kongo, and Anamongo are some of the larger groupings of tribes -- Roman Catholic 55%, Protestant 25%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%, Kimbanguist 7.5%, Muslim 2.5%
199. Burundi - $124    62%  - Indigenous beliefs 32%
African tribes Hutu 85%; Tutsi 14%; Twa 1% -- Roman Catholic 62%; Protestant 5%; indigenous beliefs 32%; Muslim 1%.
200. Chad - $112    55%   35%
African tribes 200 distinct groups. In the north and center, Gorane (Toubou, Daza, Kreda), Zaghawa, Kanembou, Ouaddai, Arabs, Baguirmi, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Boulala, and Maba, most of whom are Muslim. In the south, Sara (Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye), Moudang, Moussei, Massa, most of whom are Christian or animist. About 1,000 French citizens live in Chad -- Muslim 55%, Christian 35%, indigenous beliefs (primarily animism).
201. Ethiopia - $102    50%  40%
Oromo 35%, Amhara 30%, Tigre 6%-8%, Somali 6% -- Muslim 40%, Ethiopian Orthodox Christian 45%-50%, Protestant 5%, indigenous beliefs, remainder
202. Afghanistan - $100   99%
Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkmen, Aimaq, Baluch, Nuristani, Kizilbash -- Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1%

Transparency International's Perceptions of Corruption Index

Countries that are least corrupt are:

1. Finland      89%  
Finn 93%, Swede 6%, Sami 0.11%, Roma 0.12%, Tatar 0.02% -- Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Russian Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1%
2. Denmark   97%  
Scandinavian, German, Inuit, Faroese -- Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, Muslim 2%
3. New Zealand      80%
European (British descent) 74.5%, Maori 9.7%, other European 4.6%, Pacific Islander 3.8%, Asian & others 7.4% -- Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 33%
4. Iceland      87%  
homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts -- Evangelical Lutheran 93%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic, none
4. Singapore       NO RELIGION IS A MAJORITY
Chinese 76.7%, Malay 14%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% -- Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist
5. Sweden      87%   
Indigenous Swedes, ethnic Finns, ethnic Lapps. (Immigrants: Finns, Bosnians, Iranians, Norwegians, Danes and Turks) -- Lutheran (87%), Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim
6. Canada      42% 40%  
British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26% -- Roman Catholic 46%, Protestant 36%
7. Netherlands      60% 30%
Dutch 83%, other 17% (of which 9% are non-western origin mainly Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese and Indonesians) -- Roman Catholic 31%, Protestant 21%, Muslim 4.4%, other 3.6%, unaffiliated 40%
8. Luxembourg      RELIGIOUS PROFILING FORBIDDEN BY LAW
Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kososvo) and European (guest and resident workers) -- the greatest preponderance of the population is Roman Catholic with a very few Protestants, Jews, and Muslims. Note: 1979 legislation forbids the collection of religious statistics

Countries that are most corrupt are:

Bangladesh      88%  
Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims -- Muslim 88%; Hindu 11%; Christian, Buddhist, others 1%

Nigeria            
Nigeria, which is Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5% -- Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%
Uganda      66%    20%
African 99%, European, Asian, Arab 1% -- Christian 66%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18%
Indonesia     87%  
Javanese 45%, Sundanese 14%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%, others 26% -- Islam 87%, Protestant 6%, Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist and other 1%
Azerbaijan     93%  
Azeri 90%, Dagestani Peoples 3.2%, Russian 2.5%, Armenians 2%, and other 2.3% -- Muslim 93.4% (majority Shia), Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox Church 2.3%, and other 1.8%
Bolivia      98%  
62% indigenous (primarily Aymara, Quechua, Guarani), 38% European and mixed -- Predominantly Roman Catholic; minority Protestant
Cameroon      53%   22% - Indigenous beliefs 25%
African tribes About 250 -- Christian 53%, Muslim 22%, indigenous beliefs 25%
Kenya      40% 30% 20%  
African tribes Kikuyu 21%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 11%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 5%. Non-African--Asian, European, Arab 1% -- Indigenous beliefs 10%, Protestant 40%, Roman Catholic 30%, Muslim 20%
Ukraine        75%
Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, Belarusians, Moldovans, Bulgarians, Poles, Hungarians, Romanians, Crimean Tatars -- Ukrainian Orthodoxy, Ukrainian Greek Catholicism, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Islam
Tanzania      45% 45%   
mainland - native African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, native African, mixed Arab and native African -- mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim
Ecuador      95%  
Indigenous 25%, mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish) 55%, Caucasian and others 10%, African 10% -- Predominantly Roman Catholic, but religious freedom recognized
Pakistan      97%  
Punjabi, Sindhi, Pathan (Pushtun), Baloch, Muhajir (i.e., Urdu-speaking immigrants from India and their descendants), Saraiki, Hazara -- Muslim 97%; small minorities of Christians, Hindus, and others
Russia        60%
Russian 81%, Tatar 4%, Ukrainian 3%, other 12% -- Russian Orthodox, Islam, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestant, Buddhist
Nicaragua        90%
Mestizo (mixed European and indigenous) 69%, white 17%, black (Jamaican origin) 9%, indigenous 5% -- Predominantly Roman Catholic, with rapidly growing percentage of Evangelical Protestants
Ivory Coast       
Vietnam       
Vietnamese (85%-90%), Chinese (3%), Hmong, Thai, Khmer, Cham, mountain groups -- Buddhism, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Christian (predominantly Roman Catholic, some Protestant), indigenous beliefs, Islam
Zambia        40% 30% 10%
African tribes more than 70 tribal groups -- Christian, indigenous beliefs, Muslim, Hindu
Honduras      80%
90% mestizo (mixed Indian and European); others of European, Arab, African, or Asian ancestry; and indigenous Indians -- Roman Catholic, Protestant minority
India        81%  12%
Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid 2%, others -- Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5%
Kazakhstan       47%  44% 
53.4% Kazakh, 30% Russian, 3.7% Ukrainian, 2.5% Uzbek, 2.4% German, 1.4% Uyghur, 6.6% other --  47% Sunni Muslim, 44% Russian Orthodox, 2%, Protestant, 7% other
Uzbekistan      88%
Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% --  Moslem 88% (Sunni), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%

Source: Derived from Transparency International's Global Corruption Report 2001. An explanation of the methodology used and the complete tabulation is found in the Data and Research section of the Report, pp 10-14.

2003 Report

Ethnicity and Religion sources: US State Department & the Central Intelligence Agency. 

FATF Money Laundering Around the World: 

The World's Least Cooperative Jurisdictions

In its annual report of the countries and territories that fail to meet its criteria for combating money laundering, the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) lists the following countries and territories as the least cooperative:

Cook Islands       80%
Egypt      90%
Hungary