placestats

Middle Eastern ancestry

Middle Eastern and North African ancestry (share of the population)

Link with national income+0.16largely independent of national income
Links that hold up62of 166 pairs tested
Unit% of populationhigher is neither better nor worse
SourceANCESTRYNo licence stated; used with citation
What this measures. The estimated share of today's population whose ancestors in the year 1500 lived in the Middle East or North Africa. This is the closest thing to race shares that can be compared across countries: national censuses each use their own race and ethnic categories, and most countries record none. It is about where people's ancestors lived, not how anyone identifies, and it is one estimate for around the year 2000, built from history, migration records and genetic studies. Every country's six ancestry shares add up to 100%, so they are linked to each other by arithmetic. No "better" direction is set.

How it has moved

Loading…

Countries With the Highest Middle Eastern Ancestry · Countries With the Lowest Middle Eastern Ancestry

Every country, every year

One row per country and one column per year, sorted by the most recent value. Hover over any cell to see the figure. The country names link to each country’s page.

Loading…

Links that hold up

r is how closely two measures rise and fall together across countries, from −1 (opposite) to +1 (in step), where 0 means no link. These pairs are ranked by the link after adjusting for national income, which means comparing countries with the same GDP per person. Each pair passed three checks. The link held after that adjustment. It was unlikely to be chance (q of 0.05 or less), even allowing for countries in the same region being alike and for the many pairs tested. And the two are not just two measures of the same thing. Very small q values are written in short form: 8.0e-5 means 0.000080.

MeasureBefore adjustingAfter adjustingqCountriesTracks income?
Middle Eastern ancestry and Muslim shareWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Muslim share tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Muslim share by country+0.50+0.560.001158independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Religion very importantWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Religion very important tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Religion very important by country+0.49+0.550.00199high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Alcohol consumptionWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Alcohol consumption tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Alcohol consumption by country-0.37-0.510.007156moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Female labor participationWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Female labor participation tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Female labor participation by country-0.48-0.490.001158independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Regime typeWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Regime type tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Regime type by country-0.34-0.470.001156moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Migrant share of populationWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Migrant share of population tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Migrant share of population by country+0.45+0.470.002158high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Forest areaWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Forest area tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Forest area by country-0.45-0.460.004157independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Women's political empowermentWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Women's political empowerment tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Women's political empowerment by country-0.35-0.460.001156moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Participatory democracyWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Participatory democracy tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Participatory democracy by country-0.32-0.440.003156moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Electoral democracyWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Electoral democracy tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Electoral democracy by country-0.31-0.430.002156moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Voice and accountabilityWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Voice and accountability tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Voice and accountability by country-0.25-0.420.001158moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Suicide rateWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Suicide rate tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Suicide rate by country-0.36-0.420.001157independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Political rights (FH)Where Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Political rights (FH) tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Political rights (FH) by country+0.29+0.410.001158moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Civil liberties (FH)Where Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Civil liberties (FH) tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Civil liberties (FH) by country+0.27+0.410.001158moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Governance scoreWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Governance score tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Governance score by country-0.28-0.410.001157moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Population 65+Where Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Population 65+ tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Population 65+ by country-0.18-0.400.039158high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Christian shareWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Christian share tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Christian share by country-0.39-0.400.017158independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Gender scoreWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Gender score tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Gender score by country-0.33-0.400.003156moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Freedom of associationWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Freedom of association tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Freedom of association by country-0.34-0.390.002156moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Liberal democracyWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Liberal democracy tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Liberal democracy by country-0.25-0.390.001156moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Corporate tax rateWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Corporate tax rate tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Corporate tax rate by country-0.40-0.380.00272moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and CO2 per capitaWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, CO2 per capita tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. CO2 per capita by country+0.38+0.380.005158proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Environment scoreWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, Environment score tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Environment score by country-0.39-0.370.001158moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and One-person householdsWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, One-person households tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. One-person households by country-0.22-0.370.015130high
Middle Eastern ancestry and PISA readingWhere Middle Eastern ancestry is higher, PISA reading tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. PISA reading by country-0.34-0.360.00680high

Links that don’t count as findings

These go together strongly, but they are built from the same numbers or measure the same thing. So they are bound to match, or their match shows that the measures agree, not something about the world.

MeasureBefore adjustingAfter adjustingqCountriesTracks income?
Middle Eastern ancestry and European ancestryNot an independent finding: one of these indices is built partly from the other, so their agreement is just arithmetic. European ancestry by country-0.28-0.440.454158moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and African ancestryNot an independent finding: one of these indices is built partly from the other, so their agreement is just arithmetic. African ancestry by country-0.23-0.210.503158moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and East Asian ancestryNot an independent finding: one of these indices is built partly from the other, so their agreement is just arithmetic. East Asian ancestry by country-0.13-0.140.571158independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Indigenous American ancestryNot an independent finding: one of these indices is built partly from the other, so their agreement is just arithmetic. Indigenous American ancestry by country-0.11-0.120.576158independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and South Asian ancestryNot an independent finding: one of these indices is built partly from the other, so their agreement is just arithmetic. South Asian ancestry by country-0.07-0.070.585158independent

How much the other measures account for

The 72 most widely reported measures boil down to a few broad patterns. This table shows how much of the differences between countries on this measure those patterns account for, adding one pattern at a time. The patterns are rebuilt without this measure, and without anything built from the same numbers or measuring the same thing. So it never predicts itself under another name. The figures use the 124 countries reporting all of them, and 72 candidate measures.

This shows how much it moves with the others. It does not explain anything. Measures that move together end up on the same pattern whether or not anything connects them. And the countries here are the best-documented ones. A high figure means this measure is largely predictable from the others, not that they produce it.
Patterns usedShare of this measure accounted forAdded by this pattern
11%—
237%+36%
341%+5%
446%+4%
548%+3%
648%+0%

How it differs by category

This compares the measure across groups of countries, such as those sharing a main religion, instead of against another number. The figure is the share of the differences between countries on this measure that lies between the groups, on a scale from 0 to 1. It is shown before and after adjusting for national income.

The “between groups” figure runs from 0 (the groups are no different) to 1 (the groups explain all the differences between countries). Groups have no up or down, so this says how much the groups differ, never which way. For that, read the group averages. The figure also tends to rise when there are more groups. So to judge whether it could be chance (q), we shuffle the same labels among the same countries many times and see how often a figure this big turns up. Then we allow for the fact that many measures are checked at once, since with enough checks a few big figures turn up by luck alone. Groups with fewer than 12 countries are left out. And countries that share a label share a lot else. Adjusting for income rules out one third factor, but leaves language, region, legal tradition and history untouched.

Grouped byBetween groupsAfter incomeqGroups at each end
Last European coloniser0.140.210.290largest: United Kingdom 17.7% · smallest: Spain 5.13%
% of population
Largest religious group0.490.520.003largest: Muslims 33.5% · smallest: Christians 1.24%
% of population

Every other pair

Everything else this measure was tested against, apart from the links that hold up and the pairs built from the same numbers. Sorted by the link after adjusting. Search by name; every column sorts. A small adjusted figure is a result too. It says the two do not move together once income is set aside.

99 of 99
Middle Eastern ancestry and Adult obesityCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Adult obesity by country+0.38+0.370.055157moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and PISA scienceCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. PISA science by country-0.29-0.280.07280high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Health scoreCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Health score by country-0.24-0.280.050156moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Median ageAlmost no link either way. Median age by country-0.02-0.240.147158proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and ResearchersCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Researchers by country-0.11-0.240.111125proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Life expectancyCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Life expectancy by country+0.22+0.230.057158proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Basic sanitationCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Basic sanitation by country+0.24+0.230.066157high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Government effectivenessAlmost no link either way. Government effectiveness by country-0.02-0.220.055158proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and PISA mathsCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. PISA maths by country-0.25-0.220.25080high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Hospital bedsCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Hospital beds by country-0.13-0.220.111147high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Equality scoreCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Equality score by country+0.20+0.210.095141high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Adolescent fertilityCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Adolescent fertility by country-0.23-0.210.114158proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Fixed broadbandAlmost no link either way. Fixed broadband by country-0.01-0.200.165158proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Life satisfactionAlmost no link either way. Life satisfaction by country-0.02-0.200.087152proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Tuberculosis incidenceCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Tuberculosis incidence by country-0.22-0.180.141158high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Women in managementCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Women in management by country-0.14-0.180.083126moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Extreme poverty rateCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Extreme poverty rate by country-0.17-0.180.084141proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Health spendingCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Health spending by country-0.12-0.170.078156independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Gender wage gapCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Gender wage gap by country+0.17+0.170.05037independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Age at childbearingCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Age at childbearing by country+0.20+0.160.248158moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Gini indexCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Gini index by country-0.17-0.160.323141moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Married by 18Could easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Married by 18 by country-0.24-0.160.274118moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Interpersonal trustCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Interpersonal trust by country-0.18-0.160.09199high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Basic water accessCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Basic water access by country+0.19+0.150.086157proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Birth registrationCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Birth registration by country+0.22+0.150.061145proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Public order spendingAlmost no link either way. Public order spending by country-0.10-0.150.05936high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Homicide rateCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Homicide rate by country-0.16-0.150.442136moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Male labor participationCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Male labor participation by country+0.14+0.150.191158independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Old-age spendingCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Old-age spending by country-0.15-0.150.07941independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Maternal mortalityCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Maternal mortality by country-0.20-0.150.077157proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Aid givenAlmost no link either way. Aid given by country+0.02-0.150.30346high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Gender Inequality IndexAlmost no link either way. Gender Inequality Index by country-0.05+0.150.402152proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Retirement age, menAlmost no link either way. Retirement age, men by country+0.09+0.140.22948independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Agricultural landCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Agricultural land by country-0.17-0.140.160158independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Primary completionCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Primary completion by country+0.12+0.130.057145proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Recycling rateCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Recycling rate by country-0.14-0.130.06534moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Religious attendanceCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Religious attendance by country+0.20+0.130.37197high
Middle Eastern ancestry and PhysiciansAlmost no link either way. Physicians by country+0.03-0.130.463156proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Under-5 mortalityCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Under-5 mortality by country-0.18-0.130.177156proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Electricity accessCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Electricity access by country+0.18+0.130.132158high
Middle Eastern ancestry and RedistributionAlmost no link either way. Redistribution by country-0.08-0.130.08344moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and UnemploymentCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Unemployment by country+0.11+0.120.169158independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Premature NCD mortalityCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Premature NCD mortality by country-0.18-0.120.052157high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Infant mortalityCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Infant mortality by country-0.17-0.120.265156proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Anaemia in womenAlmost no link either way. Anaemia in women by country-0.01+0.110.224155high
Middle Eastern ancestry and HIV prevalenceCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. HIV prevalence by country-0.15-0.110.332132moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Child stuntingCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Child stunting by country-0.20-0.110.301136proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Expected schoolingAlmost no link either way. Expected schooling by country+0.05-0.110.122157proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Education scoreAlmost no link either way. Education score by country+0.06-0.110.126156proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Government expenseAlmost no link either way. Government expense by country-0.04-0.100.320131moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Confidence in religious institutionsCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Confidence in religious institutions by country+0.13+0.100.12899moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Health coverage indexCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Health coverage index by country+0.17+0.100.266156proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Population 0-14Almost no link either way. Population 0-14 by country-0.06+0.100.338158proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Pre-trial detainee shareCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Pre-trial detainee share by country-0.14-0.100.178141independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Slum share of urban populationCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Slum share of urban population by country-0.16-0.100.360155high
Middle Eastern ancestry and DTP3 immunisationCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. DTP3 immunisation by country+0.15+0.100.025156moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Mean years of schoolingAlmost no link either way. Mean years of schooling by country+0.06-0.100.318157proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Skilled birth attendanceCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Skilled birth attendance by country+0.20+0.090.061147high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Armed conflict presentAlmost no link either way. Armed conflict present by country+0.03+0.090.124156moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and GDP growthCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. GDP growth by country-0.11-0.090.034158moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Self-reported happinessCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Self-reported happiness by country-0.10-0.080.35699moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Market-income GiniAlmost no link either way. Market-income Gini by country-0.08-0.080.10344moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Women in a unionAlmost no link either way. Women in a union by country+0.01+0.080.478157moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Children with one parentAlmost no link either way. Children with one parent by country+0.07+0.070.26637independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Pupil-teacher ratioCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Pupil-teacher ratio by country-0.18-0.070.205147proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Tertiary enrollmentAlmost no link either way. Tertiary enrollment by country+0.06-0.070.478148high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Ethnic diversityCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Ethnic diversity by country-0.10-0.060.544145moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Labour scoreCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Labour score by country+0.14+0.060.469158high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Compulsory schoolingAlmost no link either way. Compulsory schooling by country-0.01-0.060.556150moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Primary enrollmentAlmost no link either way. Primary enrollment by country-0.06-0.060.015156independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Marriage rate (UN)Almost no link either way. Marriage rate (UN) by country+0.06+0.060.57281independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Birth rateAlmost no link either way. Birth rate by country-0.08+0.060.590158proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Fertility rateAlmost no link either way. Fertility rate by country-0.08+0.050.596158proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Secondary enrollmentAlmost no link either way. Secondary enrollment by country+0.08-0.050.334152high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Mobile subscriptionsAlmost no link either way. Mobile subscriptions by country+0.10+0.050.617158moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Road traffic deathsAlmost no link either way. Road traffic deaths by country-0.06+0.050.742156high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Marriage rateAlmost no link either way. Marriage rate by country+0.04+0.050.25245independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Education spendingAlmost no link either way. Education spending by country+0.09+0.050.401151independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Out-of-pocket health spendingAlmost no link either way. Out-of-pocket health spending by country-0.02+0.040.342156moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and UndernourishmentAlmost no link either way. Undernourishment by country-0.04+0.040.338148proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Family benefits spendingAlmost no link either way. Family benefits spending by country-0.04-0.040.43041independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Adult literacyCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Adult literacy by country+0.17-0.040.598115high
Middle Eastern ancestry and Trust in governmentAlmost no link either way. Trust in government by country-0.03-0.040.08846moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Out of school, primaryAlmost no link either way. Out of school, primary by country-0.10-0.040.550151moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and HDICould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. HDI by country+0.13+0.030.789157proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Tobacco useAlmost no link either way. Tobacco use by country+0.07+0.030.873144independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Government consumptionAlmost no link either way. Government consumption by country+0.01-0.020.796150independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Conflict deathsAlmost no link either way. Conflict deaths by country-0.03-0.020.666156moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Government spending per capitaAlmost no link either way. Government spending per capita by country-0.00-0.010.69442proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Food insecurityCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Food insecurity by country-0.10-0.010.875132proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Infrastructure scoreCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Infrastructure score by country+0.12+0.010.866158proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Trade opennessAlmost no link either way. Trade openness by country+0.07+0.010.873149moderate
Middle Eastern ancestry and Inequality-adjusted HDIAlmost no link either way. Inequality-adjusted HDI by country+0.07+0.010.930145proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and Divorce rate (UN)Almost no link either way. Divorce rate (UN) by country-0.01-0.010.90273independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and Informal employmentAlmost no link either way. Informal employment by country-0.04-0.010.940119proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and InflationAlmost no link either way. Inflation by country-0.02-0.000.975155independent
Middle Eastern ancestry and GDP per capita (PPP)One side of this pair is national income itself, the thing the other figures adjust for. Adjusting income for income leaves nothing, so there is no adjusted figure. The unadjusted link shows how closely the other measure follows income. GDP per capita (PPP) by country+0.08——158proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and GNI per capita (PPP)One side of this pair is national income itself, the thing the other figures adjust for. Adjusting income for income leaves nothing, so there is no adjusted figure. The unadjusted link shows how closely the other measure follows income. GNI per capita (PPP) by country+0.12——158proxy
Middle Eastern ancestry and GDP per capita (market)One side of this pair is national income itself, the thing the other figures adjust for. Adjusting income for income leaves nothing, so there is no adjusted figure. The unadjusted link shows how closely the other measure follows income. GDP per capita (market) by country+0.02——158proxy

Source

Louis Putterman and David N. Weil, Brown University

No licence stated; used with citation · licence terms · updated one edition (version 1.1, 2009)

Putterman, L. and Weil, D. N. (2010), 'Post-1500 Population Flows and the Long-Run Determinants of Economic Growth and Inequality', Quarterly Journal of Economics 125(4); World Migration Matrix version 1.1 (2009).