Countries · domain scores
The 9 scores against each other
Each score is the average of the measures on one topic, such as health or education. Each measure is turned so that higher is better, and put on a common scale so they can be averaged fairly. Comparing the scores asks whether countries that do well on one topic do well on another. The answer depends almost entirely on whether you adjust for national income. We measure the link with r, which runs from −1 (opposite) to +1 (in step), and 0 means no link. 10 of these 36 pairs have a link of 0.4 or more before adjusting, and below 0.2 once we compare countries with the same income (GDP per person).
Every pair, both ways
Above the grey diagonal: the link before adjusting for anything. Below it: the same pair after adjusting for national income. Stronger colour means a stronger link: green when both rise together, red when one rises as the other falls. The gap between a square and its mirror image is how much of the link was income.
| Governance | Health | Education | Infrastructure | Equality | Gender | Wellbeing | Environment | Labour | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governance | +0.23 | +0.50 | +0.50 | +0.29 | +0.60 | +0.51 | +0.09 | +0.36 | |
| Health | +0.12 | +0.25 | +0.34 | +0.23 | +0.30 | +0.42 | -0.00 | +0.40 | |
| Education | +0.18 | -0.00 | +0.87 | +0.62 | +0.33 | +0.58 | -0.31 | +0.59 | |
| Infrastructure | +0.12 | +0.15 | +0.53 | +0.72 | +0.36 | +0.67 | -0.35 | +0.66 | |
| Equality | -0.17 | +0.04 | +0.19 | +0.42 | +0.05 | +0.51 | -0.40 | +0.58 | |
| Gender | +0.53 | +0.22 | +0.10 | +0.12 | -0.28 | +0.45 | +0.08 | +0.23 | |
| Wellbeing | +0.12 | +0.35 | -0.02 | +0.10 | +0.12 | +0.30 | -0.16 | +0.65 | |
| Environment | +0.35 | +0.12 | -0.00 | -0.08 | -0.22 | +0.24 | -0.09 | -0.23 | |
| Labour | -0.00 | +0.30 | +0.00 | +0.04 | +0.22 | -0.01 | +0.17 | +0.03 |
Ranked by what is left after adjusting
“Controlled for income” means we first take out of each score the part that follows GDP per person (in percentage terms). Then we look at the link between what is left. So it is the part of the link that is not just both scores rising with national wealth. It is the column worth reading, and the one this table is sorted by. Strength labels: strong is 0.7 or more either way, moderate is 0.4 to 0.7, and weak is below 0.4.
| Pair | Raw | Controlled for income | Strength | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education × InfrastructureWhere Education score is higher, Infrastructure score tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Both mostly measure national income in another way, so only the adjusted figure is worth reading. Education by country · Infrastructure by country | +0.87 | +0.53 | moderate | 190 |
| Gender × GovernanceWhere Gender score is higher, Governance score tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only countries with similar income are compared. Gender by country · Governance by country | +0.60 | +0.53 | moderate | 169 |
| Equality × InfrastructureLinked across countries, but mostly as richer countries differ from poorer ones: comparing only countries with similar income, what remains (+0.42) could easily be chance. Both mostly measure national income in another way, so only the adjusted figure is worth reading. Equality by country · Infrastructure by country | +0.72 | +0.42 | moderate | 162 |
| Health × WellbeingCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Health by country · Wellbeing by country | +0.42 | +0.35 | weak | 103 |
| Environment × GovernanceAlmost no link either way. Environment by country · Governance by country | +0.09 | +0.35 | weak | 170 |
| Gender × WellbeingCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Gender by country · Wellbeing by country | +0.45 | +0.30 | weak | 102 |
| Health × LabourCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Health by country · Labour by country | +0.40 | +0.30 | weak | 181 |
| Gender × EqualityAlmost no link either way. Gender by country · Equality by country | +0.05 | -0.28 | weak | 162 |
| Environment × GenderAlmost no link either way. Environment by country · Gender by country | +0.08 | +0.24 | weak | 179 |
| Gender × HealthCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Gender by country · Health by country | +0.30 | +0.22 | weak | 179 |
| Environment × EqualityCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Environment by country · Equality by country | -0.40 | -0.22 | weak | 162 |
| Equality × LabourLinked across countries, but mostly as richer countries differ from poorer ones: comparing only countries with similar income, what remains (+0.22) could easily be chance. Both mostly measure national income in another way, so only the adjusted figure is worth reading. Equality by country · Labour by country | +0.58 | +0.22 | weak | 161 |
| Education × EqualityLinked across countries, but mostly as richer countries differ from poorer ones: comparing only countries with similar income, what remains (+0.19) could easily be chance. Both mostly measure national income in another way, so only the adjusted figure is worth reading. Education by country · Equality by country | +0.62 | +0.19 | weak | 161 |
| Education × GovernanceLinked across countries, but mostly as richer countries differ from poorer ones: comparing only countries with similar income, what remains (+0.18) could easily be chance. Education by country · Governance by country | +0.50 | +0.18 | weak | 168 |
| Governance × EqualityComparing only countries with similar income, Equality score tends to be lower where Governance score is higher: the opposite of the unadjusted figure, which only showed the income gap between countries. Governance by country · Equality by country | +0.29 | -0.17 | weak | 154 |
| Labour × WellbeingLinked across countries, but mostly as richer countries differ from poorer ones: comparing only countries with similar income, what remains (+0.17) could easily be chance. Both mostly measure national income in another way, so only the adjusted figure is worth reading. Labour by country · Wellbeing by country | +0.65 | +0.17 | weak | 105 |
| Health × InfrastructureCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Health by country · Infrastructure by country | +0.34 | +0.15 | weak | 186 |
| Gender × InfrastructureCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Gender by country · Infrastructure by country | +0.36 | +0.12 | weak | 179 |
| Equality × WellbeingLinked across countries, but mostly as richer countries differ from poorer ones: comparing only countries with similar income, what remains (+0.12) could easily be chance. Both mostly measure national income in another way, so only the adjusted figure is worth reading. Equality by country · Wellbeing by country | +0.51 | +0.12 | weak | 97 |
| Governance × WellbeingLinked across countries, but mostly as richer countries differ from poorer ones: comparing only countries with similar income, what remains (+0.12) could easily be chance. Governance by country · Wellbeing by country | +0.51 | +0.12 | weak | 104 |
| Environment × HealthAlmost no link either way. Environment by country · Health by country | -0.00 | +0.12 | weak | 185 |
| Governance × HealthCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Governance by country · Health by country | +0.23 | +0.12 | weak | 169 |
| Governance × InfrastructureCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Governance by country · Infrastructure by country | +0.50 | +0.12 | weak | 170 |
| Education × GenderCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Education by country · Gender by country | +0.33 | +0.10 | weak | 177 |
| Infrastructure × WellbeingLinked across countries, but mostly as richer countries differ from poorer ones: comparing only countries with similar income, almost nothing remains. Both mostly measure national income in another way, so only the adjusted figure is worth reading. Infrastructure by country · Wellbeing by country | +0.67 | +0.10 | weak | 106 |
| Environment × WellbeingCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Environment by country · Wellbeing by country | -0.16 | -0.09 | weak | 105 |
| Environment × InfrastructureCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Environment by country · Infrastructure by country | -0.35 | -0.08 | weak | 195 |
| Health × EqualityCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Health by country · Equality by country | +0.23 | +0.04 | weak | 162 |
| Infrastructure × LabourLinked across countries, but mostly as richer countries differ from poorer ones: comparing only countries with similar income, almost nothing remains. Both mostly measure national income in another way, so only the adjusted figure is worth reading. Infrastructure by country · Labour by country | +0.66 | +0.04 | weak | 185 |
| Environment × LabourCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Environment by country · Labour by country | -0.23 | +0.03 | weak | 184 |
| Education × WellbeingLinked across countries, but mostly as richer countries differ from poorer ones: comparing only countries with similar income, almost nothing remains. Both mostly measure national income in another way, so only the adjusted figure is worth reading. Education by country · Wellbeing by country | +0.58 | -0.02 | weak | 104 |
| Gender × LabourCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Gender by country · Labour by country | +0.23 | -0.01 | weak | 178 |
| Education × LabourLinked across countries, but mostly as richer countries differ from poorer ones: comparing only countries with similar income, almost nothing remains. Both mostly measure national income in another way, so only the adjusted figure is worth reading. Education by country · Labour by country | +0.59 | +0.00 | weak | 182 |
| Governance × LabourCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Governance by country · Labour by country | +0.36 | -0.00 | weak | 169 |
| Education × EnvironmentCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Education by country · Environment by country | -0.31 | -0.00 | weak | 189 |
| Education × HealthCould easily be chance once only countries with similar income are compared. Education by country · Health by country | +0.25 | -0.00 | weak | 184 |
What each score is made of
| Score | Mostly income? | Members |
|---|---|---|
| Governance score | moderate +0.53 | The average of 19 measures from 5 publishers. Each measure is first put on a common scale: 0 is the average country in an average year, and 1 is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation). Each is turned so that higher is better. Measures are averaged within each publisher first, so a publisher with many measures does not count for more. Members: Civil liberties (FH), Political rights (FH), Pre-trial detainee share, Civil society participation, Political corruption, Electoral democracy, Freedom of association, Freedom of expression, Free and fair elections, Liberal democracy, Participatory democracy, Political civil liberties, Birth registration, Control of corruption, Government effectiveness, Political stability, Rule of law, Regulatory quality, Voice and accountability. |
| Health score | moderate +0.32 | The average of 23 measures from 2 publishers. Each measure is first put on a common scale: 0 is the average country in an average year, and 1 is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation). Each is turned so that higher is better. Measures are averaged within each publisher first, so a publisher with many measures does not count for more. Members: Anaemia in women, HIV prevalence, Under-5 mortality, Premature NCD mortality, Basic water access, DTP3 immunisation, Physicians, Tobacco use, Basic sanitation, Skilled birth attendance, Maternal mortality, Child stunting, Suicide rate, Road traffic deaths, Tuberculosis incidence, Out-of-pocket health spending, Undernourishment, Food insecurity, Adolescent fertility, Infant mortality, Life expectancy, Adult obesity, Health coverage index. |
| Education score | proxy +0.81 | The average of 10 measures from 3 publishers. Each measure is first put on a common scale: 0 is the average country in an average year, and 1 is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation). Each is turned so that higher is better. Measures are averaged within each publisher first, so a publisher with many measures does not count for more. Members: Primary completion, Expected schooling, Mean years of schooling, Adult literacy, Pupil-teacher ratio, Primary enrollment, Out of school, primary, Secondary enrollment, Tertiary enrollment, Researchers. |
| Infrastructure score | proxy +0.90 | The average of 5 measures from 1 publisher. Each measure is first put on a common scale: 0 is the average country in an average year, and 1 is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation). Each is turned so that higher is better. Measures are averaged within each publisher first, so a publisher with many measures does not count for more. Members: Electricity access, Slum share of urban population, Mobile subscriptions, Fixed broadband, Internet users. |
| Equality score | high +0.64 | The average of 2 measures from 1 publisher. Each measure is first put on a common scale: 0 is the average country in an average year, and 1 is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation). Each is turned so that higher is better. Measures are averaged within each publisher first, so a publisher with many measures does not count for more. Members: Extreme poverty rate, Gini index. |
| Gender score | moderate +0.37 | The average of 5 measures from 3 publishers. Each measure is first put on a common scale: 0 is the average country in an average year, and 1 is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation). Each is turned so that higher is better. Measures are averaged within each publisher first, so a publisher with many measures does not count for more. Members: Women's political empowerment, Women ministers, Women in parliament, Women in management, Married by 18. |
| Wellbeing score | high +0.80 | The average of 3 measures from 2 publishers. Each measure is first put on a common scale: 0 is the average country in an average year, and 1 is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation). Each is turned so that higher is better. Measures are averaged within each publisher first, so a publisher with many measures does not count for more. Members: Self-reported happiness, Interpersonal trust, Life satisfaction. |
| Environment score | moderate -0.33 | The average of 3 measures from 1 publisher. Each measure is first put on a common scale: 0 is the average country in an average year, and 1 is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation). Each is turned so that higher is better. Measures are averaged within each publisher first, so a publisher with many measures does not count for more. Members: Forest area, CO2 per capita, Protected land. |
| Labour score | high +0.79 | The average of 4 measures from 2 publishers. Each measure is first put on a common scale: 0 is the average country in an average year, and 1 is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation). Each is turned so that higher is better. Measures are averaged within each publisher first, so a publisher with many measures does not count for more. Members: Informal employment, Vulnerable employment, Youth not in work or study, Unemployment. |
Two scores moving together means they go together, and nothing more. It is also weaker evidence than it looks. Averages are smoother than the measures inside them, so they line up with each other more easily. No two of these scores share a measure, so no score is built from another score’s parts. All findings · How the scores are built