Contents -- Notes -- Abbreviations -- Part I: World Rankings -- Countries: natural facts -- Countries: the largest -- Mountains: the highest -- Rivers: the longest -- Deserts: the largest -- Lakes: the largest -- Islands: the largest -- Population: size and growth -- Largest populations 2008 -- Largest populations 2050 -- Fastest growing populations -- Slowest growing populations -- Population: matters of breeding -- Highest and lowest crude birth rates -- Highest and lowest contraception use -- Highest and lowest fertility rates -- Highest and lowest males per 100 females -- Population: age -- Highest and lowest median age -- Population aged 0-14 -- Population aged 60 and over -- Population aged 80 and over -- City living -- Biggest cities -- Fastest and slowest growing cities -- Highest and lowest % urban population -- Quality of living index -- Refugees and asylum seekers -- Largest refugee nationalities -- Countries with largest refugee populations -- Asylum applications by origin -- Asylum applications in industrialised countries -- The world economy -- Biggest economies -- Biggest economies by purchasing power -- Regional GDP -- Regional purchasing power -- Regional population -- Regional international trade -- Living standards -- Highest GDP per head -- Lowest GDP per head -- Highest purchasing power per head -- Lowest purchasing power per head -- The quality of life -- Highest human development index -- Lowest human development index -- Economic freedom index -- Gender-related development index -- Economic growth -- Highest economic growth -- Lowest economic growth -- Highest services growth -- Lowest services growth -- Trading places -- Biggest exporters -- Most and least trade dependent -- Biggest traders of goods -- Biggest earners from services and income -- Balance of payments: current account -- Largest surpluses -- Largest deficits.

Largest surpluses as % of GDP -- Largest deficits as % of GDP -- Workers' remittances -- Official reserves -- Gold reserves -- Exchange rates -- Big Mac index -- Public finance and tax -- Government debt -- Government spending -- Tax revenue -- Tax wedge -- Inflation -- Highest and lowest consumer price inflation -- Commodity prices: change -- House prices: change -- Debt -- Highest foreign debt -- Highest foreign debt burden -- Highest debt service ratio -- Aid -- Largest recipients -- Largest donors -- Industry and services -- Largest industrial output -- Highest and lowest growth in industrial output -- Largest manufacturing output -- Largest services output -- Agriculture -- Largest agricultural output -- Most economically dependent on agriculture -- Least economically dependent on agriculture -- Highest growth -- Lowest growth -- Biggest producers: cereals, meat, fruit, vegetables -- Commodities -- Leading producers and consumers of -- wheat -- rice -- sugar -- coarse grains -- tea -- coffee -- cocoa -- copper -- lead -- zinc -- tin -- nickel -- aluminium -- precious metals -- rubber -- raw wool -- cotton -- major oil -- seeds -- oil -- natural gas -- coal -- Oil reserves -- Energy -- Largest producers -- Largest consumers -- Most and least energy efficient -- Highest and lowest net importers -- Largest consumption per head -- Sources of electricity -- Workers of the world -- Highest % of population in labour force -- Most male workforce -- Most female workforce -- Lowest % of population in labour force -- Highest rate of unemployment -- The business world -- Global competitiveness -- The business environment -- Business creativity and research -- Innovation index -- Technological readiness index -- Highest and lowest brain drains -- R&D expenditure -- Patents granted and in force -- Business costs and FDI -- Office occupation costs.

Minimum wage -- Foreign direct investment -- Business burdens and corruption -- Days to register a new company -- Corruption perceptions index -- Business software piracy -- Businesses and banks -- Largest non-bank businesses -- Largest banks -- Central bank staff -- Stockmarkets -- Largest market capitalisation -- Largest gains in global stockmarkets -- Highest growth in value traded -- Highest growth in number of listed companies -- Transport: roads and cars -- Longest road networks -- Densest road networks -- Most crowded road networks -- Most used road networks -- Highest car ownership -- Lowest car ownership -- Car production -- Car registrations -- Transport: planes and trains -- Most air travel -- Busiest airports -- Longest railway networks -- Most rail passengers -- Most rail freight -- Transport: shipping -- Largest merchant fleets -- Largest maritime traders -- Tourism -- Most tourist arrivals -- Biggest tourist spenders -- Largest tourist receipts -- Education -- Highest and lowest primary enrolment -- Highest secondary enrolment -- Highest tertiary enrolment -- Least literate -- Class sizes -- Highest and lowest education spending -- Life expectancy -- Highest life expectancy -- Highest male life expectancy -- Highest female life expectancy -- Lowest life expectancy -- Lowest male life expectancy -- Lowest female life expectancy -- Death rates and infant mortality -- Highest death rates -- Highest infant mortality -- Lowest death rates -- Lowest infant mortality -- Death and disease -- Diabetes -- Heart disease -- Cancer -- Tuberculosis -- Measles and DPT immunisation -- HIV/AIDS prevalence and deaths -- Health -- Highest health spending -- Lowest health spending -- Highest population per doctor -- Lowest population per doctor -- Most hospital beds -- Highest obesity in men and women -- Marriage and divorce -- Highest marriage rates.

Lowest marriage rates -- Highest divorce rates -- Lowest divorce rates -- Households and living costs -- Biggest and smallest households -- Single occupation households -- Households with six or more occupants -- Highest and lowest cost of living -- Telephones and computers -- Telephone -- Mobile telephone -- Computer -- Broadband -- The internet and music -- Internet hosts -- Music sales -- Internet households -- Internet users -- Cinema and films -- Cinema attendances -- Top Oscar winners -- The press -- Daily newspapers -- Press freedom -- Nobel prize winners -- Peace -- Economics -- Literature -- Medicine -- Physics -- Chemistry -- Olympics -- Winter winners 1956-2010 -- Winter winners 2010 -- Drinking and smoking -- Beer drinkers -- Wine drinkers -- Alcoholic drinks -- Smokers -- Crime and punishment -- Police -- Robberies -- Prisoners -- Stars … -- Space missions -- Space vehicle launches -- … and Wars -- Defence spending -- Armed forces -- Environment -- Highest and lowest environmental performance index -- Biggest emitters of carbon dioxide -- Biggest increases and decreases in carbon emissions -- Biggest emitters of carbon dioxide per of GDP -- Non-carbon dioxide emitting energy -- Biggest forest areas -- Biggest forest area as % of land -- Fastest rates of deforestation and forestation -- Biggest nationally protected land area -- Part II: Country Profiles -- Algeria -- Argentina -- Australia -- Austria -- Bangladesh -- Belgium -- Brazil -- Bulgaria -- Cameroon -- Canada -- Chile -- China -- Colombia -- Côte d'Ivoire -- Czech Republic -- Denmark -- Egypt -- Estonia -- Finland -- France -- Germany -- Greece -- Hong Kong -- Hungary -- India -- Indonesia -- Iran -- Ireland -- Israel -- Italy -- Japan -- Kenya -- Latvia -- Lithuania -- Malaysia -- Mexico -- Morocco -- Netherlands -- New Zealand -- Nigeria -- Norway -- Pakistan -- Peru.

Philippines -- Poland -- Portugal -- Romania -- Russia -- Saudi Arabia -- Singapore -- Slovakia -- Slovenia -- South Africa -- South Korea -- Spain -- Sweden -- Switzerland -- Taiwan -- Thailand -- Turkey -- Ukraine -- United Arab Emirates -- United Kingdom -- United States -- Venezuela -- Vietnam -- Zimbabwe -- Euro area -- World -- Glossary -- List of countries -- Sources.