I always trust numbers. Spin doctors aside. To see where the Muslim world stands today, it is advisable to look at the statistics. Numbers don't lie. Numbers are not emotional or passionate. They are cold, calculated. Data sources can be unreliable or doctored - it's best to rely on sources that are credible.
Largest Muslim countries: in land size, Algeria is the largest with an area of 2382 (000 sqkm). Then Saudi Arabia 2150 (000 sqkm), followed by Indonesia 1,191 (000 sqkm). There are nine other countries larger than Algeria.
Largest populations - 2015: The largest Muslim country (population wise) is Indonesia with 257.6 million people. Pakistan is at No. 2 position with 188.9 million people. Followed by Nigeria (182.2) and Bangladesh (161.00). The fastest growing populations are in Oman, Nigeria, Kuwait, South Sudan and Qatar.
Most old people: There is no mention of a Muslim country in this category. Muslims usually die young. The largest percentage of old age population lives in Monaco (22.9%), Japan (18.9%), and Germany (16.3%). The youngest people as a percentage of the population live in Uganda (68.4%), Nigeria (68.3), and Chad (68.00).
Biggest cities - 2015: The biggest Muslim world's city is Cairo (19.1 million). Followed by Dhaka (18.2 million), Karachi (17.1 million), Delhi, partly Muslim, (26.5 million). Tokyo continues to be the largest city (38.1 million).
City livability: The top 15 cities in the world are all outside the Muslim world. Melbourne, Vienna, Vancouver, Toronto, Perth, Hamburg, etc., (Wasim Akhtar please note). The worst cities (for livability) are in the Muslim world - Tripoli, Lagos, Algeria, Karachi, etc.
Biggest economies (GDP bn$ 2015): The biggest Muslim economy is Indonesia (861), followed by Turkey (859), Saudi Arabia (652), Nigeria (494), Iran (374), the UAE (370), Egypt (332) and Pakistan (271). The US continues to lead (18,037), followed by China (11,226). The world GDP is 76,000.
Human Development Index (2015): There is no Muslim country in the top 29. Brunei appears at No. 30 with a rating of 86.5, Qatar (85.6) is at No. 33 position, Saudi Arabia (849) is at No. 38, the UAE (84) is at No. 42. The leaders (as usual) are Norway, Australia, Switzerland, Denmark and Singapore, etc.
Balance of payments: Current Account ($ millions) Largest surpluses: The UAE is the largest surplus holder ($ 17,353), Qatar is No. 2 ($ 13,751), Iran ($ 9,016), Malaysia ($ 8,960), Kuwait ($ 8,584). Globally, the Euro Area (EU) has the largest surpluses at $ 358,322, China $ 330,602.
Largest deficits ($m. 2015): Saudi Arabia has the largest deficit (-56,724), Turkey (-32,118), Algeria (-27,229), Egypt (16,787), Oman (-10,807). Globally the United States is the major deficit country (-462,961), followed by the UK (-122,251).
Official reserves ($m - end 2016: Saudi Arabia has reserves of $ 547,313. Algeria (120,816), Turkey (106,006), Malaysia ($ 94,487), the UAE ($ 85,392). In the world, the leading country is China (3,097,955), followed by Japan (1,216,642).
(The writer is former Executive Director of the Management Association of Pakistan)
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