Somalia ranks as one of the worst countries in the world for human flourishing and happiness, according to a variety of global indices, which are well-established, rigorous methodologies on human flourishing, and happiness. In this episode, Ghat Saad continues her analysis of Somalia's dismal human development and human rights record.
00:00:00.000Hi everybody, this is Ghat Saad, continuing my analysis of Somalia, given the recent comments by Donald Trump, which upset many people.
00:00:15.640You might remember that I posted a sad truth clip, wherein I highlighted how Somalia scores on the Corruptions Perception Index over the past 20 years,
00:00:35.320and they scored 180th out of approximately 180 countries that had been evaluated using, you know, very, very thorough methodology.
00:00:50.900I already discussed this in a previous, so 180th out of 180.
00:00:54.260Then, in a subsequent clip, I shared data from two freedom indices, global freedom indices.
00:01:05.140One, you know, human freedom, you know, a general measure of freedom, and then the other one was, you know, press freedom.
00:01:18.140And they scored pretty much at the bottom of both, around the world.
00:01:22.580And then, I shared other data on female genital mutilation that showed that women, I think if I remember correctly,
00:01:30.940the age of 15 to 49, 99% of women had gotten female genital mutilation, which includes cutting off the clitorises, infubilation,
00:01:41.260and all sorts of other pretty, pretty rough female genital mutilation, 99%.
00:01:48.940Today, what I'd like to do is share some more.
00:01:53.880So, this is why this is called Somalia's Ranking in Global Indices of Human Flourishing and Happiness.
00:01:58.780I asked Grok to list how does Somalia rank on various global indices.
00:02:09.580These are all well-established global indices, rigorous methodologies on human flourishing and happiness.
00:03:12.480And the data that I'm sharing with you here are, you know, from years roughly 2023 to 2025, depending on the index that we're talking about.
00:03:24.080In the Gender Inequality Index, these are all, you know, the latest indices available, which measures reproductive health, empowerment, and labor gaps.
00:03:39.500In the Fragile States Index, which measures, it evaluates vulnerability to conflict and collapse.
00:03:46.480It is the single most fragile country out of 179 countries.
00:03:53.400In the Social Progress Index, which covers basic needs, foundations of well-being, and opportunity, it ranks 169th out of 169 countries ranked.
00:04:05.940In the Legatum Prosperity Index, which is a holistic measure of prosperity, including economy, health, and governance, it ranks 163rd out of 167 countries.
00:04:19.600And in the Happiness Planet Index, this one is from 2021, which is an index that measures, balances, well-being, life expectancy, and ecological footprint.
00:04:53.160I share this information because there's a general lesson to be learned here.
00:04:56.860Rather than have all the progressives go up in arms because, you know, Donald Trump is Hitler and he is marginalizing Somalis and he's this, wouldn't it make more sense to say, hey, while the manner by which he expressed that sentiment might have been less than, you know, perfect presidential decorum, is there any empirical validity to what he's saying?
00:05:24.940And I've now spent several episodes sharing an endless amount of global data, utilizing many global indices, spanning a huge amount of indicators that suggest that you almost can't think of a country doing worse than Somalia.
00:05:50.680And so, it is perfectly understandable that Somali people would want to have a better future and would want to move to countries where they could be safer, where they can flourish, where they could live the dream that many other immigrants have lived.
00:06:15.600But then in that case, would it be too much to ask as a minimal measure of reciprocity that you assimilate within the host society, respect the host society, place the host society's ideals above your tribal allegiances?
00:06:37.560I am first a defender of truth and freedom as an individual, then I am Lebanese, then I am Jewish, then I am Canadian.
00:06:50.100My most important cherished values are those that are universal ones of liberty, freedom and truth.
00:07:01.660So, perhaps what our Somali neighbors can do is say, thank God that I was able to escape Somalia so that I can give my children a better life and I will forevermore do all that I can to honor the society that has so generously accepted me in.
00:07:25.340And perhaps I shouldn't be engaging in behaviors that result in the disappearance of $1 billion of taxpayer funds.