Determining the most similar country to the average nation on each continent requires considering various social, cultural, economic, and political factors. One way to answer this complex question is by analyzing the data from the Country Similarity Index. The index attempts to quantify how similar countries are to each other relative to other countries, using a variety of statistics from five broad categories: demographics, culture, politics, infrastructure, and geography.
The Country Most Similar to the Average Nation in Europe
According to the data, the most average country in Europe is Croatia. It is at the crossroads between Southern, Eastern, and Central Europe. The country was once part of Austria-Hungary before becoming part of Yugoslavia. Like many countries in Europe it has many Catholics. Furthermore, like most of Eastern Europe, its people speak Slavic languages. While its coastline has a Mediterranean climate, its inland portions have a Continental climate. The country is also part of the European Union. Croatia’s high average is due in part to having many extremely similar countries to it that were once part of Yugoslavia.
The Country Most Similar to the Average Nation in Africa
According to the data, Cameroon is the most average African country. In fact, it has both French and English as its official languages, the two most common in Africa. Furthermore, most of its people speak languages from the Niger-Congo family, like almost all other countries in the region. The country is mostly Christian, but it is about 20 percent Muslim as well. It southern portion is mostly rainforest, while its northern portion is hot, dry savanna land. Like much of the region, its infrastructure is not well developed and its standard of living is lower than most countries.
The Country Most Similar to the Average Nation in North America
Since most countries in North America are Latin American, it is no surprise that the data shows that Panama is the most average country in North America. The country has coastline on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Like the vast majority of nations in the region, its people natively speak Spanish and are mostly Catholic. Panama has a diverse mix of people with Native American, European, and African ancestry. It is neither the one of the poorest nor one of the richest countries on the continent.
The Country Most Similar to the Average Nation in South America
According to the data, Colombia is the most average country in South America. The country has coastline on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Like the vast majority of nations in the region, its people natively speak Spanish and are mostly Catholic. Colombia has a diverse mix of people with Native South American, European, and African ancestry. It is neither the one of the poorest nor one of the richest countries on the continent. Like other South American nations, it is democratic but tends to have a low degree of rule of law.
The Country Most Similar to the Average Nation in Asia
Asia is extremely diverse, so no one country exhibits a huge amount of traits in common with all nations on the continent. However, since most countries in Asia are Middle Eastern or Central Asian, it is no surprise that the data shows a mostly Muslim nation, Jordan, as the most similar to the average country in Asia. Like a large portion of the continent has a lot of barren desert. Like many nations in the region, its people natively speak Arabic. Asia has a mix of political systems. Jordan is a constitutional monarchy, but its king retains some power. It is not very wealthy like some countries on the Arabian peninsula, but it is not very poor either.
The Country Most Similar to the Average Nation in Oceania
Oceania is a region of contrasts, with islands in the South Pacific being significantly different from Australia and New Zealand. The data suggests that Vanuatu is the country in Oceania most similar to the average nation in Oceania. Like many countries in the region, Vanuatu is a group of mountainous tropical islands. The country was jointly administered by both the United Kingdom and France, the two biggest colonial powers in the region, so it has English and French as its official languages. Its people are mostly Christian and they natively speak Austronesian languages, as is typical for the South Pacific. Furthermore, the country is a democracy, like all other countries in the region.