(Countries part of Oceania defined as Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Samoa)
Determining the country most similar to the average country in Oceania 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.
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.
On the other end of the spectrum, Australia is the least similar to the average nation in Oceania, among countries considered to be part of the region. Unlike most of the continent’s nations, Australia is mostly desert. As a result, it has a far lower percentage of forested land than any other country in Oceania. Unlike many islands in the South Pacific, Australia has a developed economy with a strong agricultural, mining, and service sector. Many island nations rely heavily on fishing and subsistence agriculture.
Interestingly enough, Belize is the most similar country to the average country in Asia outside of the continent. While Belize is geographically part of Central America, it shares several similarities with countries in the Oceania region. Most people in Belize live close to the coast. The country has a tropical climate, like most countries in the South Pacific. Belize was once a British colony, so it has many attributes that it shares with Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia. As a result, English is a common language in both Belize and Oceania.
According to the data, the least similar country to the average country in Oceania is Saudi Arabia. Islam is the predominant religion in Saudi Arabia, while Oceania is mostly Christian. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy, with the King holding supreme political power. In contrast, many Oceanic countries adhere to democratic principles with elected representatives and regular elections. Furthermore, most countries in Oceania have a tropical climate and are densely forested. Saudi Arabia is mostly desert, so most of its land is barren.