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List of Central European countries by development indexes

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World map of countries by Human Development Index categories in increments of 0.050 (based on 2022 data, published 2024):
  ≥ 0.900
  0.850–0.899
  0.800–0.849
  0.750–0.799
  0.700–0.749
  0.650–0.699
  0.600–0.649
  0.550–0.599
  0.500–0.549
  0.450–0.499
  0.400–0.449
  ≤ 0.399
  Data unavailable
World map representing Human Development Index categories (based on 2017 data, published in 2018):[1]
  0.800–1.000 (very high)
  0.700–0.799 (high)
  0.555–0.699 (medium)
  0.350–0.554 (low)
  Data unavailable

This is a partial list of Central European countries by development indexes such as the Globalisation index, Human Development Index, Press Freedom Index, Legatum Prosperity Index, EF English Proficiency Index, and other statistical measures and rankings.

The concept of what countries belong to Central Europe is not well-defined, so tables or lists below may show different countries listed.

Economy

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Human Development Index

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World map by quartiles of Human Development Index in 2013:
  Very High
  Low
  High
  Data unavailable
  Medium

Countries in descending order of Human Development Index (2022 data):

  • Switzerland: 0.967 (ranked 1)
  • Germany: 0.950 (ranked 7)
  • Liechtenstein: 0.942 (ranked 12)
  • Austria: 0.926 (ranked 22)
  • Slovenia: 0.926 (ranked 22)
  • Czech Republic: 0.895 (ranked 32)
  • Poland: 0.881 (ranked 36)
  • Croatia: 0.878 (ranked 39)
  • Türkiye: 0.855 (ranked 45)
  • Slovakia: 0.855 (ranked 45)
  • Hungary: 0.851 (ranked 47)
  • Romania: 0.827 (ranked 53)
  • Serbia: 0.805 (ranked 65)

Globalisation

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Map showing the score for the KOF Globalization Index

The index of globalization in Central European countries (2016 data):[2]

  • Switzerland: 91.17 (ranked 1)
  • Austria: 88.95 (ranked 7)
  • Germany: 88.17 (ranked 8)
  • Czech Republic: 85.19 (ranked 13)
  • Hungary: 85.13 (ranked 14)
  • Slovakia: 82.89 (ranked 21)
  • Slovenia: 81.28 (ranked 25)
  • Poland: 81.20 (ranked 26)
  • Croatia: 80.90 (ranked 28)
  • Romania: 79.99 (ranked 29)
  • Serbia 78.34 (ranked 37)
  • Liechtenstein: 54.37 (ranked 121)

Prosperity Index

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Legatum Prosperity Index demonstrates an average and high level of prosperity in Central Europe (2018 data)[3]

  • Switzerland (ranked 4)
  • Germany (ranked 11)
  • Luxembourg (ranked 12)
  • Austria (ranked 15)
  • Slovenia (ranked 18)
  • Czech Republic (ranked 27)
  • Slovakia (ranked 32)
  • Poland (ranked 33)
  • Croatia (ranked 41)
  • Hungary (ranked 46)
  • Romania (ranked 47)
  • Serbia (ranked 56)

Corruption

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Overview of the index of perception of corruption, 2015:
     90–100      60–69      30–39      0–9
     80–89      50–59      20–29      No information
     70–79      40–49      10–19

Most countries in Central Europe tend to score above the average in the Corruption Perceptions Index (2018 data):[4]

  • Switzerland (ranked 3, tied)
  • Germany (ranked 11, tied)
  • Austria (ranked 14, tied)
  • Poland (ranked 36, tied)
  • Slovenia (ranked 36, tied)
  • Czech Republic (ranked 38, tied)
  • Slovakia (ranked 57)
  • Croatia (ranked 60)
  • Hungary (ranked 64, tied)
  • Romania (ranked 66)
  • Serbia (ranked 87, tied)

Education

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Central European countries are very literate. All of them have the literacy rate of 96% or over (for both sexes):

Country Literacy rate Criteria
All Male Female
-9e99 -9e99 !a -9e99
World 84.1% 88.6% 79.7% age 15 and over can read and write (2010 est.)
Liechtenstein 100% 100% 100% age 10 and over can read and write
Poland 99.7% 99.9% 99.6% age 15 and over can read and write (2011 est.)
Slovenia 99.7% 99.7% 99.7% (2010 est.)
Slovakia 99.6% 99.7% 99.6% age 15 and over can read and write (2004)
Czech Republic 99% 99% 99% (2011 est.)
Germany 99% 99% 99% age 15 and over can read and write (2003 est.)
Hungary 99% 99.2% 98.9% age 15 and over can read and write (2011 est.)
Switzerland 99% 99% 99% age 15 and over can read and write (2003 est.)
Croatia 98.9% 99.5% 98.3% age 15 and over can read and write (2011 est.)
Austria 98% N/A N/A age 15 and over can read and write
Serbia 97.9% N/A N/A age 15 and over can read and write

Languages

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Languages taught as the first language in Central Europe are: Croatian, Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Romansh, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian. The most popular language taught at schools in Central Europe as foreign languages are: English, German and French.[5] Proficiency in English is ranked as high or moderate, according to the EF English Proficiency Index:[6]

  • Slovenia (position 6)
  • Luxembourg (position 8)
  • Poland (position 9)
  • Austria (position 10)
  • Germany (position 11)
  • Serbia (position 18)
  • Hungary (position 21)
  • Czech Republic (position 18)
  • Switzerland (position 19)
  • Slovakia (position 25)
  • Croatia (not ranked)
  • Liechtenstein (not ranked)

Other languages, also popular (spoken by over 5% as a second language):[5]

  • Croatian in Slovenia (61%)
  • French in Romania (17%), Germany (14%) and Austria (11%)
  • German in Slovenia (42%), Croatia (34%), Slovakia (22%), Poland (20%), Hungary (18%), the Czech Republic (15%) and Romania (5%)
  • Hungarian in Romania (9%), Serbia (7%) Slovakia (12%)[7]
  • Italian in Croatia (14%), Slovenia (12%), Austria (9%) and Romania (7%)
  • Russian in Poland (28%), Slovakia (17%), the Czech Republic (13%) and Germany (6%)
  • Polish in Slovakia (5%)
  • Slovak in the Czech Republic (16%), Serbia (2%)
  • Spanish in Romania (5%)

Education performance

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Student performance has varied across Central Europe, according to the Programme for International Student Assessment. In the last study, countries scored medium, below or over the average scores in three fields studied.[8]

The results for the 2012 "Maths" section on a world map

In the following table, positions 23 to 26 are "similar to the OECD average"; 1 to 22 are above, and 27+ are below average.

Positions in various subject groups
Country Maths Sciences Reading
Liechtenstein 8 10 11
Switzerland 9 19 17
Poland 14 9 10
Germany 16 12 19
Austria 18 23 27
Slovenia 21 20 38
Czech Republic 24 22 26
Slovakia 35 40
Hungary 39 33 33
Croatia 40 35 35
Serbia 43 34 49
The results for the 2012 "Science" section on a world map
The results for the 2012 "Reading" section on a world map

Higher education

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Universities

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Karolinum of the Charles University in Prague

The first university east of France and north of the Alps was the Charles University in Prague established in 1347 or 1348 by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and modeled on the University of Paris, with the full number of faculties (law, medicine, philosophy and theology).[9] The list of Central Europe's oldest universities in continuous operation, established by 1500, include (by their dates of foundation):

Regional exchange program

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Central European Exchange Program for University Studies (CEEPUS) is an international exchange program for students and teachers teaching or studying in participating countries. Its current members include (year it joined for the first time in brackets):[24]

  • Albania (2006)
  • Austria (2005)
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina (2008)
  • Bulgaria (2005)
  • Croatia (2005)
  • Czech Republic (2005)
  • Hungary (2005)
  • Kosovo*[25] (2008)
  • Macedonia (2006)
  • Moldova (2011)
  • Montenegro (2006)
  • Poland (2005)
  • Romania (2005)
  • Serbia (2005)
  • Slovakia (2005)
  • Slovenia (2005)

Culture and society

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Architecture

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Central European architecture has been shaped by major European styles including but not limited to: Brick Gothic, Rococo, Secession (art) and Modern architecture. Seven Central European countries are amongst those countries with higher numbers of World Heritage Sites:

  • Germany (position 5th, 42 sites)
  • Poland (position 18th, 16 sites)
  • Czech Republic (position 22nd, 12 sites)
  • Switzerland (position 25th, 12 sites)
  • Austria (position 27th, 10 sites)
  • Croatia (position 29th, 10 sites)
  • Hungary (8 sites)
  • Serbia (position 35th, 6 sites)

Media

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2021 Press Freedom Index results

There is a whole spectrum of media active in the region: newspapers, television and internet channels, radio channels, internet websites etc. Central European media are regarded as free, according to the Press Freedom Index, although the situation in Poland, Hungary and Croatia is described as "problematic". Some of the top scoring countries in the Press Freedom Index are in Central Europe, and include:[26]

  • Switzerland (position 7)
  • Austria (position 11)
  • Germany (position 16)
  • Slovakia (position 17)
  • Czech Republic (position 23)
  • Liechtenstein (position 32)
  • Slovenia (position 37)
  • Romania (position 43)
  • Poland (position 54)
  • Hungary (position 71)
  • Croatia (position 74)
  • Serbia (position 76)

Politics

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Democracy

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European countries score very highly in the Democracy Index:[27]

  • Switzerland (position 6)
  • Germany (position 13)
  • Austria (position 14)
  • Czech Republic (position 25)
  • Slovenia (position 37)
  • Poland (position 40)
  • Slovakia (position 45)
  • Croatia (position 50)
  • Hungary (position 51)
  • Serbia (position 57)
  • Romania (position 61)
  • Liechtenstein (not listed)

Global Peace Index

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Global Peace Index Scores

In spite of its turbulent history, Central Europe is currently one of world's safest regions. Most Central European countries are in top 20%:[28]

  • Austria (position 3)
  • Switzerland (position 5)
  • Czech Republic (position 11)
  • Slovenia (position 14)
  • Germany (position 17)
  • Slovakia (position 19)
  • Poland (position 23)
  • Hungary (position 22)
  • Serbia (position 23)
  • Romania (position 24)
  • Croatia (position 26)
  • Liechtenstein (not listed)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Human Development Report 2018 – "Human Development Indices and Indicators"" (PDF). HDRO (Human Development Report Office) United Nations Development Programme. pp. 22–25. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  2. ^ "2018 KOF Globalization Index". KOF Index of Globalization. 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  3. ^ "Rankings". Legatum Prosperity Index 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  4. ^ e.V, Transparency International. "Corruption Perceptions Index 2018". transparency.org. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Special Eurobarometer 386: Europeans and Their Languages Report" (PDF). European Commission. June 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Overview – EF Proficiency Index". Ef.co.uk. 2 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Hungarian language in Europe". Language knowledge. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  8. ^ "PISA 2012 Results in Focus: What 15-year-olds know and what they can do with what they know" (PDF). OECD. 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  9. ^ Joachim W. Stieber: "Pope Eugenius IV, the Council of Basel and the secular and ecclesiastical authorities in the Empire: the conflict over supreme authority and power in the church", Studies in the history of Christian thought, Vol. 13, Brill, 1978, ISBN 90-04-05240-2, p.82; Gustav Stolper: "German Realities", Read Books, 2007, ISBN 1-4067-0839-9, p. 228; George Henry Danton: "Germany ten years after", Ayer Publishing, 1928, ISBN 0-8369-5693-1, p. 210; Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius: "The German Myth of the East: 1800 to the Present", Oxford Studies in Modern European History Series, Oxford University Press, 2009, ISBN 0-19-954631-2, p. 109; Levi Seeley: "History of Education", BiblioBazaar, ISBN 1-103-39196-8, p. 141
  10. ^ "About the Charles University". Charles University. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  11. ^ "Historia – Jagiellonian University". uj.edu.pl.
  12. ^ "History of the University of Vienna". University of Vienna. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  13. ^ "UP Story – 650 years". University of Pécs. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  14. ^ "About the University". Heidelberg University. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  15. ^ Meuthen, Erich (17 July 2015). "A Brief History of the University of Cologne". University of Cologne. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  16. ^ "About the University of Zadar". University of Zadar. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  17. ^ "Mission Statement of Leipzig University". Archived from the original on 31 December 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  18. ^ ""Light of the North" – Between University of the Hansa and Mecklenburg State University". University of Rostock. 20 January 2015. Archived from the original on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  19. ^ "University of Greifswald". University of Pécs. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  20. ^ "As Important Yesterday as Tomorrow: Intelligent Minds". University of Freiburg. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  21. ^ "About the University". University of Basel. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  22. ^ "About LMU Munich". Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  23. ^ "History of the University". Archived from the original on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  24. ^ "Central European Exchange Program for University Studies". ceepus.info. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  25. ^ "CEEPUS Member Countries and NCOs (2008)". ceepus.info. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  26. ^ "Reporters Without Borders".
  27. ^ "Democracy index 2012: Democracy at a standstill: A report from The Economist Intelligence Unit". The Economist. 2013. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  28. ^ "Vision of Humanity".