The U.S. ranks 62nd in students reading comics

According to the 2009 PISA results, 4.5% of American students report that they read comics or other materials (but not fiction) for pleasure on a regular basis. That is enough to make the United States rank sixty-second out of sixty-five ranked economies. Finland ranks first, with 43.9% of Finnish students reporting that they enjoy reading comics.

The U.S. ranks 3rd in surface area

According to the World Bank, the United States has a surface area of 9,632,030 square kilometers, or 7.19% of the world’s total surface area. That is enough to make the United States rank third in that category. Russia ranks first, with a surface area of 17,098,240 square kilometers, or 12.76% of the world total.

The U.S. ranks 70th in armed forces personnel

According to the World Bank, 1.0% of the total workforce of the United States is in the armed forces, which makes the United States tied for seventieth with several other countries in that category. North Korea ranks first, with 10.6% of its workforce in the armed forces.

The U.S. ranks 3rd in perlite

According to the British Geological Survey, in 2007 the United States produced 444,000 tonnes of perlite, which is enough to make the United States rank third in that category. China ranks first, producing 1,400,000 tonnes.

The U.S. ranks 8th in knowing where to get information about sex

According to the 2008 Durex Face of Global Sex Report, 76.3% of Americans are confident that they know where to get information about sex, which makes the United States rank eighth out of twenty-six countries ranked in that category. Brazil ranks first, with 79.9% of Brazilians confident that they know where to get information about sex.

The U.S. ranks 20th in December’s chill

According to the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, the mean temperature in the United States in December is -2.4 degrees celsius, which makes the United States rank twentieth in that category. Slovakia ranks first, with a mean December temperatures of -33.1 degrees celsius.

 

Note: The above graph is incorrect, and the U.S. actually ranks 19th, with Russia ranking 1st. I misread the data and the mistake was pointed out to me. The correct graph is below.

The U.S. ranks 10th in students reading fiction for fun

According to the 2009 PISA results, 30.9% of American students report that they read fiction or other materials for pleasure on a regular basis. That is enough to make the United States rank tenth out of sixty-five ranked economies. Russia ranks first, with 48.4% of Russian students reporting that they enjoy reading.

The U.S. ranks 30th in approval of India’s leadership

According to the Gallup organization, 34% of Americans approve of the job performance of India’s political leaders, which makes the United States rank thirtieth out of ninety-five countries ranked in that category. Rwanda ranks first, with 71% of Rwandans approving of the leadership of India.

The U.S. ranks 17th in democracy

According to the Democracy Index 2010, the United States has a democracy score of 8.18 (out of 10 possible points), which makes the United States rank seventeenth out of one hundred sixty-seven countries ranked in that category. Norway ranks first, with a score of 9.80.

The U.S. ranks 13th in cereal

According to the World Bank, American farms had an average cereal yield of 6,704 kilograms per hectare in 2008, which was enough to make the United States rank thirteenth in that category. Belgium ranks first, with a yield of 8,576 kilograms of cereal per hectare.