The U.S. ranks 2nd in ignorance

According to the research firm IPSOS Mori, the United States ranks second out of fourteen countries in general ignorance about social statistics such as teen pregnancy, unemployment rates, and voting patterns. Italy is the most ignorant of the fourteen countries.

Chart from Ipsos
https://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/3466/Perceptions-are-not-reality-10-things-the-world-gets-wrong.aspx#gallery%5Bm%5D/1/

The U.S. ranks 2nd in breadth of global connectedness

According to DHL, the United States has a “breadth of global connectedness” score of 46.82 (out of a possible score of 50), which makes the United States rank second out of one hundred forty countries ranked in that category. The United Kingdom ranks first, with a score of 49.37.

The U.S. ranks 2nd in alfalfa exports

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, in 2010 the United States exported 258,983 metric tonnes of alfalfa meal and pellets, or 19.8% of the world’s exports of that item. That was enough to make the United States rank  second out of eighty-six countries ranked in that category. Spain ranked first, exporting 473,004 tonnes, or 36.2% of the world’s exports.

The U.S. ranks 2nd in child poverty

According to UNICEF, 23.1% of American children under the age of seventeen live in poverty, which makes the United States rank second out of thirty-five economically advanced countries ranked in that category. Romania ranks first, with 25.5% of children living in poverty.

Chart from Unicef
http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc10_eng.pdf

The U.S. ranks 2nd in beef exports

According to the International Trade Centre, in 2010 the United States exported $1,876,306,000 worth of  “meat of bovine animals, fresh or chilled,” or 10.4% of all the fresh or chilled beef exports in the world. That is enough to make the United States rank second in that category. Netherlands ranks first, exporting $2,172,798,000 (or 12.0%) of the world’s beef.

The U.S. ranks second in container port traffic

According to the World Bank, in 2009 the United States had 34,299,572 TEU’s (twenty-foot equivalent units) of container port traffic, which made the United States rank second out of fifty-eight countries ranked in that category. China ranked first, with 105,976,701 TEUs.

The U.S. ranks 2nd in tomatoes

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, in 2010 the United States produced 12,902,000 metric tonnes of tomatoes, or 11.7% of the world’s total tomato production. That was enough to make the United States rank second in that category. China ranked first, producing 41,864,750 tonnes, or 37.9% of the world’s total tomatoes. Just five countries–China, the United States, India, Turkey, and Egypt–produce more than three-quarters of the world’s tomatoes.

The U.S. ranks 2nd in extinct birds

According to the World Resources Institute, there are nineteen extinct bird species in the United States, or 17.6% of all extinct bird species, which makes the United States rank second in the world in that category. Mauritius ranks first, with 21 extinct bird species, or 19.4% of the world’s total.

The U.S. ranks 2nd in harvesters

According to the World Resources Institute, in 2003 there were 662,000 mechanical agricultural harvesters in use in the United States, or 15.6% of the world’s total harvesters, which was enough to make the United States rank second in that category. Japan ranked first, with 1,042,000 harvesters, or 24.5% of the world’s mechanical harvesters.

The U.S.ranks 2nd in out of pocket health expenses

According to the OECD in 2008 the U.S. ranks second out of 33 countries in out of pocket health expenses.  The average per person out of pocket health expense in the U.S. is $912.  Switzerland ranked first with a cost of $1424 (U.S. dollars) per person.

Prepared by Laurie W.