- As the year ends, where does Russia stand? How do Russians see key political issues, what do they spend their money on, how health-conscious are they? And how is the country seen by its neighbors?
- With the help of these graphs, we take stock of what makes Russia the country it is today.
1. Land Mass
- Let's start with a look at geography. This image shows the countries of the world, ranked by size, and Russia is still very much in spot one. The map doesn't include Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. See if you can make out some of the other land masses shown, then check whether you are right, here.
2. Support for Free Speech
- If your government is doing something you think is wrong, should you be allowed to say so? Countries in the Anglo-American tradition of free speech have "yes" response rates of almost 100 percent for this question. At the other end of the spectrum, only half the citizens of Turkey and Pakistan believe in this right.
- Russia finds itself somewhere in between, with a majority of people supporting the freedom to criticize those in power, but also a significant number of people who disapprove. It will be interesting to see how these figures develop in 2016, particularly given Russia's involvement in Syria.
In Turkey, only 52% of people felt they should be allowed openly criticize their government http://www.statista.com/chart/4044/who-criticises-the-government-most-and-least/ … pic.twitter.com/zx1OLLugEX3. Online Censorship
- Another graph on free speech, this one shows which countries tried hardest to censor one popular social media service. Released by Twitter itself, these stats show that Russia was second only to Turkey in asking for tweets to be removed.
Where requests to censor tweets came from this year 72% Turkey 7% Russia 4% S Korea 3% India 3% France 2% US pic.twitter.com/67Kb9sEgD84. Military Spending
- What part of the money you make do you allot to military spending? In the case of Russia, a very significant part — significantly more than the United States or Britain, for example. Look at the actual amount spent, though, and the picture changes significantly.
Military spending as % of GDP 1 S Arabia 2 Israel 3 Russia 4 US 5 India 6 France 7 Turkey 8 UK 9 China 10 Australia pic.twitter.com/gR63RRbttZ5. Support for the Government
- A conflict with another country? Time to circle those wagons. From 2007 to 2014, support for Russia's government among its citizens has grown in leaps and bounds. While this time frame includes Russia's involvement in the war in Eastern Ukraine, it doesn't yet reflect 2015, with its switch of focus to Syria.
Confidence in government Switzerland 75% India 73% Russia 64% Germany 60% Turkey 56% US 35% France 26% Greece 19% pic.twitter.com/gCnr83Iva96. Seen from the Outside
- Does Russia pose a threat to neighboring countries? In many NATO states, people are inclined to see it like this.
- In Poland — which shares a border with the Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian enclave — the numbers are particularly high: 70 percent of those polled see Russia as a "major threat,"and an additional 19 percent as a "minor threat."
Most NATO countries consider Russia a military threat to its neighbors / via @pewresearch http://www.statista.com/chart/3565/russia-widely-seen-as-a-threat-to-its-neighbors/ … pic.twitter.com/dLL1lMoMiE7. Awareness of Health Issues
- Looking at health in Russia, obesity is a major issue. With the majority of the population being overweight, this chart highlights a second issue, which is almost as significant: When asked to assess the number of obese people in their country, Russians suggested a number significantly below the actual one.
- If awareness is the first step in affecting change, then Russia still has a long way to go.
