Middle East & North Africa

Americans adopted around 5,370 children from other countries in fiscal year 2016. For the first time, males outnumbered females among adoptees from abroad.

Across the world, a median of 78% say representative democracy is a good way to govern their country. Yet, pro-democracy views coexist with openness to nondemocratic forms of governance.

In the last few years, the number of refugees annually resettled by the U.S. has not consistently grown in step with a worldwide refugee population that has expanded nearly 50% since 2013.

Today, more than 80 countries either have an official religion or favor one or more religious groups over others.

Islam is the most common state religion, but many governments give privileges to Christianity.

In all, more than half a million asylum seekers from Syria during the 2015-16 migration surge had received permission to stay in Europe as of Dec. 31, 2016.

About half of those who applied for asylum in Europe during the refugee surge of 2015 and 2016 were still waiting to learn their fate as of the end of last year.

Public debt has increased sharply in many countries in recent years, particularly during and after the Great Recession.

China is particularly well-liked in Latin America and the Middle East, while the U.S. fares better in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.