Russia

Read a Q&A with George Demacopolous, a professor of theology at Fordham University, to examine trends and issues in the Orthodox Christian world.

Today, there are approximately 260 million Orthodox Christians in the world, accounting for 12% of the global Christian population. Read key takeaways about Orthodox Christians.

Concentrated in Europe, Orthodox Christians have declined as share of the global Christian population, from 20% in 1910 to 12% today. But the Ethiopian community is highly observant and growing.

Just 8% of Russians believe the Russian Revolution was the country's most important event of the past century. A 34% plurality says it was World War II.

How countries around the world view democracy, military rule and other political systems.

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.

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.