Compare the US to Kazakhstan

Posted by KZBlog on 1/26/11 • Categorized as Life in KZ • Tagged as:energy consumption, healthcare, ifitweremyhome, Internet/technology, resource, statistics, Wolfram Alpha

A fun little tool I stumbled on, If It Were My Home lets you compare two countries based on some basic statistics like GDP per capita, infant mortality rate, and oil and energy consumption. What makes it cool is that it gives the results in individual terms.

For example, comparing Kazakhstan to the US, the average Kazakhstani is 4.1 times more likely to die in infancy. Interesting that Kazakhstani consume far less energy and spend a lot less on healthcare.

If you want to look at the world from a Kazakh point of view, go to this page and click on another country and it will tell you about the quality of your life if you lived there instead of here.

Fun little tool.
For more statistical output, check out the wolfram alpha widgets I made a while back.

comment

View 26 January 11

Thanks for a good site link. However, FYI, US is one of the worst wasters of energy in the world and also has one of the worst and expensive medical system of in the world – unaffordable and doctors are just morons there.
- KZBlogreplied:
  
  View 26 January 11
  
  Expensive, yes. But American doctors tend to be very well trained. Certainly in all the countries I have lived in, I have found US doctors to be the best.
Alex (oiteag)

View 26 January 11

It’s nice and entertaining, but hardly useful. E.g., consuming less oil and electricity are considered good things there, but it also happens when you just don’t have much industry. The same goes for healthcare – if you don’t have one, you don’t have to spend anything on it.
If they took their criteria from the UN’s Human Development Report, it would be better. 😉
- KZBlogreplied:
  
  View 26 January 11
  
  I think it’s meant to give the average person an idea of what their life might be like, rather than comparing countries or economies. So imagine using 75% less electricity than you do now–or if you are Kazakh, imagine using so much more electricity. Or in America, paying for health insurance is a huge worry because it is so expensive and part of our life, so it’s interesting to imagine a life without that burden.
  - Zreplied:
    
    View 26 January 11
    
    Yes!
    One of the first things I noticed were how there were fewer appliances and the ones in common with the US were smaller (refrigerators, stoves, clothes washers). Computers don’t seem to be *as* common, no central heat and air, dish washers, clothes driers- those all (can) draw a LOT of juice. When I experienced using as much electricity I quickly realized that the things I was used to were just conveniences, but not necessities.
    btw> Another cool site I found a while ago in an Economic Development class was gapminder.org which is put together by Hans Rosling. In that same class we watched this video (http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_reveals_new_insights_on_poverty.html) from a TED talk that just floored me. He has some more that are just as interesting if you have some time to kill: http://www.ted.com/speakers/hans_rosling.html
    
    Hope you enjoy!
  - Alex (oiteag)replied:
    
    View 29 January 11
    
    Still they mark the outcomes of their comparison as “positive” or “negative”, and other items clearly speak about quality of life – like earning more or less money or living longer or shorter life.
    When I read it, it sounds like:
    – If you move to Bangladesh you’ll spend 100% less for healthcare!
    – Hurray!
    – But you’ll die 30 years earlier…
    – Ooops…