Serbia
- FIFA World Ranking: 21
- Social Progress Ranking: 45
Serbia encounters several social issues which have held the country back in terms of the SPI. Issues include the threats and violence against journalists and members of the LGBTQ+ community and the lack of aid to disabled persons. This can be proved by looking at the SPI with the country’s lowest scores in areas including ‘acceptance of gays and lesbians’ and ‘freedom of discussion’.
Switzerland
- FIFA World Ranking: 15
- Social Progress Ranking: 4
Switzerland is one of the best-performing countries on the SPI and doesn’t have a score lower than 80 in any of the components measured by SPI. Switzerland particularly excels in the components ‘access to basic knowledge’, ‘water and sanitation’, and ‘personal rights’, while their lowest scored component ‘environmental quality’ at 80.56 would be many countries’ highest score. Overall, the country is known for providing good levels of opportunity, healthcare, education, and tolerance for its society. In terms of football, similar things could be said as they are placed 15th in the FIFA World Rankings and there is a high expectation from the population that their team can reach far into the tournament.
Cameroon
- FIFA World Ranking: 43
- Social Progress Ranking: 138
The West African country is the lowest-ranked country on the SPI appearing in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In recent years, Cameroon has been grappling with several issues regarding human rights and violence. There have been attacks by Boko Haram in the far north and government forces have also committed mass killings. The government has also continued to restrict freedom of expression and association, while the state-sanctioned persecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people has intensified. Scores of only 43.42 and 41.03 in ‘personal safety’ and ‘inclusiveness’ respectively exacerbate the issues. While on the pitch, they hope to surprise a few people and make it as far as they can in the tournament.
Portugal
- FIFA World Ranking: 9
- Social Progress Ranking: 24
Portugal’s strengths in terms of social development are mainly due to the government-run social security system that provides old-age, disability, sickness, and unemployment benefits, family allowances, and health and medical care. On the pitch, the country holds arguably the best player on the planet, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has led them to reach 9th in the FIFA World Rankings.
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Ghana
- FIFA World Ranking: 61
- Social Progress Ranking: 98
The West African country has experienced gradual economic growth during the past decade but has done well compared to other countries in the region in translating economic growth into social development. Over the years, the Ghanaian government has introduced measures such as Free Compulsory Universal Education (FCUBE), establishing a National Health Insurance Scheme, and setting up adult education programs. While on the pitch, they are the lowest-ranked African country in the competition but will believe they can spring a few surprises.
Uruguay
- FIFA World Ranking: 14
- Social Progress Ranking: 38
Uruguay has a firm social foundation but does still face various challenges. One of the main challenges is women’s inclusion in the workplace. Women account for nearly half of the workforce but tend to be concentrated in lower-paying jobs. Violence is also an area of concern, specifically gender-based violence, and marital violence. Concerns continue on the pitch as well, as despite ranking high in the FIFA World Rankings, the country possesses an aging squad who may believe their time to shine on the international stage may be over.
Korea Republic
- FIFA World Ranking: 28
- Social Progress Ranking: 17
On the pitch, much of the Korean Republic’s hopes will be down to one man, but off the pitch, the country holds a solid democracy that has appropriate protections in place for most political, civil, and socio-economic rights hence the high SPI ranking. But there is the issue of inclusiveness within the country. Discrimination can be severe against at-risk groups, including women, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBT) persons.
Overall, Cameroon is the lowest-ranked country on the SPI appearing in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, ranked 138th out of 168 countries, while on the other end of the spectrum, Denmark rank highest, placed 2nd.
We thank our partners, Social Progress Imperative, a global nonprofit for providing us with the relevant information and data to help us produce this piece. To find out more about Social Progress Imperative, click here.