In this article, we will look at the 30 least racist countries in the world.
Racist behavior and systemic racism have severe social and economic repercussions. Although one of the 30 least racist countries according to our methodology, the United States has recently been grappling with its racism problem, which was highlighted by the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer.
The Citibank put a price tag on racism. It conducted a study that found out that the US economy has lost a total of $16 trillion in two decades following the year 2000, as a result of discriminatory practices against African Americans. This is a significant amount, as by comparison, the United States GDP for the year 2022 was $25.5 trillion. The amount makes up for an average of $0.8 trillion lost per year, which is a little less than half of Canada’s GDP in 2022 at $1.894 trillion. The study by Citibank found that if discriminatory practices against African Americans are stopped today, the economy would see a boost of $5 trillion in the next five years. The study claims that the United States lost a total of $13 trillion in potential business revenue during this period because of discriminatory lending to African-American entrepreneurs. This also resulted in the loss of an estimated 6.1 million jobs during the twenty years. In addition, the US economy further lost a total of $2.7 trillion because of the disparity in wages between Whites and African Americans. Discrimination in providing house credit further took away $218 billion from the US economy.
However, blacks are not the only ones subjected to racism. Covid 19 has also driven racism and violence against Asian Americans. The March 2021 Atlanta shooting left six Asian American women dead. In addition, the FBI has reported a 77% increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans from 2019 to 2020.
It seems that the business community of the United States realizes the severity of the racism issue in the country and is working actively to stop it. After the killing of George Floyd, many companies in the United States and around the world vowed to work against racism. These companies realize that racial diversity and equity are good for business.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is the most valuable company in the world. In fact, Choice Equities Capital Management made the following comment about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in its second quarter 2023 investor letter:
“Take Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) for example. It is the largest stock by market cap, and fairly considered one of the best companies in the world. The company has been extraordinarily successful and improved standards of living everywhere in the process with their ubiquitous products. Along the way, shareholders have been richly rewarded, with shares increasing nearly fourteen-fold over the last ten years while generating an annualized total shareholder return of 31%, including dividends.”
So, it makes sense that the company leads from the front. On June 11, 2020, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) committed $100 million to a new racial justice initiative. The tech giant promised to focus on education, economic equality, and criminal justice reforms. The company also promised to foster and lift the developers of color. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) also promised to increase spending with Black-owned partners in the company’s supply chain.
In 2020, the CEO of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Ramon Laguarta wrote the following in an op-ed in Fortune “Black Lives Matter, to our company and me”. In addition, PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) decided to expand the company’s black managerial population by 30% by 2025. The company also vowed to double its spending with Black-owned suppliers and create more jobs for black creators in its marketing agencies. PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) also promised to invest $50 million over the next five years to strengthen local Black-owned businesses.
In a message to employees in 2020, PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL)’s CEO Dan Shulman said that “it is not enough for us to condemn racism, we should be anti-racist”. In the same message, he announced that PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) will invest $530 million to advance racial equity and inclusion. The company vowed to create a $500 million opportunity fund “to support and strengthen Black and underrepresented minority businesses and communities over the long term and to help drive financial health, access, and inter-generational wealth creation.” In addition, PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) promised $10 million in emergency grants to black-owned businesses impacted by COVID-19.
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Methodology
We curated the list of the least racist countries in the world using the Racial Discrimination Survey by Index Mundi and the racism-related question of the World Values Survey. The Racial Discrimination Survey asked its participants across 76 countries, “How big of a problem is racial discrimination in the country you live in? “. The World Values Survey question we used in our methodology was “What is the frequency of racist behavior in your neighborhood? “. We scored the countries according to the level of racism as depicted by both surveys. The least racist country, for example, was given a score of 1, and the most racist was given a score equal to the number of countries in the survey. We calculated the insider monkey racism score by totaling scores from both surveys. The lower the score, the less racist the country is. Finally, we filtered the list according to racial diversity because a country with less diversity may not have frequent racist occurrences, but that does not necessarily mean it is not racist. To determine ethnic diversity, we used ethnic fractionalization, which is the probability that two randomly selected people from a country will belong to two different ethnicities. For this article, we only included countries with a minimum ethnic fractionalization of 9%.
Note: The World Values Survey and the Racial Discrimination Survey, both do not include some countries. This list only considered countries that were present in both surveys.
30 – Malaysia
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 129
Malaysia has an ethnic fractionalization of 58.8%. Although, in 2022, there was a surge in incidents of racism, racial discrimination, and Xenophobia in the country, it could be attributed to its 15th general elections in which politicians used race and religion to gain votes and support. Article 8 (2) of the Malaysian constitution prohibits discrimination based on religion, race, descent, place of birth, and minorities.
29 – Brazil
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 128
With a score of 128, Brazil is slightly better than Malaysia in terms of racism. The country has an ethnic fractionalization of 54.08%. Although traditionally considered a racist country, political leadership in the country has worked actively to eliminate racism. The country criminalized racism in its 1988 constitution and saw the creation of the Secretariat for Policies to Promote Racial Equality (SEPPIR) in 2003.
28 – Mexico
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 123
Mexico has an ethnic fractionalization of 54.18%, which is slightly higher than Brazil but lower than Malaysia. Recently, the country has put in place several programs and plans of action to strengthen the protection of rights and fundamental freedom, specifically for its more than 20% indigenous and 1.2% Afro-Mexican population.
27 – Bolivia
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 121
At 73.96%, Bolivia has one of the highest ethnic fractionalizations among our top 30 least racist countries. The Bolivian government passed a law against racism and all forms of discrimination, which outlines potential penalties for racist behavior for its citizens, including journalists who publish racist or discriminatory ideas.
26 – United States
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 116
It might be surprising to see the United States in the list of least racist countries given its history of Black slavery and discrimination against African Americans. However, despite its history and the latest racist occurrences, the country is making conscious efforts to combat systemic racism at a corporate and policy level.
25 – Pakistan
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 115
Pakistan is one of the most ethnically diverse countries on our list, with an ethnic fractionalization of 70.98%. While it ranks 25th on our list of least racist countries in the world, the country has been in a grip of religious and political violence.
24 – Chile
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 112
Although Chile ranks 24 on our list of the least racist countries in the world, it is one of the least ethnically diverse countries in our list, with an ethnic fractionalization of 18.61%. Chile is a signatory of the Inter-American Convention Against Racism, Discrimination, and Related Intolerance.
23 – Peru
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 107
23rd on our list of the least racist countries in the world, Peru is adequately diversified with an ethnic fractionalization of 65.66%. The country faces some form of racial bias, but racism is not endorsed on a policy level.
22 – Ethiopia
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 106
With an ethnic fractionalization of 72.35%, it is impressive that Ethiopia is 22nd on our list. African countries, in general, have less racist bias compared to American and some European countries.
21 – Turkey
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 102
While Turkey ranks 21st on the list of least racist countries in the world, the low number of racist incidents could be attributed to its ethnic fractionalization of 33%. Despite that, Turkey is active in managing the Syrian refugee crisis and provides refuge to the Syrian refugees.
20 – Greece
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 101
Greece has an ethnic diversity of 15.76%, which could be one of the reasons for the low occurrences of racist events. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance recently praised Greece’s National Plans against racism and LGBTI equality but also raised some concerns.
19 – Zimbabwe
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 100
Although Zimbabwe ranks 19th on our list of least racist countries in the world, it has had a racist past. However, the United Nations and its Committee On Elimination Of Racial Discrimination have worked closely with country officials in the last three decades to eradicate discrimination in the country.
18 – Colombia
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 99
Colombia is fairly diverse, with an ethnic fractionalization of 60.14%. The former president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, signed an anti-discriminatory law in 2011 that levied prison sentences for acts of discrimination based on ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, and nationality.
17 – Australia
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 95
While Australia ranks 17th on our list of the least racist countries in the world, it has the lowest ethnic diversity in the list, with a fractionalization of 9.29%. The Australian Human Rights Commission recently launched its plans to develop a national Anti-Racism Framework.
16 – Ecuador
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 83
Ecuador is fairly diverse, with an ethnic fractionalization of 65.5%. It is a multicultural country, and the recognition of multiculturalism is present in its constitution and policy-making.
15 – Argentina
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 82
The Argentinian government is active in eliminating racial discrimination in the country. However, at 25.5% ethnic fractionalization, it is one of the least diverse countries on this list.
14 – Iran
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 79
Iran is fairly diverse, with an ethnic fractionalization of 66.84%. While discrimination based on ethnicity is infrequent in the country, it is often reported to have institutionalized discrimination based on religion and limitations on freedom of speech.
13 – Indonesia
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 77
With an ethnic fractionalization of 73.15%, Indonesia is one of the most ethnically diverse countries on our list. The constitution of Indonesia grants equal rights and status to all citizens without the exception of any race.
12 – Romania
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 74
While Romania ranks 12th in our list of the least racist countries in the world, the anti-Romani sentiment and racism against Romani people exists in the country. The infrequent occurrence of racist incidents could also be because of its low ethnic fractionalization of 30.96%.
11 – Morocco
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 72
While Morocco makes it to the 11th position on our list of least racist countries, anti-Black sentiments have existed in its society. Recently, though, Morocco has become a country of transit and settlement of migrants, with an increasing number of people moving from Sub-Saharan Africa.
10 – Egypt
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 69
With 18.36% ethnic fractionalization, Egypt has a fairly low ethnic diversity compared to others on our list. Egypt has a legal framework for the protection of the right to equality and non-discrimination in its 2014 constitution.
9 – Kenya
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 68
At 85.88% ethnic fractionalization, Kenya is the most diverse country on our list. Despite high ethnic diversity, it is impressive that Kenya is 9th on our list.
8 – Philippines
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 62
The Philippines has a low ethnic fractionalization of 23.85%, but the country is home to several ethnicities including Tagalog, Cebuano, and Ilocano people. The country has a fairly low occurrence of racist behavior compared to others.
7 – Germany
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 58
The German government has several anti-racist measures intact to prevent racist occurrences in the country. These measures include the National Action Plan Against Racism, which outlaws racist and discriminatory behavior.
6 – Uruguay
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 58
Uruguay is sixth in our list of the least racist countries in the world. Its constitution and law prohibit discrimination based on race or ethnicity.
5 – New Zealand
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 53
New Zealand is widely regarded as a safe place for all races, but recently religion-based violence incidents have occurred. However, the government is keen to prevent all forms of discrimination and hate and has a National Action Plan Against Racism.
4 – Canada
Insider Monkey Racism Score – 53
Canada is widely regarded as an immigrant country with one of the easiest residency programs in the world. The country has one of the highest ethnic diversities at 71.24%. Racist occurrences in Canada may happen but they are very rare.