It is sort of unfair to compare the Vatican to other nations, the referenced article admits as much. While technically a country, the Vatican hardly operates as one. It only has 800 “citizens” and only one permanent resident. No GNP, no products, no trade, no economy to speak of.
This unique status gives the Vatican an unfair comparison in many other ways too. For example, it has the highest (or one of the highest) crime rates of any country. This is a very unfair comparison as the Vatican only has 800 citizens and millions of visitors, but so too is the “most stable” designation.
BTW, the weak dollar will really wreak havoc on the Vatican budget this year. The United States is the single greatest donor to the church, but the Vatican does its business with the euro. It will be interesting to see just how stable this county is, if we insist on calling it a country.
Nohome