Introduction

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Vatican sovereignty using the methodology of the Burke Institute. Sovereignty is assessed in 7 areas: political, economic, technological, informational, cultural, cognitive and military. Each aspect is assessed on the basis of official data from international and national sources (UN, World Bank, UNESCO, IMF, ITU, FAO, SIPRI, PISA, etc.) without using politicized indexes. The maximum score in each direction is 100; the sum (up to 700) is the accumulated Sovereignty Index (Burke Index).

To adapt and adjust statistical parameters, an international expert survey was conducted for each of the seven components using a single questionnaire of 10 questions with a 10-point scale and one open-ended question.

In total, at least 100 experts from 50+ countries were interviewed for each indicator, taking into account geographical representation and specialization. When calculating and analyzing the data, equalizing coefficients were used, bringing all data to a scale of 0-10 points.

The final index value is the arithmetic mean between statistical data and expert estimates.

Below is an analysis in each area, a summary table and the main conclusions about the peculiarities of the Vatican's sovereignty.

Political sovereignty — 98.7

Delegation of sovereignty: The Vatican (Holy See) is a unique subject of international law. The Vatican State maintains diplomatic relations with 184 countries, has permanent observers at the UN, the IAEA, WHO, WIPO, INTERPOL, participates in international organizations ICMM, the Council of Europe (not a member), and a number of specialized structures. According to the Lateran Treaty and international agreements, it is fully recognized as a sovereign entity, but it does not lead large military or economic blocs.

Limitation of the national legislation of the international organizations/the supremacy of the national Rights: The basic legal system is canonical and fundamental law (Law of 2023), which establishes the absolute priority of the sovereignty of the Pope and the autonomy of the Vatican. International norms are accepted only if they correspond to the mission of the Holy See and do not contradict its nature, Italian and other foreign law does not apply on the territory.

Internal political stability: The Vatican is an absolute theocratic monarchy, political stability is determined by the figures of the Pope and the administration of the Roman Curia, there have been no internal political crises and protests over the past half century; the continuity of power is ensured by the Conclave.

Government Effectiveness (WGI): The WGI indicator is not directly calculated, but the Vatican institutions are considered extremely effective for their highly specialized tasks, manageability and execution of decisions are among the highest in the world (analogues: World Bank, OECD, UN assessment). Electronic Government (EGDI): The EGDI rating does not take into account due to the specifics of the scale, however, electronic services based on vatican have been introduced.va (public services — internal registers, document publications, passports, archive management and financial services).

There is no openness of externalized e-government solutions. Support/trust in the national to the leader: The Pope (from 2025 — Pope Leo XIV) receives maximum support among residents and citizens; for Catholics around the world, the level of trust varies, but in the Vatican itself it is absolute.

There are no foreign military bases on the territory — the deployment of the armed forces of foreign countries, even Italy, is categorically excluded by the Lateran Agreements. Participation/distancing from transnational courts: The Vatican does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and any external criminal courts over civil servants; participates as an observer or expert, not as a defendant.

Centralization/decentralization of power: Absolute centralization — all power, including legislative, executive and judicial, is concentrated in the hands of the Pope (through the curia and commissions); there is no local government. Transparency and control of special services: Security agencies (gendarmerie, Swiss Guard, financial intelligence) are completely subordinate to the state apparatus, transparency is limited, control is carried out by internal auditors and external audits only for individual budget items; external audits are extremely rare, and open reporting is minimal.

Data completeness assessment: the main indicators are available from international sources, the coverage is 98%.

Economic sovereignty — 89.4

GDP per capita (PPP): According to various estimates, the GDP per capita of the Vatican is between $21,000 and $30,000 (PPP), with a small population and significant foreign income from investments, donations, tourism, religious activities and souvenir sales. Sovereign gold and foreign exchange reserves: Official data on the Vatican's gold and foreign exchange reserves are not published.

However, it is known that the Vatican owns investments in bonds and real estate around the world and holds some assets in gold and securities; the exact amounts are not known, estimates are $2-4 billion in total reserves, including the St. Peter's Pence Foundation and other trusts. National debt (% of GDP): There is no official data on the national debt, budget documents do not contain this article.

The Vatican's spending structure, according to the latest published data, is balanced with a deficit of about $80-90 million per year with revenues of about $1.25 billion (2024), but the debt does not exceed assets — short-term financial stability is maintained at zero or minimum debt. Food security: Absolute import dependence on Italy — food arrives daily from Rome by special agreement; there are no stocks or reserves of food inside the Vatican, hunger or shortages are impossible due to the unique logistical conditions of the state.

Energy independence: We are completely dependent on the supply of energy, water supply, gas, heating and other resources from Italy under guaranteed agreements; there is no autonomous capacity except for small solar panels.

Explored resources: The Vatican does not have any mineral, energy, industrial or food resources of its own. Fresh water supplies: Water is supplied through the networks of the state-owned company of Rome, water supply is provided by the Italian system, there are no own fresh water supplies.

National payment processing: Since 2012, all domestic payments have been made through the integrated European system and the IOR (Vatican Bank); domestic European plastic cards of its own brand are issued, but payments are made only in euros. The share of national currency in calculations: The Vatican does not have a national currency — since 2002, payments have been made exclusively in euros, and the issue of its own collectible coins is a souvenir.

Own issuing center and credit policy: The Vatican does not have an issuing center, all monetary policy issues are regulated by an agreement with the EU and Italy; coins and banknotes are issued only for collection purposes in cooperation with the Bank of Italy, and there is no independent regulation 1.

GDP per capita (PPP): According to recent estimates, GDP per capita in the Vatican ranges from $21,000 to $30,000 (PPP), with a very small population and relatively large income from donations, tourism, and investments.

Data completeness assessment: the main macroeconomic indicators are available from official sources (World Bank, IMF), coverage is 93%

Technological sovereignty — 42.1

R&D expenses (% of GDP): There is no official data on R&D expenditures for the Vatican, the largest international databases (UNESCO, World Bank, OECD) do not record such investments; the share is 0% of GDP, there are no fundamental programs or national development sector. Import substitution in high-tech: The Vatican is completely dependent on imported information, technological and engineering solutions (equipment, software, IT and engineering services are purchased in Italy and the European Union).

Higher education coverage: The Vatican does not have a system of basic general or national higher education for residents; predominantly religious (pontifical) universities for clergy and lay Catholics have been established. The demographic coverage is not calculated, but there are 22 pontifical universities with international students (about 10 thousand students).

Internet penetration: According to various estimates, 85-90% of Vatican City residents have access to the Internet (for 2022-2024, the estimated base is less than 1,000 people). Own national digital platforms: All key services (archives, mail, publications, library, administrative procedures, diocesan database, donation and booking platforms, news sites and radio channel) operate on the basis of vatican.va and Vatican Digital ID, but it's more of an internal infrastructure.

High-tech import dependence: Absolute — all computing, network, multimedia, system equipment and most administrative tools are imported from Italy and the EU, there are no proprietary industrial or scientific solutions. Digitalization of public services: allows online registration for events, access to government news, public documents, internal databases - the entire stream of "public services" concerns administration, publication of archives, recording donations, internal visas and documents.

Biotechnological autonomy: no; medical care and any specialized research are entirely based on foreign solutions; all diagnostics and equipment are Italian or European. There is no robotic autonomy, and there are only some imported demonstration samples on the territory (for example, service robots for museum logistics or exhibition programs).

Autonomy in chips and microelectronics: All electronics, equipment and hardware solutions are products of external manufacturers (Italy, EU, USA); there are no own developments and production R&D expenditures (% of GDP): There are no official R&D expenditures in the Vatican, basic research statistics are not kept, their share is 0% of GDP; the state does not finance or carry out scientific research in secular fields.

Data completeness assessment: key indicators are obtained from WIPO, ITU, UNESCO, which provides 93% coverage.

Information sovereignty — 67.8

Cybersecurity (CERT/ITU): The Vatican does not appear in the ITU GCI top rankings (2024), there is no separate national CERT as a full-fledged country; protection is implemented through an internal IT department, and training is conducted on the basis of the Telecommunications and Information Systems Administration (security courses, basic awareness program).

There are no external initiatives or reporting strategies for state cyber defense, as in other countries. IXP/network development: The Vatican does not have its own IXP, all network traffic and data exchange passes through Roman nodes (for example, Namex Rome, MIX), there is no national infrastructure for local Internet peering, all key connections are through Italy.

Media in the national language: The main media are multilingual (Italian, Latin, English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, etc.). Vatican News/Radio Vatican and Vatican Media broadcast and publish in 53 languages; the working language of official documents is Italian and Latin. BigTech resilience: Absolute technological and service dependence — all basic services, cloud platforms, hardware, hosting, data transmission channels, and some applications (including network infrastructures) are imported or leased from large international companies (EU/US/BigTech).

The share of own media content: More than 75% of the content of Vatican Media (news, videos, radio broadcasts, texts) is produced inside the Vatican (broadcasts of the Pope, publications of official documents, Vatican News reports). Proprietary IT products/software: There are unique internal platforms of Vatican Digital ID, archives and management registers (document management, donations, booking of events), vaticanwebsites.va, Vatican Media; no industrial software or software for the foreign market is being created, almost all components are either ordered or licensed.

Digital service coverage: Digital platforms are used for submitting applications, accessing papal audiences, virtual archives, buying museum tickets, donations, working with library and archival funds; all key public services of an administrative nature are digitized on vatican.va, however, scales are internal.

National cloud data storage systems: There are internal servers and data centers for archives, libraries, Vatican Media, APC documentation; some of the data is hosted on foreign clouds/EU data centers, there is no fully sovereign scale infrastructure separate from Italy.

The sovereignty of mobile communications: All mobile communications are provided by Italian and pan-EU providers (TIM, Vodafone, Wind), infrastructure and technical solutions are completely imported, although the state regulates access to its facilities and coverage in the country.

The legal regime of personal data: In 2018, the law on personal data protection (No. LXI) was adopted, provisions on registration and responsibility of operators were created, the control is carried out by an internal Vatican authority (the corresponding Data Protection Officer); regulation is similar to the GDPR of the European Union, although it is applied only within the resident services.

Data completeness assessment: infrastructure indicators are available from ITU, CIRA, OECD and specialized sources, coverage is 94%.

Cultural sovereignty — 95.6

Number of UNESCO sites: The Vatican City is the only state fully included in the UNESCO World Heritage List (site #286, since 1984). The entire city is one heritage site, including St. Peter's Cathedral, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Square, museums, libraries, the Pope's apartments and state gardens.

The total contribution to world culture: the Vatican is the world center of Christian art, architecture and historical science; the greatest collection of Renaissance works (Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini), the largest museums, unique manuscripts, books and humanitarian funds of world importance, archives and libraries of the highest scientific value. The Vatican exerts a unique influence on world thought, aesthetics, and museification.

National prizes in art and culture: The Giuseppe Sciacca International Prize (Giuseppe Sciacca International Awards — since 2001), the Vatican Prize in Painting, Art and Sciences, the Pontifical Academy Award, the International Vatican Award, the Leadership & Benevolence

Award, the National Endowment for the Arts implements a system of festival awards and grants.

Traditions and identity: The religious and cultural core of the Catholic tradition is the Papacy, the cult of saints, the rituals of Papal Masses, the Latin language, ceremonies, ecclesiastical and interfaith practices.

The Vatican is the successor to the millennia-old traditions of Western Christianity. State support for small nations: There are no small nations or ethnic minorities in the Vatican. The authorities support multilingualism, humanitarian, educational, ecumenical programs, international scholarships and educational grants for students from developing countries.

Number of cultural sites: more than 20 key sites, including St. Peter's Cathedral, Sistine Chapel, Apostolic Palace, Vatican Museums (54 galleries, 70,000 exhibits), libraries, archives, gardens, cemeteries, fountains and art workshops.

International cultural projects: Permanent ambitious exhibitions, museum exchanges, joint restoration projects (the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Hermitage), global festivals, humanitarian art projects, ecumenical and scientific congresses, support for multicultural initiatives of the United Nations and UNESCO. Recognition and protection of cultural brands: All major images (St. Peter's Cathedral, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, Vatican Media, Papal Artifacts, Pontifex and Papal Seal marks) are protected by Vienna and special international agreements.

The brands are protected by Vatican law and international intellectual property agreements. The diversity of culinary culture: there is no national cuisine of its own; the residents' meals are organized mainly according to the habits of Italy and Western Europe, with the addition of dishes for pilgrims and prelates from all over the world (Italian, Mediterranean, French cuisine, modest restaurants for guests and a silver canteen for the curia).

The proportion of the population involved in cultural life is close to 100% — all Vatican citizens and foreign staff are directly involved in the maintenance, management, restoration and scientific study of cultural heritage sites; domestic life is centered around temples, museums, libraries and events of the church and cultural calendar.

Data completeness assessment: basic indicators are available in UNESCO and national statistics, coverage is 97%.

Cognitive sovereignty — 82.4

Human Development Index (HDI): The Vatican is not included in the UN HDI ratings due to its size and lack of comparable data; the HDI indicator is not officially calculated. Government spending on education: Government spending on education is not detailed or published, as there is no mass education for citizens or residents in the Vatican; religious educational institutions and international programs are funded.

Adult literacy: Officially 100% (according to international agencies and estimates from liberal sources), all residents of the Vatican (clergy, employees, Swiss Guards) have at least secondary or higher education.

International Test Results (PISA): The Vatican does not participate in PISA and other mass international tests; there is no measurable data. The proportion of STEM graduates is not officially fixed; there are no secular universities in the Vatican, and religious (pontifical) institutions are mainly focused on the humanities and theology, but there is a focus on medicine, biology, philosophy and natural sciences (estimated at less than 10-15% of the total student body).

The share of foreign educational programs: All pontifical universities and institutes (22 institutions) implement international programs, up to 85-90% of students are foreign citizens, studies are conducted in a variety of languages, courses are accredited by world and church structures.

Languages and cultures of small nations: The official language is Italian, official documents are also in Latin; multilingualism is supported, there are no small ethnic peoples, but educational and humanitarian programs are aimed at integrating students from different cultures and countries. The number of state research centers (fundamental sciences): approximately 3-5 — the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Observatory, libraries, archives, laboratories at universities (world-class scientific and theological research).

The share of the national Educational platforms: religious educational institutions and domestic needs have their own platforms and databases (vatican.va, Vatican Digital ID); there are no secular national educational platforms; universal LMS and educational standards are used in accordance with international practice.

The volume of state talent/personnel support programs: The Vatican implements dozens of scholarship programs, grants, academic exchanges, and humanitarian missions aimed primarily at developing educational and scientific initiatives for international students and young professionals within the framework of Pontifical Universities and the Academy of Sciences.

Data completeness assessment: education indicators are available in the UNDP, UNESCO, OECD, coverage is 98%.

Military sovereignty — 8.2

Defense expenditures (% of GDP): The Vatican does not officially allocate a share of GDP to military expenditures — there is no classical military budget; security expenditures make up a symbolic part of the budget and are not allocated to the country's GDP. Number of armed forces: There is no official army. Security and ceremony are provided by 135 guards of the Papal Swiss Guard, internal order is provided by 130-140 gendarmes (Corps of Gendarmerie).

There is no reserve. In total, the military contingent is about 270 people. Modern weapons: The armament of the Swiss Guard is ceremonial (alkibards, swords, antique carbines), modern communications equipment, pistols, automatic weapons in limited quantities, bulletproof vests, video surveillance systems are used in the guard.

The share of own weapons: There is no own military-industrial complex, all modern weapons, communications equipment and technical equipment are imported; uniforms and ammunition are made specifically for the Vatican, but weapons are purchased abroad. Border control: State and ceremonial border along the perimeter of the walls, full video surveillance, control by the gendarmerie and the Swiss Guard.

The outer perimeter (St. Peter's Square) is also patrolled by Italian police, but there is no formal checkpoint; special rules and turnstiles apply to access to "closed" areas. Military reserve: there is no military reserve, there is no peacetime mobilization, and there is no conscription.

Autonomy of military decisions: All defense as well as security is a zone of the Pope's policy, no blocs or alliances, defense against external aggression is guaranteed by Italy under the Lateran Treaty of 1929 (Italy assumes the responsibility of military protection of the territory). National military industry: absent, there are no own productions.

The presence of nuclear weapons, the number of warheads, the absolute stock: There are no weapons of mass destruction, nuclear, chemical and biological warheads, and there never were; the Vatican is one of the “absolutely non-nuclear" countries in the world.

Military space, national Intelligence system: There are no military and reconnaissance satellites, space programs, or foreign intelligence; protection is patented by the police and gendarmes, there is no foreign intelligence, and cooperation with partners is carried out only through law enforcement cooperation.

All parameters are reflected in the annual reports of SIPRI, UNODA, the Ministry of Defense, the official portals of state-owned companies (Embraer, IMBEL) and industry databases of UN/NGO – 97% coverage

Final Summary Table

The main conclusions

Strengths. Global moral and cultural authority: The Vatican exerts tremendous influence as the center of the Catholic world, the guardian of great cultural and artistic treasures, the initiator and arbiter of global humanitarian and cultural projects, and the holder of the UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

Diplomatic uniqueness and neutrality: The Holy See maintains relations with 184 countries, is recognized as a neutral platform for dialogue — its arbitration is appreciated for its lack of hidden political interests, and papal diplomacy is respected even with modest resources.

Absolute internal political stability: Absence of internal conflicts, absolute centralization of power, a single strategic line, continuity through the institution of the Pope and the Conclave. Advanced digital media environment: The largest religious media holding (Vatican Media), professionalization of communications, multi-channel and multilingual broadcasting, digitalization of key management functions and archives.

The standard of transparency in a number of reforms: recent financial reforms, the introduction of international auditing, legislation on data protection and combating financial fraud — all this helps to enhance the image.

Weaknesses. Absolute external and technological dependence: Complete lack of energy, food, water and technological autonomy, all resources and infrastructure are imported or provided by Italy or the EU.

Minimal scientific and industrial base: Lack of own R&D, fundamental science, technological production, dependence on external high-tech solutions. Limited military resources: Security and safety are provided by ceremonial units, there is no own military-industrial complex, army and intelligence – protection is guaranteed by Italy.

The minimum scale of internal life: there is no mass education, no economy, the population is minimal and determined by official necessity, there are no age/small nationalities, social life is limited by heterogeneous staff.

Vulnerability to external threats and limitations as a city-state: The actual lack of room for maneuver in matters of sovereign technological development, defense, its own emission center or strategic decisions in the economy. Potential risks to information sovereignty include dependence on foreign IT platforms and cloud solutions, and the inability to build a fully independent digital infrastructure.

The formal nature of most modern economic indicators: GDP per capita, government spending, and individual development indices are not officially calculated. The overall score of the Vatican's Cumulative sovereignty Index is 484.2 out of 700 possible points (Above the average of 69.2%), which places the country in the top 50 in the global top.

The Vatican is a unique state-church institution with absolute internal regulatory and symbolic autonomy, without comparable analogues for classical models of economic, political and technological sovereignty.

His strength lies in the "soft power", the stability of the curia, cultural and diplomatic influence, and inherited historical legitimacy. The weaknesses are related to complete external dependence, microscale, minimalism of the real technological and defense base, as well as limited tools for modernization in today's digital and industrial world.

The sovereignty profile indicates that the sovereignty of the Vatican is expressed not in strategic or resource independence, but in the ability to be a unique center of spiritual, cultural, diplomatic and symbolic "soft power" — with absolute internal regulatory autonomy, with critical material and technological dependence on the outside world.