|
United States: Eighth Best Country To Live In
Posted by Pile
(10037 views) [E-Mail link]
|
[Environment] [Society] |
Woo Hoo! We're #8!
The United States was ranked in eighth place, after Canada and Japan, in the report that rates not only per-capita income but also educational levels, health care, and life expectancy in measuring a nation's well-being.
Topping the list were Norway, Iceland, Australia, Ireland, and Sweden, but Africa's quality of life has plummeted because of AIDS, said a U.N. report released on Thursday. |
The Human Development Index, prepared by the U.N. Development Program, has been issued annually since 1990 and includes every country for which statistics are available.
Unsurprisingly, the countries at the top of the list are high-income nations, as people in richer countries tend to be healthier and have more educational opportunities.
People in Norway, for example, are 40 times wealthier than people in Niger, which ranks 177th, the lowest-ranking country on the list. For the 31 countries with low human development, life expectancy is only 46 years--some 32 years less than in rich nations, the report said.
But some nations have a rank above their income. Vietnam, for example, is poor, but ranks above countries with a higher per capita income. Conversely, Bahrain has an average income twice the level of Chile, but ranks lower because it "under-performs on education and literacy," the report said. | Details | |
|
|