The UN Human Development Index (HDI) measures poverty, literacy, education, life expectancy, and other factors. The HDI measures the average achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human development:

A long and healthy life, as measured by life expectancy at birth.
Knowledge, as measured by the adult literacy rate (with two-thirds weight) and the combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrollment ratio (with one-third weight).
A decent standard of living, as measured by GDP per capita (PPP USD).
Each year, countries are ranked according to these measures. Those high on the list often brag about it, as a means of attracting talented migrants (economically, individual capital) or discouraging potential emigrants from leaving.

HDI is considered by many to be an excellent tool for measuring development, since both economic and social indicators are covered.

Top 10 countries

1.Norway
2.Sweden
3.Australia
4.Canada
5.Netherlands
6.Belgium
7.Iceland
8.United States
9.Japan
10.Ireland

And?

Something tells me this isn't really your first post, you're someone else who signed up with a different screen name.

I am not surprise.

Doesn't matter... just because the UN said that they have a better quality of life does not mean I'd rather live in Canada over the US :-P

Doesn't matter... just because the UN said that they have a better quality of life does not mean I'd rather live in Canada over the US :-P

agreed. In fact, the only country i would rather live in on that list is australia and mabey ireland or japan.

US has to take care of a lot more people than those countries do though. A lot of poor people come/came to the US, and never got much better (by american standards). We also have to find ways to provide so many jobs...

So, another way to look at it is that the US has the best quality of life among countries within its population range.

It's sad listening to poeple rationalize out of pride, instead of accepting reality for what it is and thinking about what could be done to make the USA better... This is why we aren't the best anymore, and aren't going to be again any time soon, if ever.

Actually I agree with djm. Off the top of my head, our population is probably as large as the top 5/6 countries combined so the fact that we are number 7 is astounding. Same thing can be said for Japan, they have a large population as well. Though we can look into making the situation better--we have one of the largest populations of any nation in the world but also one of the best HDI.

^ anymore? was the US ever at the top? it seems that smaller countries with less immigration have and always will have higher standards of living than the US as a whole.

BTW It would be very interesting to see a US breakdown by state.

Good for those 7 countries! I'm happy for them - hugs + kisses to them all :)

I just feel sorry for those countries whose quality of life is lower than us ;)

So the US is the largest country in the top 10? I don't see what the problem is and why thats a bad thin? Norway number 1? Of course its number one, as it's not much bigger than one Atlanta suburb!

^ anymore? was the US ever at the top? it seems that smaller countries with less immigration have and always will have higher standards of living than the US as a whole.

BTW It would be very interesting to see a US breakdown by state.


you would have to think that Hawaii, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington...woudl be at the top of the list.

This is good news.. not bad news. 7th isnt bad especially for a huge country

In Iceland, it is customary to eat seal hands, sharks, and walrus testicles as a delicacy. I'll take my chances in America, thank you very much.

US has to take care of a lot more people than those countries do though. A lot of poor people come/came to the US, and never got much better (by american standards). We also have to find ways to provide so many jobs...

So, another way to look at it is that the US has the best quality of life among countries within its population range.
That is not a very good analogy. If the U.S government started looking after the poor and actually offering a lot of "social" aid, that would be a bit too left-wing for many Americans, in my opinion. It doesn't take much. Raise taxes, and next thing you know you have better social security.

However, that is how the government chooses to operate. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it, but your statement contradicts your current government's policies.

In Canada we have higher taxation, but many different benefits come with it.

In Iceland, it is customary to eat seal hands, sharks, and walrus testicles as a delicacy. I'll take my chances in America, thank you very much.

Was somebody watching Oprah....? :)

PS: I'll take 8th place... Japan is in 9th and I could easily live with their standard of living. Also, the scores don't vary too much until you reach the top 3. Norway (.956), Sweden(.946), and Aus.(.946) have a nice little edge on the US.

Think about this: Luxembourg is 15th...?

Our score is brought down in the areas of education and life expectency. Below is the top 20 as well as relative progression from 1975-2002

HDI rank 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2002

1 Norway 0.866 0.886 0.897 0.911 0.935 0.954 0.956

2 Sweden 0.863 0.873 0.885 0.895 0.928 0.943 0.946

3 Australia 0.847 0.864 0.877 0.892 0.932 0.942 0.946

4 Canada 0.869 0.885 0.908 0.928 0.933 0.939 0.943

5 Netherlands 0.865 0.877 0.891 0.907 0.927 0.938 0.942

6 Belgium 0.845 0.862 0.876 0.897 0.927 0.940 0.942

7 Iceland 0.862 0.885 0.895 0.913 0.919 0.939 0.941

8 United States 0.866 0.886 0.899 0.914 0.926 0.935 0.939

9 Japan 0.854 0.879 0.894 0.910 0.924 0.934 0.938

10 Ireland 0.810 0.825 0.844 0.869 0.893 0.926 0.936

11 Switzerland 0.878 0.889 0.895 0.909 0.918 0.932 0.936

12 United Kingdom 0.845 0.853 0.862 0.883 0.921 0.932 0.936

13 Finland 0.839 0.859 0.876 0.899 0.913 0.933 0.935

14 Austria 0.842 0.856 0.870 0.893 0.913 0.931 0.934

15 Luxembourg 0.838 0.850 0.856 0.882 0.908 0.928 0.933

16 France 0.852 0.867 0.880 0.902 0.919 0.929 0.932

17 Denmark 0.872 0.881 0.889 0.897 0.912 0.929 0.932

18 New Zealand 0.847 0.853 0.867 0.874 0.904 0.921 0.926

19 Germany .. 0.860 0.868 0.887 0.911 .. 0.925

20 Spain 0.836 0.853 0.867 0.885 0.903

US is at least 5 times larger(in population) than the next largest on the Top 20 list. WHich means.. US have a better qualtity for that big of a country

No, not Japan or Germany. The US is just over twice as large as Japan.

Norway (4.6 million)
Sweden (9.0 million)
Australia (20.2 million)
Canada (32.2 million)
Netherlands (16.3 million)
Belgium (10.3 million)
Iceland (0.3 million)
_________________
92.9, about a third of the US population
Good for the US for doing so well against such smaller countries, but there is always room for improvement.

Norway (4.6 million)
Sweden (9.0 million)
Australia (20.2 million)
Canada (32.2 million)
Netherlands (16.3 million)
Belgium (10.3 million)
Iceland (0.3 million)
_________________
92.9, about a third of the US population
Good for the US for doing so well against such smaller countries, but there is always room for improvement.
Another perspective, these countries are the size of some of our cities/metros

Sweden ~San Francisco
Australia ~ NY
Canada ~ Texas
Netherlands ~ LA
Belgium ~ Chicago
Iceland = Many different midsized US cities

Ok, the USA has roughly 290 million poeople living here, and a third world country to its south, yet still remains in the top 10 along with countries much smaller and some of them very much more isolated. I really don't see what the fuss is about. We are doing fairly well I'd say. Keep in mind that this has nothing to do with standard of living, etc. It has much to do with things that are a negative byproduct of our success.

^ anymore? was the US ever at the top? it seems that smaller countries with less immigration have and always will have higher standards of living than the US as a whole.

BTW It would be very interesting to see a US breakdown by state.

Do you realize that this ENTIRE country was built on immigration? 98% of us are descendants of immigrants!!!

Sweden ~San Francisco
Australia ~ NY
Canada ~ Texas
Netherlands ~ LA
Belgium ~ Chicago
Iceland = Many different midsized US cities

Canada has over 32 million people. Texas only has about 22 million people. Canada would be on par with California, approximately. You should have matched Texas with Australia.

Canada has over 32 million people. Texas only has about 22 million people. Canada would be on par with California, approximately. You should have matched Texas with Australia.
Yeah, I couldn't remember how many people lived in Texas. I'm not saying that the stats don't hold wait, as Canada and Australia should be commended for their high rankings, I'm just pointing out that the US is getting held to a different standard since I've never considered being ranked top 10 a bad thing.

That is not a very good analogy. If the U.S government started looking after the poor and actually offering a lot of "social" aid, that would be a bit too left-wing for many Americans, in my opinion. It doesn't take much. Raise taxes, and next thing you know you have better social security.

However, that is how the government chooses to operate. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it, but your statement contradicts your current government's policies.

In Canada we have higher taxation, but many different benefits come with it.

The US government already spends a higher portion of its GDP on healthcare than any other country in the world, and yet it still its not the healthier than many of them. Face it, a lot of sick, poor people came to this country and never really found their "american dream"

The US government already spends a higher portion of its GDP on healthcare than any other country in the world, and yet it still its not the healthier than many of them. Face it, a lot of sick, poor people came to this country and never really found their "american dream"
Because none of them can AFFORD it.

Do you realize that this ENTIRE country was built on immigration? 98% of us are descendants of immigrants!!!
yes, what gave you the impression that I didn't?

Because none of them can AFFORD it.

exactly. And thats where American welfare steps in, and has to take care of a LOT of people.

The US government already spends a higher portion of its GDP on healthcare than any other country in the world, and yet it still its not the healthier than many of them. Face it, a lot of sick, poor people came to this country and never really found their "american dream"

Thats such a pessimistic and incorrect viewpoint. My greatgrandparents left absolute poverty in eastern europe and made their way over here. They never became super rich and they barely would have been considered middle class, but their quality of life here was better than anything they could have hoped to have back at home. Their kids went to great public schools, went off and raised good kids of their own. Despite their relative poverty, they would never have wanted to go back to where they left and I imagine that many current immigrants to the US feel that same way.

Secondly, the US has the best healthcare system in the world. You can point to whatever statistics you want, but if you have a heart attack, you want to be in America. My father went in for a routine heart test, they found blockage, and he had a quadruple by-pass all within a four day period. If that had happened in England or another country with socialized medicine, he would still be in queue to have his surgery. Our healthcare system may not be perfect, but every person who comes to a hospital is treated to the finest care possible as quickly as possible. This is definately not the case in other countries.

thanks for this awsome info, I'll write this down...great.

Our healthcare system may not be perfect, but every person who comes to a hospital is treated to the finest care possible as quickly as possible. This is definately not the case in other countries.

What about those who can't afford it? Just curious.

No I wasn't watching Oprah! It was on WTTW 11 Chicago. It was an awesome piece done on PBS. PBS is the best learning station there is.

However, that is how the government chooses to operate. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it, but your statement contradicts your current government's policies.

Wrong (partly), the government does NOT choose the way it operates.

*Laughs at the idea of Washinton politicians actually making decisions*

Excuse me, I really thought that was funny, anyway, it's the public. Most Americans want an ass-load of services, but refuse to pay for them. So, the governents are forced to provide the same (or better) services at the same time they cut taxes. Well, not forced, but there aren't many politicians willing to do the right thing at the risk of their careers. That's why, on the local level, many schools are in bad shape. And why many states are having a hard time with their budgets. And why the national deficeit is in the hundreds of billions.

What about those who can't afford it? Just curious.

I work in a hospital in downtown Baltimore and I know we alone provide millions of dollars worth of care that we don't expect to be repaid for. In fact, charitible services are part of our yearly budget.
I think by law, if you show up hurt at a hospital, they are requried to treat you now and to try and worry about payment later. So its a myth that people won't get healthcare in this country if they are poor and can't pay for it.

US has the best healthcare system in the world
Not true.According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recent study, France provides the best overall health-care system in the world.

What about those who can't afford it? Just curious.


Yeah heart attack victims are turned away at US hospitals :bash:

Hospitals in the US turn no one away. They just charge you if you dont have insurance. Even still 90% of people in the US have insurance. For those who don't there are free clinics, and emergency rooms that turn no one away.

Thats such a pessimistic and incorrect viewpoint. My greatgrandparents left absolute poverty in eastern europe and made their way over here. They never became super rich and they barely would have been considered middle class, but their quality of life here was better than anything they could have hoped to have back at home. Their kids went to great public schools, went off and raised good kids of their own. Despite their relative poverty, they would never have wanted to go back to where they left and I imagine that many current immigrants to the US feel that same way.

Secondly, the US has the best healthcare system in the world. You can point to whatever statistics you want, but if you have a heart attack, you want to be in America. My father went in for a routine heart test, they found blockage, and he had a quadruple by-pass all within a four day period. If that had happened in England or another country with socialized medicine, he would still be in queue to have his surgery. Our healthcare system may not be perfect, but every person who comes to a hospital is treated to the finest care possible as quickly as possible. This is definately not the case in other countries.

The US has the best health care system in the world for treating catastrophic events (for example transplants, heart attacks etc..) The reason for this is money. On the flip side Americans get very very poor routine medical treatment for the same reason money. Americans usualy don't bother with routine medical exams because they don't want to pay for them, this is especially true for the poor (other countries get this for free) therefore we NEED more catastrophic health care, and therefore we do not live as long as those in Europe or other countries with socialized health care. Europe takes a preventative approach while in the US we just treat the consequences.

Yeah heart attack victims are turned away at US hospitals :bash:

Hospitals in the US turn no one away. They just charge you if you dont have insurance. Even still 90% of people in the US have insurance. For those who don't there are free clinics, and emergency rooms that turn no one away.

Sure, they turn no one away, but how would you like to be one of the 40 million people in this country that have no insurance and that are then forced to pay back the $100,000 or so dollars that was spent on treating you. That alone will give you another heart attack!

I've been many times to the US and I think it's not included between the best 10 because of security. The % of crime per inhabitants in some american cities is much higher than in any of these top 10.

Sure, they turn no one away, but how would you like to be one of the 40 million people in this country that have no insurance and that are then forced to pay back the $100,000 or so dollars that was spent on treating you. That alone will give you another heart attack!

The majority of the uninsured are not poor people though. Anyone who is poor can get Medicaid to cover almost all of their medical expenses. A large portion of the uninsured are people in their 20's who have not started their careers. These people are most often given the chance to buy insurance but usually forgo it because they are healthy and don't forsee any future health problems.

sorry guys, but population size does not affect life quality... at least not in a way that explains why the US isn't on the top of that list. You say the US has to take care of much more people than some of those countries...so? The US also has a far larger economy than any of those countries on that list. The US also spends more on it's military than all those countries combined. See my point?

If small countries have such an 'unfair' advantage on lists like this one, then maybe we'll all consider moving to Monaco, Kuwait, and Guatemala.

Thats such a pessimistic and incorrect viewpoint. My greatgrandparents left absolute poverty in eastern europe and made their way over here. They never became super rich and they barely would have been considered middle class, but their quality of life here was better than anything they could have hoped to have back at home. Their kids went to great public schools, went off and raised good kids of their own. Despite their relative poverty, they would never have wanted to go back to where they left and I imagine that many current immigrants to the US feel that same way.

Secondly, the US has the best healthcare system in the world. You can point to whatever statistics you want, but if you have a heart attack, you want to be in America. My father went in for a routine heart test, they found blockage, and he had a quadruple by-pass all within a four day period. If that had happened in England or another country with socialized medicine, he would still be in queue to have his surgery. Our healthcare system may not be perfect, but every person who comes to a hospital is treated to the finest care possible as quickly as possible. This is definately not the case in other countries.

Oh yeah, the U.S. surely has the best doctors, and people in Canada who live near the border often go to America for their needs despite free care in their own country.

In America, its the poor people and the rich people that have the best healthcare. Its the people who lost their job, or arent quite poor enough that fall under the 40 million uninsured Americans. (though that is somewhat misleading because no hospital can deny you)

In Iceland, it is customary to eat seal hands, sharks, and walrus testicles as a delicacy. I'll take my chances in America, thank you very much.

Seals have hands??

sorry guys, but population size does not affect life quality... at least not in a way that explains why the US isn't on the top of that list. You say the US has to take care of much more people than some of those countries...so? The US also has a far larger economy than any of those countries on that list. The US also spends more on it's military than all those countries combined. See my point?

If small countries have such an 'unfair' advantage on lists like this one, then maybe we'll all consider moving to Monaco, Kuwait, and Guatemala.
you don't understand, if the US were subdivided into smaller countries (Like Europe) there would be "countries" that would easily beat some (maybe all) of those 7, there would also be some countries that would be much lower on the list than where the US is right now.

this may better explain the situation.

US poverty rate
http://www.illinoisatlas.com/us/income/jpg/us_states_pov99all.jpg
the whole country is not the same by any means, if, say, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin were a separate country they would surely be higher that the US average, and Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana collectively would be lower.

I dont know if this help, but I posts this aat the "Most Liberal Metro" thread..

http://www.illinoisatlas.com/us/income/jpg/us_county_pov99all.jpg
same thing as above but counties

sorry guys, but population size does not affect life quality... at least not in a way that explains why the US isn't on the top of that list. You say the US has to take care of much more people than some of those countries...so? The US also has a far larger economy than any of those countries on that list. The US also spends more on it's military than all those countries combined. See my point?

How can you honestly say population does not have anything to do with it? I guess in a way you are right, it isn't just size of population, but the diversity and complexity of that population. A country like Norway doesn't have to worry about huge streams of poor immigrants flooding it's borders, niether does Canada (bear in mind we are talking about a certain type of immigrant, not immigrants in general). Also, statistically it is a rule that the larger a population sample (any country), the more accurate representation it will be of the population whole (earth). So smaller countries will probably be more likely found at both ends of the spectrum, whereas it will be harder for large countries like the US to end up at either extreme. Get my point?

^the exact same factors apply to Canada... our population is not homogenous. Putting us in the same boat as Norway is ridiculous. We get, as a pecentage, the same amount of immigrants as the US (for the purpose of this discussion) and from all over the world. Yes, we even get lots of Mexicans, if that's who your referring to. And Canadian's do not enjoy an equal standard of living across the country. There is shocking poverty in some areas of Canadas north, and in parts of Canadian cities.

I'm not trying to slander here, I'm just pointing out the errors in criticising this list on a basis of a country's size. If you want to factor in different scales of population, then you must factor in scales of economy. We're not talking about India or China, we're talking about the US.

Sure, they turn no one away, but how would you like to be one of the 40 million people in this country that have no insurance and that are then forced to pay back the $100,000 or so dollars that was spent on treating you. That alone will give you another heart attack!

Im one of those people who was smart enough to realize that even though health care insurance is expensive, it would be much more costly to NOT have health insurance. Right now I am covered through my job, but before last year I had an individual policy. People who are not insured and then end up with huge hospital bills can blame themselves. Maybe instead of eating McDonalds hamburgers, they should have grabbed some ramen noodles. Maybe instead of a $20,000 car, they should have bought a much cheaper used car.

We make decisions in life some being good and some being bad. I feel no concern over the people who claim to not have enough money for insurance, yet then squander their money on crap they don't need. Put the beer and cigarettes down if you are so broke. Work a second job if you need extra cash. I worked 2 jobs 70+ hours a week for 2 years. Don't eat out at fast food restaurants if you are going to cry over insurance.

I currently work at Wal-mart and I am insured. What is their excuse?

Once I actually saw the post that actually showed the scores and points awarded for this index, it seemed pretty trivial to bother comparing the US to any country on the list. We're not talking about some insurmountable gap here. See the list if you think you're actually going to notice the difference between the US and say Iceland. I seriously doubt you'd give it much thought after visiting either country according to this index.