Which Are The Best Countries to Live In? Do You Agree?
The United Nations (UN) regularly studies nations all over the world to identify the best countries to live in. It looks at about 200 countries and measures levels of well-being.
I’ll list the top 10 countries below – but first, you need to know that the UN consider:
- Life expectancy (people who are healthy / have good health care live longer on average)
- Education (because access to a a good education is a huge asset)
- Gender equality (because gender discrimination is bad for society)
- Financial wealth (because money is useful)
There may be other aspects that you consider important. For example, I’d always consider weather and climate before moving to a country. Having spent most of my adult life in hot climates, I’d be very reluctant to move back to places where sunshine is more rare – but that’s not the case for everyone.
This “Best countries to live in” list is different to the Happiness Index, where countries are measured according to how happy people are.
You might consider whether people in a country are friendly and outgoing, or mistrustful of strangers and newcomers.
But when you starting bringing in all these options, it gets really complicated. So the UN just sticks to the 4 criteria I listed above, which is probably sensible – just keep these measures in mind when you look at the list below.
I’ve listed the top 10 countries, with the most favourable being country #1.
#10 – Canada and the US share 10th place. Canada ranks well for education – more than half of Canadian residents graduate from college. The US meanwhile ranks well on financial wealth – Americans earn an average of $53, 245 per year.
#9 – Icelandic people have a high life expectancy of 83 years on average. (There is a huge program of enjoyable and varied exercise options provided free to all seniors in Iceland, I noted with interest while watching a documentary on the country).
#8 – Ireland – low crime rates tend to result in a more relaxed lifestyle. Murders / homicides are less than 1 per 100,000 people. (Compare this with almost 5 in the US and over 100 in El Salvador).I grew up in Ireland and can agree it’s a pretty relaxed country with friendly people.
#7 – The Netherlands offers some of the best income equality in the world today.
#5 – Singapore and Denmark tied for 5th place in the UN rankings. Average life expectancy is a long 83 in Singapore, while the gender wage gap in Denmark is one of the lowest in the world at less than 8 percent (for comparison, it’s about 18 percent in the US).
#4 – Germany offers great education. Universities are free and over 96% of Germans have at least secondary education.
#3 – Switzerland offers longevity (average life expectancy 83) and a low risk for many common diseases.
#2 – Australia takes education seriously and funds it well – most students go to school for about 20 years.
And #1 in the UN list of the best countries to live in is Norway! For the 13th consecutive year, Norway’s offering of a good standard of living, great life expectancy of 82 years, well-funded health care, and good education put Norway top of the best countries to live in!
Norway also has 24 hour daylight in the height of summer (but 24 hour darkness in the depths of winter). It also ranks very well in the Happiness Index. So, if you don’t mind really cold winters, Norway is an incredibly beautiful country with friendly people and a lot going for it.
P.S. It’s also no surprise that Norway takes the environment very seriously. The country has strong anti-pollution laws and a government that is pro-active in moving away from fossil fuels.
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What do you think is the best country in the world? Let me know in the comments below.
Warm regards,
P.S. Want to live a simpler, more green and ecofriendly life? (It’s been shown to increase happiness!). You can download your FREE green living handbook “Live Well, Live Green” here. Get it now!
Related:
- Why Random Acts of Kindness benefit YOU as well as well as others!
- We can all work together to slow climate change. Here’s a great way (everyday) – slow climate change by eating!
[…] The UN (United Nations) has again evaluated countries and decided upon its top recommendations. Which countries made the Top 10? Find out here. […]
I’m looking for a new country to move to but nothing tells me whether and old person on a pension can survive in those economies. I am so disgusted with what’s going on in the US that we are looking for anywhere else to be. I still speak a little German but the cost of living is what I’m most interested and that sense that someone cares about the world at large. Let me know if you come up with any of those statistics. I’m almost 70 and terminal. That’s how bad I feel about being here. I can’t even watch the news anymore.
You’re right, the UN list doesn’t take pensioners and cost of living into account in their list (I suppose they can’t cover everything). From the US you might find that Nicaragua is a good bet, if you’re OK with heat. Fruit and vegetables are cheap, as are cocktails and beer, but imported stuff is more expensive. As I understand it, you need to be able to prove you have income of a little less than $1,000 per month and then you can get residency. Transport links are good.
Another option – as an American, you can get a year-long tourist visa in Albania, so that would save you the bureaucracy of residency. It’s got a Mediterranean climate and a low cost of living. I don’t know what health care is like though.
It’s really difficult isn’t it? The thought of moving and its assorted upheavals is just horrible. I know a lot of people who don’t watch the news any more. It’s just so terribly sad.