Thread: And the best country to live in is ... Immigration Mentioned

And the best country to live in is ...

Norway tops U.N. quality-of-life list; U.S. is 13th, while Niger finishes last

updated 12:11 p.m. ET, Mon., Oct . 5, 2009

BANGKOK - Norway enjoys the world's highest quality of life, while Niger suffers the lowest, a U.N. agency said Monday, as it released a ranking that highlights the wide disparities in well-being between rich and poor countries.

The annual Human Development Index, unveiled in Bangkok by the United Nations Development Program, takes into account life expectancy, literacy, school enrollment and per capita gross domestic product in 182 countries.

"A child born in Niger can expect to live to just over 50 years, which is 30 years less than a child born in Norway. Furthermore, the differences in per capita income are huge for every dollar earned per person in Niger, US$85 are earned in Norway," UNDP said.

Norway was followed by Australia and Iceland on the list, which drew on statistics dating from 2007, before Iceland was hit hard in global economic crisis. Afghanistan and Sierra Leone rounded out the bottom of the ranking.

The United States was listed 13th.

Life getting better in China, Iran and Nepal
Trends in the index since 1980 showed an average improvement of 15 percent in countries' scores. The greatest long-term improvements have been shown by China, Iran and Nepal, but progress has been concentrated in education and health rather than income, said the U.N agency.

Afghanistan is new to the list this year — reliable statistics were not previously available — but otherwise leaders and laggards are largely the same.

However, five countries rose three or more places — China, Colombia, France, Peru and Venezuela — while seven countries dropped more than two places — Belize, Ecuador, Jamaica, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malta, and Tonga.

The index was released as part of the UNDP's annual Human Development Report, which this year highlighted migration.

"Most migrants, internal and international, reap gains in the form of higher incomes, better access to education and health and improved prospects for their children," said the report. "These gains often directly benefit family members who stay behind as well as countries of origin indirectly."

It also suggested that as the populations age in developed countries, they could benefit from increased migration to boost their work forces.

But it cautioned that encouraging migration should not substitute for "efforts by developing countries to achieve growth and improve human well-being."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33178495/ns ... ?GT1=43001

A better gauge than the dry statistics in the article, which may or may not reflect quality of life, is how the residents of countries vote with their feet. Near as I can tell, for all of our problems (racist nation, health care system that emulates the German Holocaust, no socialized medicine, too big a disparity between our wealthiest and poorest, xenophobic, etc,) it seems to me that the ratio of people who wish to emigrate TO the United States dwarfs the number of people in the US who wish to emigrate FROM the US to other foreign lands by a ratio of several million to one.

I travel to Norway often. They are socialized. They pay 70% in taxes but they have have free health care and I have lost one family member that was elderly due to a 6 month wait to see a Dr. They travel to Sweden for clothes, alcohol and smokes. It is cheaper in Sweden and Sweden is close. You go to prison or one year if you get a DUI and you never ever drive again.
They castrate child molesters so you better be sure you have a good attorney.
They have low crime but Oslo is messed up with lax drug laws and you can see young adults shooting up in the streets.
They only have a population of 3 million. We have 300 million. They pay their citizens to have babies because they are not having children.
Its clean, its beautiful but it has its share of problems too.

Paige,sorry to hear your loss. And I wonder" IF"the same thing would happen here if they get their federally run health care plan? PLUS, 70% in taxes would definitely put a crimp in your take home pay!

Anymore it is a rush to get bills through or even issues of foods and health,just to find out ten years down the road they find out it WAS A BAD MOVE!

So the United States is ranked 13!