The United Nations has released an annual development report, which features the best countries to live in on the basis of people’s long and healthy lives. In its report, the UN said that the world is becoming a better place to live. Although 800 million people in the world still go to bed hungry every day, over 1 billion people have risen out of extreme poverty in the past 25 years, reports The Independent.
The organisation looked at nearly 200 countries across a number of categories, including life expectancy, education, gender equality, and financial wealth.
As per the report, here are the countries that scored the highest:
1. Hong Kong
Residents of this Chinese territory have a high average life expectancy at 84 years.
2. United States
The US ranks high in financial wealth. Americans earn an average of $53,245 per year.
3. Canada
Tying with the United States, Canada ranks high in educational achievement. More than half of its residents graduate from college.
4. Iceland
People in Iceland have a high life expectancy, living an average of 82.7 years.
5. Ireland
Crime is low in Ireland. The homicide rate stands at only 1.1 per 100,000 people, according to the most recent data available.
6. The Netherlands
This country has one of the lowest rates of income inequality in the world (12.4 percent), and it's been continuously decreasing since the mid-1990s.
7. Singapore
People in this nation can expect to live long lives, too. The average life expectancy is over 83 years in Singapore.
8. Denmark
Denmark tied with Singapore in the UN's ranking. When comparing median wages between men and women, the gender wage gap is now at 7.8 percent for full-time employees in Denmark. For comparison, the gap hovers at 17.9 percent in the US.
9. Germany
As of October 2014, all universities are free for residents and international students in Germany, where over 96 percent of the population has at least some secondary education.
10. Switzerland
This country ranks high in overall health. On average, people live to age 83 and have a relatively low risk for diseases like malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis.
The report noted there are several pitfalls that work against human progress: discrimination, intolerance, and social norms that target vulnerable groups like women and racial minorities, who face prejudice in a number of areas, including employment, education, and property rights.
(With ANI Inputs)
