Norway takes the number one spot in the annual United Nations human development index released Monday but China has made the biggest strides in improving the well-being of its citizens.

The index compiled by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) ranks 182 countries based on such criteria as life expectancy, literacy, school enrolment and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.

Norway, Australia and Iceland took the first three spots while Niger ranks at the very bottom, just below Afghanistan.

China moved up seven places on the list to rank as the 92nd most developed country due to improvements in education as well as income levels and life expectancy.

Colombia and Peru rose five spaces to rank 77th and 78th while France -- which was not part of the top 10 last year -- returns to the upper echelons by moving up three places to number 8.

The UNDP said the index highlights the grave disparities between rich and poor countries.

A child born in Niger can expect to live to just over 50, which is 30 years less than a child born in Norway. For every dollar a person earns in Niger, 85 dollars are earned in Norway.

This year's index was based on data from 2007 and does not take into account the impact of the global economic crisis.

"Many countries have experienced setbacks over recent decades, in the face of economic downturns, conflict-related crises and the HIV and AIDS epidemic," said the UN development report's author Jeni Klugman.

"And this was even before the impact of the current global financial crisis was felt."

Afghanistan, which returns to the list for the first time since 1996, is the only Asian country among the bottom ten which also include Sierra Leone in the 180th spot, just below the Central African Republic.

The top ten countries listed on the index are: Norway, Australia, Iceland, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Switzerland and Japan.

The United States ranks 13th, down one spot from last year.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091005/ts_afp/undevelopmentpoverty_20091005115324

Take note all the top ten have universal healthcare

Move to Norway with me baby

Interesting...Canada is 4th.. hummmm

too cold for this Texas gal

What do you call a country in which the gap between the rich and the poor is growing beyond bounds, whose principal exports are wood pulp and scrap metal, whose principal imports are manufactured goods, and whose fastest-growing industry is the construction and operation of private prisons? A third world country. That is the state of the union we have inherited.

In our government’s drive to protect the far-flung financial interests of multinational corporations, we have abandoned our principles and fought wars of aggression against small countries. We have overthrown popularly-elected leaders and installed puppet dictators who sell out their own people to our corporations. In our drive toward a corporate New World Order, we have sold out our workers, our families, our environment, our children’s futures, and the American dream. This too is the state of the union we have inherited.

We have had the opportunity to create a land without want. What went wrong? Why are our workers paid such a tiny percentage of their true worth? Why are we the only major nation without a national health program? Why are our high school graduates two years behind their counterparts in other countries? Why are we hated by so many around the world? Why do we have hundreds of thousands of troops patrolling foreign lands and supporting foreign dictators? What is going on?

The answer, I’m afraid, is that we have lost our republic. Legislators no longer represent the people who elect them, but the corporations who finance them. They answer not to their constituents, but to the lobbyists who line their pockets and fill their campaign coffers.
http://truthwire.wordpress.com/tag/patriot-act/

news on tv today says anchorage alaska is experiencing a huge employment boom.surprised i didnt see that in the list.

Norway is monarchy. King royal family and all that. Not my thing.

Nice list.. thanx for the info. I work with people from all over and most citizens I have spoken to from places like France and Switzerland or even Great Britain totally dont understand our healthcare or our 'credit' system. I tried to explain to a french girl why you had to have debts to have credit,, or in otherwords , you have to show you paid what you owed by some type of paper trail of credit or banking. I also tried explaining to a brit why we start our kids out in the world in so much DEBT after college....America has alot of potential and plenty of wonderful things going on,, but we really do need to work on our humanity towards our own.

All the best countries to live in are liberal countries

Not Republicans for sure .

D.P.

Hopefully, this will make the supporters of Government health care want to move to Norway and leave me and my money alone!

Its true. All the countries that it names in the article as being the best places to live are liberal countries. The conservative countries are all wartorn and/or poverty stricken.

"Norway, Australia, Iceland, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Switzerland and Japan."


All liberal countries!!!

Ya know I have great health insurance I pay 66 bucks a month for medical my company pays the rest I have a ten dollar co-pay. Insurance companies have been jacking the prices for years. What a an accomplishment for the insurance PR firms to paint themselves in a good light. What I think what most people do not understand is that the investing class( the same people who you work for) are heavily vested in medical and insurance stocks so every tiime the rate goes up and they increase your cost their dividend also goes up. its a win win for them to continue to raise your insurance premiums.

adopt me and get me on your plan daddy

It is 66 bucks for a family plan for me and my kids so one more wouldnt cost a dime, however three years ago I paid nothing for my plan it was all company funded. the rates have gone up so much we are now tied into the cost increases from the time of our last contract so it will go up every time they raise the premiums.

I need your plan. luckily my son is under his dad's

I dont understand why if the government cant run anything why are the insurance companies so afraid of the public option. If you think about the costs of un insured, co pays, premiums company costs and all the administrative costs involved if you take all that money your paying anyhow and call it a tax and they can get costs under control why in the hell wont universal health care work? Il tell ya why you will take out the middle man makeing a fortune and they will not allow it! They own the papers and dominate the debate with their verry loud media voice and they will continue to screw us over as long as we let them!