People experience different quality of life in different countries. The Where-To-Be-Born Index measures which country provides the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in the years ahead. Basically, what the best countries to be born in are.
How to measure quality of life?
According to the The Economist Intelligence Unit, the independent variables to measure quality of life include:
– Material well-being (measured by GDP per capita).
– Life expectancy at birth.
– The quality of family life (based primarily on divorce rates).
– The state of political freedom.
– Job security (measured by the unemployment rate).
– Climate (measured by two variables: the average deviation of minimum and maximum monthly temperatures from 14 degrees Celsius, and the number of months in the year with less than 30 mm rainfall).
– Personal physical security ratings (based primarily on recorded homicide rates and ratings for risk from crime and terrorism).
– Quality of community life (based on membership in social organizations).
– Governance (measured by ratings for corruption).
– Gender equality (measured by the share of seats in parliament held by women).
The Where-To-Be-Born Index
The Where-To-Be-Born Index included data from 80 countries and territories.
Those who live in the countries with high-quality of life must care about maintaining their lifestyle. They must also be aware that other people, living elsewhere in the world, may not live as comfortably as they do. In 2013, the ten countries and regions with the highest quality of life included: Switzerland, Australia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Singapore, New Zealand, Netherlands, Canada and Hong Kong.
In contrary, those who live in the countries with low quality of life should do their best to improve living standards, economic well-being and emotional stability. According to The Economist, the ten countries with the lowest quality of life included: Nigeria, Kenya, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Angola, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Syria, Russia and Indonesia.
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No matter in which country you were born, you should always learn from others, find out about their successes and mistakes to continuously improve quality of your life.
Life may not necessarily be easier, if you are born in ‘the right country’, but always do your best to find suitable opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in your years ahead.