America Left Behind?
By Hoppie Dawson
Is happiness measured by money? If it is, then one can argue that America is the 2nd best country in the world to live in with a GDP per capita (PPP US$) of 41,890 (that’s the average yearly income of one person in US dollars, adjusted for price differences between countries). Luxembourg would take 1st place with 60,228, and Norway would maintain a close 3rd with 41,420.
However, according to the Human Development Report, published annually by the UN, other factors take precedence over material prosperity. The HDR ranks 177 countries by their Human Development Index (HDI), which not only looks at a country’s GDP, but compiles the GDP with other statistics, including life expectancy, literacy rate, and enrollment in secondary and tertiary education. The final HDI score is meant to reflect a country’s overall potential to offer its people development.
While America ranks 2nd in straight GDP, it takes a shocking 12th place in HDI with a score of 0.951, as noted in the 2007/2008 Human Development Report (the statistics for which are from 2005). Therefore, one can argue that America is the 12th best country to live in. So what are the eleven countries with higher HDI’s? The ranking proceeds thusly:
11th Finland (with an HDI value of 0.952)
10th France (0.952)
9th Netherlands (0.953)
8th Japan (0.953)
7th Switzerland (0.955)
6th Sweden (0.956)
5th Ireland (0.959)
4th Canada (0.961)
3rd Australia (0.962)
2nd Norway (0.968)
1st Iceland (0.968)All but three are European countries, and four of the five Scandinavian countries are in the top eleven, with Denmark not far behind at 14th. This makes Scandinavia presumably the best region in the world to live in (if you don’t mind the weather a bit nippy).
So, how did America, often presumed the best nation on Earth, fail to make even the top 10? Well, in 1996, the United States held the respectable position of 3rd, but every year, more countries jump ahead, leaving America in 6th in 2002, 8th in 2004, and 12th in 2005. Has America’s HDI value been decreasing? No, actually it’s been rising steadily from .867 in 1975 (the first HDI score) to .901 in ‘85, .929 in ’95, and of course .951 in 2005.
However, many other countries are increasing their HDI values at a greater rate. Norway (#1 in 2004 and now tied with Iceland) overtook the US in HDI value in 1995 and has been widening the gap ever since, and many other countries are now doing the same thing. Why? Because although there is only one country with a higher GDP than America’s, there are 15 countries with a higher education index (a composite score of a country’s ability to educate its citizens), including the Republic of Korea, and there are 29 countries with a higher life expectancy index, including the United Arab Emirates.
But, setting aside human development, what other interesting statistics does the UN collect? Well, out of the top 30 ranking countries for HDI, America has by far the highest homicide rate: 5.6 homicides per 100,000 people, followed by Switzerland with 2.9. Japan and Singapore have the lowest rates, both at 0.5. Accurate measurements couldn’t be taken in many countries, but the highest measured homicide rate in the world is 62.7, and it belongs to Colombia. The United States also has a higher infant mortality rate, 6 deaths per 1,000 live births, than any country in the top 29 of HDI scores, with Iceland having the lowest rate of 2, and the majority of the countries having 4 or 5. Sierra Leone has the highest in the world: 165 (also the country with the lowest HDI score). Should you be concerned about America’s HDR? That depends on how much stake you put into the UN’s statistics.