AiR
Forum Addict
https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2009/10/05/afp_logo.gif ? 52 minutes ago
PARIS ? 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.
https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2009/10/05/logo_reuters_media_us.gif
BANGKOK, Oct 5 - Norway has retained its status as the world's most desirable country to live in, according to U.N. data released on Monday, which ranks sub-Saharan African states afflicted by war and HIV/AIDS as the least attractive places.
Data collected prior to the global economic crisis showed people in Norway, Australia and Iceland had the best living standards, while Niger, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone scored worst in terms of human development.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) index was compiled using 2007 data on GDP per capita, education, and life expectancy, and showed marked differences between the developed and developing world.
"Despite significant improvements over time, progress has been uneven," UNDP said in a statement.
"Many countries have experienced setbacks over recent decades, in the face of economic downturns, conflict-related crises and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and this was even before the impact of the global economic crisis was felt."
Life expectancy in Niger was 50, about 30 years shorter than Norway, according to the index. For every dollar earned per person in Niger, $85 was earned in Norway.
Half the people in the poorest 24 countries were illiterate, compared to 20 percent in nations classed as having medium levels of human development, the index showed.
Japanese people lived longer than others, to 82.7 years on average, with life expectancy in war-ravaged Afghanistan just 43.6 years.
Liechtenstein has the highest GDP per capita at $85,383 in a tiny principality home to 35,000 people, 15 banks and more than 100 wealth management companies.
People were poorest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where average income per person was $298 per year.
Five countries -- China, Venezuela, Peru, Colombia and France -- climbed three or more places from the previous year, driven by greater earnings and longer life expectancy. China, Colombia and Venezuela also scored better due to improvements in education.
UNDP, which has published the index annually since 1990, said human development had improved globally by 15 percent since 1980, with China, Iran and Nepal the biggest climbers in the chart.
Reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by Jason Szep and Ron Popeski
Please excuse the one-liners. I wonder where Iceland will end up next year, they have been hit very hard by the economic downturn. Norway of course will remain #1 as always, I have no doubt. Until the oil runs out. But even then the cheerful norwegians will feel morsom.
Code:
[U]Full list[/U]
1.Norway
2.Australia
3.Iceland
4.Canada
5.Ireland
6.Netherlands
7.Sweden
8.France
9.Switzerland
10.Japan
11.Luxembourg
12.Finland
13.United States
14.Austria
15.Spain
16.Denmark
17.Belgium
18.Italy
19.Liechtenstein
20.New Zealand
21.United Kingdom
22.Germany
23.Singapore
24.Hong Kong, China (SAR)
25.Greece
26.Korea (Republic of)
27.Israel
28.Andorra
29.Slovenia
30.Brunei Darussalam
31.Kuwait
32.Cyprus
33.Qatar
34.Portugal
35.United Arab Emirates
36.Czech Republic
37.Barbados
38.Malta
39.Bahrain
40.Estonia
41.Poland
42.Slovakia
43.Hungary
44.Chile
45.Croatia
46.Lithuania
47.Antigua and Barbuda
48.Latvia
49.Argentina
50.Uruguay
51.Cuba
52.Bahamas
53.Mexico
54.Costa Rica
55.Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
56.Oman
57.Seychelles
58.Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
59.Saudi Arabia
60.Panama
61.Bulgaria
62.Saint Kitts and Nevis
63.Romania
64.Trinidad and Tobago
65.Montenegro
66.Malaysia
67.Serbia
68.Belarus
69.Saint Lucia
70.Albania
71.Russian Federation
72.Macedonia (the Former Yugoslav Rep of)
73.Dominica
74.Grenada
75.Brazil
76.Bosnia and Herzegovina
77.Colombia
78.Peru
79.Turkey
80.Ecuador
81.Mauritius
82.Kazakhstan
83.Lebanon
84.Armenia
85.Ukraine
86.Azerbaijan
87.Thailand
88.Iran (Islamic Republic of)
89.Georgia
90.Dominican Republic
91.Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
92.China
93.Belize
94.Samoa
95.Maldives
96.Jordan
97.Suriname
98.Tunisia
99.Tonga
100.Jamaica
101.Paraguay
102.Sri Lanka
103.Gabon
104.Algeria
105.Philippines
106.El Salvador
107.Syrian Arab Republic
108.Fiji
109.Turkmenistan
110.Occupied Palestinian Territories
111.Indonesia
112.Honduras
113.Bolivia
114.Guyana
115.Mongolia
116.Viet Nam
117.Moldova
118.Equatorial Guinea
119.Uzbekistan
120.Kyrgyzstan
121.Cape Verde
122.Guatemala
123.Egypt
124.Nicaragua
125.Botswana
126.Vanuatu
127.Tajikistan
128.Namibia
129.South Africa
130.Morocco
131.Sao Tome and Principe
132.Bhutan
133.Lao People?s Democratic Republic
134.India
135.Solomon Islands
136.Congo
137.Cambodia
138.Myanmar
139.Comoros
140.Yemen
141.Pakistan
142.Swaziland
143.Angola
144.Nepal
145.Madagascar
146.Bangladesh
147.Kenya
148.Papua New Guinea
149.Haiti
150.Sudan
151.Tanzania (United Republic of)
152.Ghana
153.Cameroon
154.Mauritania
155.Djibouti
156.Lesotho
157.Uganda
158.Nigeria
159.Togo
160.Malawi
161.Benin
162.Timor-Leste
163.C?te d?Ivoire
164.Zambia
165.Eritrea
166.Senegal
167.Rwanda
168.Gambia
169.Liberia
170.Guinea
171.Ethiopia
172.Mozambique
173.Guinea-Bissau
174.Burundi
175.Chad
176.Congo (Democratic Rep of the)
177.Burkina Faso
178.Mali
179.Central African Republic
180.Sierra Leone
181.Afghanistan
182.Niger
Last edited: