Ratings of the countries of the world according to various indicators. Where is the best place to live: ranking of living standards in different countries of the world
Tourists like to overestimate the quality of life abroad, going there for the purpose of recreation. However, upon closer acquaintance, it turns out that the situation is not at all ideal: high taxes, crime and unemployment are invisible to visitors, but create significant problems for permanent residents. Therefore, several decades ago, scientists found a way to objectively assess the comfort of citizens of the state. To do this, a rating of the standard of living is used, with which you can compare the well-being of different countries of the world.
This integrated indicator is the average result of all those factors that affect a person:
What affects the quality of life?
The more data is taken into account, the more objectively the statistics of the standard of living in the world reflects the real picture. The data are evaluated annually, in December, by several statistical agencies at once. Information for 2019 will appear later, but for now you can see the results of 2016-2018.
In which countries do citizens live the best?
I would like to warn you right away that it is not always worth focusing on this information when choosing a direction for the upcoming emigration. When moving, comfort largely depends on the economic condition, the availability of state assistance for foreigners. An important role is also played by the attitude of the indigenous population towards visitors, the uniqueness of local traditions, which can be difficult to get used to, and differences in mentality.
- Norway has been in first place for 4 years now. This result is due to two main reasons: significant revenues to the treasury (taxes and profits from the sale of oil) and efficient spending of funds (the system of social support for citizens). Here, cheap housing, high-quality insurance medicine, soft loans for education.
- Sweden is in second place. There are no oil fields here, but a stable economy and low corruption make the kingdom a great place to live.
- Canada is in third place, which is puzzling to some experts. There is a well-developed health care, decent benefits, and the problem of unemployment, in principle, does not exist. Canada is not only not affected by the economic crisis, but even lacks workers. As a result, qualified foreigners are invited here for employment.
- Belgium is a typical European power with a strong economy and a pleasant climate.
- Australia is in this list only in 5th place, although according to the UN its position is second, right after Norway. Of the shortcomings, citizens note only public transport, which is poorly developed, while other aspects - medicine, education, taxes and social benefits - are at their best. On the coast, where most Australians live, the climate is pleasant, and to attract migrants, even a special point system and a financial assistance program for qualified specialists have been created.
The top countries in terms of living standards also included other powers:
- The United States is largely due to economic performance, since Americans themselves are dissatisfied with the quality of life;
- the Netherlands, where crime is so low that authorities rent out prisons to house prisoners from France;
- Iceland, where there is a high life expectancy and the highest percentage of young people who graduated from universities and are employed in their specialty;
- Switzerland;
- Finland;
- Great Britain;
- France;
- Denmark;
- Australia.
African republics close this list: Nigeria, Congo, Chad, Sudan - hunger, poverty, disease and unemployment are combined with low development of democracy, rights and freedoms of citizens. A civil war is going on in Nigeria, and in Sudan a religious conflict ended not so long ago with the formation of two independent republics - North and South.
Rating of states for migration
In this case, you should pay attention to another list: the ranking of the standard of living of the countries of the world in relation to emigrants. British scientists who work under the HSBC program annually determine the top countries for professionals who want to change their place of residence. Of course, there are alternative programs, for example, in the illustration below, data from Expat Insider.
To those criteria that are taken into account to determine the highest standard of living in the world, others are added: the availability of specialized programs for the employment of migrants, free language courses, the difficulty of adapting to the traditions accepted in society. An important role is also played by the way the population treats foreigners. Hostile residents can negate all the benefits of moving, as no one likes to be humiliated.
The latest results of this study are rather surprising. For example, South Africa is in 15th place, and Turkey is in 11th place, although their positions are much weaker in the overall ranking. 14th, 13th and 12th positions respectively are occupied by New Zealand, Qatar and the USA. The United Arab Emirates (9th place in the list) and Qatar are attractive thanks to decent salaries. However, religious traditions, puritanical customs and a special mentality make it difficult for visitors to adapt.
The top 10, along with included both developed powers (Belgium, Canada, Australia, Germany), and the Russian Federation, which took 7th place in the list. This may be due to the fact that the vast majority of migrants arrived in Russia from Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan), where living conditions are much worse. In addition, migration policy plays an important role: the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is loyal to migrants, so the procedure for processing documents is simple.
Hong Kong and Singapore (10th and 3rd respectively) should be visited by careerists who are able to literally burn at work. Visitors note excellent prospects for professional development, but many do not have enough free time, weekends and vacations. Some do not withstand the nervous tension and come back.
The absolute leader was the People's Republic of China. The communist system that exists here restricts human rights, so foreigners have to get used to life without google and facebook, and turn a blind eye to the death penalty. On the other hand, the crisis did not affect this state at all, and the sharp rise in Chinese industry a couple of years ago was the subject of surprise for economists from all over the world. Rapid development requires many specialists who are offered good pay.
Where is Russia in terms of living standards?
2016-2019 proved to be difficult for the Russian economy. Russia quickly managed to cope with the consequences of the financial crisis of 2008 thanks to the sharply increased prices for minerals - gas and oil. Profit from the sale for a long time formed the basis of the state budget, pensions, social payments and salaries of officials grew, utilities were cheap. However, last year these reasons led to an equally sharp decline in well-being.
The fact is that oil prices directly depend on the amount of this product on the market. The more oil is produced, the lower its price falls - this is the law of supply and demand. The budget of the oil monarchies of the Arabian Gulf (UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia) has a very low production cost. Therefore, these kingdoms can afford to extract a lot of oil. Although the price of it falls, they make up for the loss by selling more. The OPEC organization, which controls the extraction of this resource, made several attempts to regulate production, but they were unsuccessful. The Russian Federation spends more money on the extraction of the resource, so it cannot compensate for the cheapness by increasing sales. Therefore, revenues to the treasury have fallen significantly, and when the situation will change remains unknown.
This factor, as well as European sanctions, has led to the fact that the standard of living in Russia in 2020 is unlikely to improve significantly compared to the result of 2019. According to the Legatum Institute list, the Russian Federation is in 91st place, slightly ahead of Laos, Tajikistan and Namibia and behind Moldova, Guatemala, Jordan. The lowest indicators are the efficiency of the state apparatus (99th place), low incomes (95th position), crime (92nd place). But education is still in the top - 35th place.
The United Nations uses another metric to compile a similar ranking: the Human Development Index of nations. According to these data, Russia belongs to the powers with a high HDI and is inferior to Belarus, but significantly ahead of Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and other republics, which the Legatum Institute recognizes as more attractive for life.
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Poverty is not a vice, but it affects the ranking of countries in terms of living standards. Although the phrase from the Russian classics says that “it is good where we are not” - by no means, far from everywhere. There are many places where the standard of living is low. But there are also enough countries confirming this postulate. If we talk about Russia, then in 2019 it is located approximately in the middle of this “table of ranks”.
How is the ranking of countries in terms of living standards and what does it mean
The standard of living is not so easy to calculate, scientists study the needs of a person - physiological (nutrition), intellectual (spiritual sphere) and social (social activity). All together is called the Human Development Index (HDI). Also take into account climatic conditions and ecology. The level of security, freedom of enterprise, the quality of education are also important criteria in the ranking. Since 1990, the UN has been publishing a special report that contains detailed information about the quality of life of people in various countries of the world.
The tools for determining the standard of living of the population were invented in the countries of the civilized world, and therefore the states at the bottom of the list do not always agree with their position in the ranking. This, in particular, explains the fact that the ranking of countries in terms of living standards may not coincide with the ranking of the level of happiness: for example, Costa Rica, which is in 63rd place in terms of living standards, ranks 13th in the world in terms of happiness - the inhabitants of this country feel happy, although by European standards they lack libraries. By the standards of Costa Ricans, they are quite satisfied with what they have.
Ranking of countries by standard of living
Australia closes the top three with high employment and a quality healthcare system.
- Ireland,
- Germany,
- Iceland,
- Hong Kong (China),
- Sweden,
- Singapore,
- Netherlands.
Russia could have taken a higher place in the ranking, but the standard of living was seriously affected by changes in the oil market and sanctions from a number of states. As a result: the complication of the economic situation and the depreciation of the ruble.
In 2019, Russia is ranked 153rd in terms of freedom of enterprise, 154th in terms of security, and 34th in terms of the quality of education.
Close the list:
- Mozambique,
- Liberia,
- Mali
- Burkina Faso,
- Sierra Leone,
- Burundi,
- South Sudan,
- Central African Republic,
- Nigeria.
The richest and poorest countries
The standard of living does not necessarily coincide with the level of wealth or poverty. One of the main criteria for assessing the wealth of the state is GDP per capita.
The richest countries in 2019 by GDP per capita:
- Qatar. With a tiny size of the state and a small population, so much oil is produced here that every inhabitant is already considered wealthy from the moment of his birth, despite the fact that he has not created or earned anything yet.
- Luxembourg. Gives odds to other European countries in terms of welfare. Although here, as in Qatar, you can live without working: this situation is provided by the offshore zone and mines with minerals.
- Macau. Low taxes and comprehensive support for entrepreneurship have provided Macau with a worthy place in the list of the richest countries in the world.
The top ten richest also included:
- Liechtenstein,
- Singapore,
- Bermuda,
- Isle Of Man,
- Brunei,
- Monaco,
- Kuwait
In terms of absolute GDP
USA
The United States of America took the honorable first line in the ranking of the richest countries in 2019 in terms of absolute GDP.
China
Not so long ago, China occupied the first line of the rating, but due to recent changes in the labor market, the state suspended the pace of economic growth.
Japan
“Land of the Rising Sun” over the past decades has firmly established itself on the pedestal of a supplier of innovative technologies. Japan has a high standard of living and extremely low unemployment.
Germany
The German economy is the largest economy in Europe. Today, the GDP exceeds 4,171,000 million US dollars.
Great Britain
The UK economy experienced strong growth in 2019. Production has intensified, which undoubtedly affected the absolute indicator of the country's GDP.
At the same time, experts expect the UK's position to deteriorate by the end of the year. This is associated with Brexit and the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union. Since the country's economy is focused on European partners, the gap with the EU can quite significantly hit the sector of small and medium-sized businesses, due to which the UK's GDP has grown in recent years.
- France,
- India,
- Italy,
- Brazil.
- Marshall Islands,
- Nauru,
- Tuvalu.
The rating indicators are directly affected by migration policy and the influx of refugees from the Middle East and Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan and others): the very presence of hundreds and thousands of people who are not adapted to European standards with their own mentality, religion and traditions leads to a decrease in the feeling of comfort among the indigenous population . If we take into account the fact that the host country is obliged to provide him with at least some kind of benefit, it will become clear that the level of per capita income will inevitably decrease: in every developed country of the European Union, although funds are included in the budget to support migrants, but they were not at all designed for migration in such a volume.
The poorest countries
The poorest countries in the world are predominantly on the African continent.
Liberia
It ranked first. Here, the income per person is $300 per year. Epidemics of disease, hunger and poverty are a pattern common to the poorest nations. With high mortality, there is also a high birth rate. The ongoing attempts to control the birth rate do not give any special results, so, unfortunately, there is no hope that the picture will change for the better.
Congo
African country. After the state finally gained independence, it sank to the threshold of extreme poverty. The Congo supplies 80% of uranium ore to the world market, the main trading partners are the USA, Italy, France, despite this fact, the population is not interested in improving their own well-being, relying only on subsidies from other states.
Eritrea
An African state located on the coast of the Red Sea. Most of the population is engaged in agriculture. GDP per capita is extremely small and is about $400.
Burundi
One of the poorest countries in the world, despite the fact that it annually receives subsidies from the richest countries in the world: the USA, Great Britain, etc. Burundi is among the least developed countries in the world.
- Zimbabwe
- Nigeria
- Central African Republic
- Malawi
- Madagascar
Top countries for investors and entrepreneurs
Another important parameter in assessing the standard of living in various countries of the world is the rating for investors and large entrepreneurs. The emergence of new enterprises and additional financial resources has a positive effect on the country's economy, the level of income of its citizens.
Before making a decision to invest in a foreign country, a potential investor carefully analyzes his possible dividends and losses, evaluates the following parameters:
- level of development and freedom of the market. In countries that adhere to the principle of an open market, it is much more comfortable to work, it is impossible to face monopolists and black competitors;
- safety. The state provides maximum security to investors and large entrepreneurs from criminals, risks of losing investments and other adverse factors;
- income. The richer the country's population is, the more investment attractive it will be. This is primarily due to the fact that, having a normal income, citizens ensure the constant consumption of goods and services of the investor, bringing him income;
- business costs. The most sought-after investment destinations will be those countries where the cost of production and the overall cost of doing business will be low. Thanks to this parameter, in recent years Russia has increased its popularity among investors. Relatively cheap resources combined with highly skilled workers and relatively low wages (in dollars) attract many foreign investors.
According to this criterion, the ranking of countries is headed by the United States. The United States has been a consistent leader in investor preference over the past 5 years. Following are Switzerland, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Canada and Austria. Sweden closes the TOP-10.
The last places in the ranking are traditionally occupied by the countries of the African continent. Investors here are waiting for a high level of risk, often not justifying possible financial returns. Also, the small island states of Oceania are distinguished by low interest from investors. Due to the fact that they are remote from the main trade routes, even the creation of comfortable conditions for doing business cannot compensate for the high cost of products and additional costs for their transportation.
The most comfortable countries for pensioners to live
The ranking of countries by standard of living in 2019 takes into account the quality of life of pensioners and elderly citizens. Often, wealthy older people are looking for regions for a quiet life with favorable environmental conditions.
Among all countries of the world, the most comfortable conditions for the life of pensioners are created in Northern Europe, Australia and the USA. Topping the list are Norway, Australia and Iceland. At the lowest positions of the country of Africa.
Happiness Level
The level of happiness is a measure of how satisfied people are with their lives. The less a person has confidence in the future, the lower he determines the level of happiness. Affects the rating and the level of security.
Residents of Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, and Australia consider themselves the happiest.
African countries are at the lowest positions in the ranking in terms of happiness. Also, the lowest levels of happiness in those countries where there are military conflicts - Syria in 2019 ranked seventh from the bottom, only residents of Rwanda, Yemen, Tanzania, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Burundi are less happy.
The best kindergartens
An important point in determining the well-being of society is its attitude towards children. It is believed that the better the kindergartens, the better the people live. Although each country has its own view of what is good for a child and what is bad. But one thing is irrelevant: the fewer children in kindergarten there are per teacher, the better.
In the US, one teacher looks after five children, and in the nursery even less: two children per teacher. Reason: only those little Americans go to kindergartens whose mothers work, but cannot hire a nanny.
In Egypt, the picture is strictly opposite: the group is about forty people, but they will take more if there is nowhere to put the child. This is a painting in a public garden. In private groups are small, but a day in such an institution costs $ 3 per day. And in the state - five per year. Therefore, most Egyptian children spend their childhood joyfully and in a big company.
Japanese kindergartens are considered the best in the world, but here, on the one hand, everything is allowed to the child - a kind of disobedience holiday. He can run, jump, fall, get dirty - let him understand from his own experience what is possible and what is not. And on the other hand, not a person is brought up, but a member of the team. This is what Japanese society is built on.
An interesting fact: in Japan, boys are required to wear shorts in both winter and summer in kindergarten. It is believed that this tempers a man.
European kindergartens are very peculiar. In many countries, there is no hot food in kindergartens, and in Germany, the youngest are fed fast food. At the same time, kindergarten fees can be up to a third of the average salary.
The standard of living in the most general sense is the well-being of the population, an indicator of the satisfaction of spiritual and financial needs. The standard of living is quite difficult to calculate and measure, but scientists were able to rank countries according to this indicator. A strong economy, effective control levers in political and social life provide such countries as the USA, Germany, Great Britain with high positions. The poor African countries with a weak political apparatus and an inefficient economic system occupy the last places.
It is time to review and update our world rankings. Traditionally, we will compare countries by the level of healthcare, the convenience of starting and doing business, the level of prosperity and quality of life. Which states have become more comfortable for life, which ones have pulled ahead, and which ones are lagging behind. And what is the place of Russia in all these ratings? So, the ranking of the countries of the world is 2019.
In 2015, UN delegates approved the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)) - a set of global goals for international cooperation and domestic development.
The Lancet, an international medical journal, measured progress on 41 health-related SDG indicators (such as child and infant mortality, HIV, hepatitis B, malaria, tuberculosis, suicide rates, alcohol and tobacco use, etc.) in 195 countries around the world . The last report for 2017 was released in November 2018. The results of the study are presented in the image.
Top 25 healthiest countries according to The lancet
Singapore is closest to meeting health and healthcare-related development goals, according to The Lancet. The most serious problems remaining there are childhood obesity and hepatitis B.
The average world value of this index is 59.4. On the right is a chart of index values by years, with a forecast until 2030.
Russia occupies 111th position in this list, the result is slightly below the “average”. The most negative impact on the results of the study was the statistics of suicides and the death rate from unintentional poisoning. In addition, the statistics are dragged down by the rate of new HIV infections, alcohol and tobacco consumption, murders, and the indicator of child sexual abuse that appeared in the latest study.
It should be noted that the results of this study are not "ultimate truth". Since objectivity depends not only on the researchers, but also on the methodology, which is constantly changing.
The most striking example would be the change in alcohol consumption rates. So in a similar table for 2015 there were only 3 “alcoholic” countries: Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Their indicators were in the "red zone" (Belarus, in general, had 0). According to the results of 2017, many more countries fell into the red zone (the reddest column on the first slide). Literally "drunk" countries such as: Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Luxembourg, Estonia, Lithuania and Romania.
New indices, like the "indicator of sexual abuse of children" can hardly be considered objective, due to insufficient representativeness of the data, especially for the CIS countries, Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Rating of the quality and accessibility of healthcare
For a more complete picture, it is worth looking at the HAQ (Healthcare Access and Quality) index measured by The Lancet - an index of the quality and accessibility of healthcare. From the data published in May 2018 for 2016, the following table was obtained:
Place | Country | HAQ Index | Place | Country | HAQ Index |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Iceland | 87 0 (85 6 to 88 5) | 14 | Canada | 83 2 (82 2 to 84 1) |
2 | Norway | 84 0 (82 9 to 85 1) | 15 | Belgium | 80 7 (79 4 to 82 2) |
3 | Netherlands | 84 1 (82 8 to 85 4) | 16 | New Zealand | 80 2 (79 2 to 81 4) |
4 | Luxembourg | 81 4 (79 7 to 83 0) | 17 | Denmark | 81 1 (79 3 to 82 7) |
5 | Australia | 83 9 (83 0 to 84 7) | 18 | Germany | 78 9 (77 5 to 80 6) |
6 | Finland | 81 0 (79 8 to 82 3) | 19 | Spain | 76 2 (75 2 to 77 2) |
7 | Switzerland | 86 8 (85 2 to 88 2) | 20 | France | 77 6 (76 4 to 79 1) |
8 | Sweden | 85 2 (84 2 to 86 2) | 21 | Slovenia | 74 1 (72 2 to 76 1) |
9 | Italy | 81 5 (80 6 to 82 4) | 22 | Singapore | 69 2 (66 5 to 72 0) |
10 | Andorra | 84 7 (79 5 to 89 3) | 23 | UK | 78 0 (77 1 to 78 6) |
11 | Ireland | 76 3 (74 9 to 77 5) | 24 | Greece | 79 5 (78 4 to 80 5) |
12 | Japan | 80 9 (80 3 to 81 7) | 25 | Cyprus | 68 3 (66 3 to 70 5) |
13 | Austria | 80 9 (79 9 to 82 2) | 58 | Russia | 63 1 (60 6 to 65 4) |
France took 37th place, China - 88th, by the way, one position lower than Kazakhstan. Belarus is in 118th place, and Ukraine is in 130th.
According to the index of accessibility and quality of health care, the United States took 29th position, Israel - 35th, Belarus - 46th, China - 48th.
Russia ranked 58th, followed by Ukraine - 59th and Turkey - 60th.
Both studies assessed 195 countries. The last place in both tables is occupied by the Central African Republic.
TOP 20 best countries for business
The financial magazine Forbes has been ranking the best countries for business for the 13th time.
Forbs evaluates the world's economies on 15 criteria, including corruption, technology, innovation, property rights, tax policy, red tape, personal, financial and commercial freedom, and investment protection. The risks for the economy, the level of infrastructure development, labor resources, the level of quality of life and the volume of the domestic market are also assessed.
Data is taken from reports by Freedom House, the Property Rights Alliance, the United Nations, the Heritage Foundation, Transparency International, Marsh & McLennan, the World Economic Forum and the World Bank Group.
This year, the first place, like a year ago, was taken by the UK.
"The UK has a globalized economy that is more open than most of the world in terms of trade, investment, capital flows and, until recently, immigration", says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's.
Sweden moved up two places to rank second in 2019. Its business climate has earned high marks for low corruption, low risk, property rights, and innovation. The public debt-to-GDP ratio in Sweden dropped from 80% in 1995 to 41% in 2018.
The top 5 countries for business according to Forbes also included Hong Kong, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
Rank | Country | GDP growth | GDP per capita | Rank | Country | GDP growth | GDP per capita |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United Kingdom | 1.7% | $ 39700 | 11 | Ireland | 7.2% | $ 69300 |
2 | Sweden | 2.1% | $ 53400 | 12 | Taiwan | 2.9% | $ 24300 |
3 | Hong Kong | 3.8% | $ 46200 | 13 | Finland | 2.8% | $ 45700 |
4 | Netherlands | 2.9% | $ 48200 | 14 | Germany | 2.5% | $ 44500 |
5 | New Zealand | 3% | $ 42900 | 15 | Norway | 1.9% | $ 75500 |
6 | Canada | 3% | $ 45000 | 16 | South Korea | 3.1% | $ 29700 |
7 | Denmark | 2.3% | $ 56300 | 17 | United States | 2.2% | $ 59500 |
8 | Singapore | 3.6% | $ 57700 | 18 | Spain | 3% | $ 28200 |
9 | Australia | 2.2% | $ 53800 | 19 | Japan | 1.7% | $ 38400 |
10 | Switzerland | 1.7% | $ 80200 | 20 | Belgium | 1.7% | $ 43300 |
China was ranked 49th, Kazakhstan ranked 65th, Ukraine - 77th, and Belarus - 88th.
Russia in 2019, like a year ago, is in 55th place, followed by Serbia and Turkey.
Data from the country profile, in the Forbes business rating
In terms of freedom of trade, Russia is in 82nd place, and in terms of financial freedom, it is in 151st position. In terms of corruption, the Russian Federation ranked 123rd, in terms of investor protection - 56th, in terms of taxation - 48th.
Doing business
In the World Bank's Doing Business rating, Russia this year ranked 31st (according to the main indicator - ease of doing business), ahead of France, Holland, Switzerland and Japan. The last 2 countries were also ahead of Belarus, taking 37th place (Switzerland - 38, Japan -39).
According to the World Bank, the best country for doing business (without taking into account additional criteria, such as economic growth) is New Zealand, where it is easiest to open a business and run a business, as well as register property and get a loan. With taxes, the easiest thing is in Hong Kong.
The most prosperous countries in the world
Since 2007, The Legatum Institute, a British non-profit organization, has been publishing a ranking of countries according to the Prosperity Index ™. The index takes into account the level of education, healthcare, personal freedoms, ecology, government and, of course, the business climate and the state of the economy. A total of 149 countries are assessed.
According to the November 2018 report, global prosperity continues to grow and is at its highest level in 2018. The average score has increased by 15 places since 2007. Since 2013, 113 countries have improved their prosperity scores, and since last year, 95 countries have improved their scores. However, this improvement is not spread evenly across all countries.
The gap between the biggest and smallest numbers has been growing steadily since 2013, and in 2018 the gap was the biggest of all time. 36 countries worsened their performance compared to 2017.
Top 20 most prosperous countries according to The Legatum Institute in 2019 looks like this:
Top 20 most prosperous countries according to Legatum
Graph of Russia's positions in the ranking by years.
Russia scored highest in education and business, and scored the lowest in Personal Freedom. The biggest positive change was in social capital, which moved up 16 places from last year. In the field of security and protection of the Russian Federation, they dropped by 18 places.
It should be noted that the results of the Legatum study must be assessed through the prism of politics, as the reports repeatedly use clichés like: "communist past", "Putin's Russia", etc. However, this applies to many English-speaking organizations and media.
Ranking of countries in the world in terms of living standards
As part of the United Nations Development Programme, the Human Development Report Office (HDRO), annually since 1990, has published a Human Development Report for all UN member states. The main indicator from this report is the HDI (HDI) - the human development index.
To calculate the HDI, the Bureau summarizes 3 indicators:
- Longevity (life expectancy)
- Level of education (average number of years of study)
- Standard of living (measured by gross national income (GNI) per capita at purchasing power parity).
The HDI summarizes and reflects only part of what human development entails. It does not reflect inequality, poverty, human security, empowerment, etc.
The table below shows the top 20 countries with the highest Human Development Index, according to the latest 2018 report.
Human Development Index (HDI) | Life expectancy at birth | Expected years of study | Gross National Income (GNI) per per capita | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HDI rank | Country | Meaning | (years) | (years) | (2011 PPP$) | ||||
VERY HIGH HUMAN DEVELOPMENT | |||||||||
1 | Norway | 0.95252201967582 | 82.328 | 17.85206 | 68012.49292 | ||||
2 | Switzerland | 0.94399757027812 | 83.473 | 16.20882 | 57625.06971 | ||||
3 | Australia | 0.93863128510657 | 83.068 | 22.92125 | 43560.05774 | ||||
4 | Ireland | 0.93841005899506 | 81.643 | 19.61374 | 53754.18626 | ||||
5 | Germany | 0.93604342015496 | 81.178 | 16.95598 | 46135.84754 | ||||
6 | Iceland | 0.93487925176182 | 82.912 | 19.34788 | 45810.19585 | ||||
7 | Hong Kong, China (SAR) | 0.9325829144337 | 84.097 | 16.32567 | 58419.70992 | ||||
7 | Sweden | 0.93280454926939 | 82.625 | 17.63459695 | 47765.65603 | ||||
9 | Singapore | 0.93204160643221 | 83.218 | 16.2 | 82503.12701 | ||||
10 | Netherlands | 0.93063859254565 | 82.005 | 18.04483 | 47899.76157 | ||||
11 | Denmark | 0.92947411111012 | 80.878 | 19.06606 | 47918.49167 | ||||
12 | Canada | 0.92595239850072 | 82.541 | 16.43739864 | 43433.16672 | ||||
13 | United States | 0.92391358872462 | 79.541 | 16.46821 | 54941.10929 | ||||
14 | United Kingdom | 0.92154892233941 | 81.717 | 17.4429 | 39116.31163 | ||||
15 | Finland | 0.91965277545545 | 81.496 | 17.6396565 | 41002.27094 | ||||
16 | New Zealand | 0.91668762945436 | 82.038 | 18.86506 | 33969.73999 | ||||
17 | Belgium | 0.91606603684458 | 81.303 | 19.7624 | 42156.37247 | ||||
17 | Liechtenstein | 0.91608286799234 | 80.41 | 14.72093 | 97335.74963 | ||||
19 | Japan | 0.9091529566478 | 83.908 | 15.23277 | 38986.15453 | ||||
20 | Austria | 0.9077551793932 | 81.77 | 16.0812 | 45415.10118 |
Russia in this table is on the 49th line with an index of 0.816. And it is among the countries with “very high human development”, these are the first 58 countries in the ranking (or countries with an index above 0.8). The last 58th line in this section is occupied by Kazakhstan, Belarus is in 53rd place.
Countries with an HDI of 0.7-0.8 are "high human development" countries. This section includes such countries as: Iran, Turkey, Serbia and Georgia. China is also here - 86th place with a HDI of 0.752 and Ukraine - 88th place with an index of 0.751.
The countries with the worst HDI are in Africa. The last places were taken by Niger (189th place) and the Central African Republic (188th place) with indices of 0.354 and 0.367, respectively.
Ranking of countries by quality of life 2019 (Numbeo)
The international convention Numbeo, almost in real time, makes its own rankings. Data is collected continuously through online surveys of portal visitors. The site provides a wide variety of ratings. Below is a ranking of countries in terms of quality of life for January 2019.
Rank | Country | Quality of life index | Rank | Country | Quality of life index |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Denmark | 198.57 | 11 | Estonia | 180.88 |
2 | Switzerland | 195.93 | 12 | Japan | 180.5 |
3 | Finland | 194.01 | 13 | United States | 179.2 |
4 | Australia | 191.13 | 14 | Sweden | 178.67 |
5 | Austria | 191.05 | 15 | Slovenia | 175.98 |
6 | Netherlands | 188.91 | 16 | Spain | 174.16 |
7 | Iceland | 187.79 | 17 | United Kingdom | 170.81 |
8 | Germany | 187.05 | 18 | Canada | 170.32 |
9 | New Zealand | 185.58 | 19 | Qatar | 167.84 |
10 | Norway | 181.86 | 20 | United Arab Emirates | 167.81 |
59 | Russia | 104.94 |
Index values are calculated without using official government and international data and reports. Based on this, it can be called depoliticized and subjective. When evaluating quality of life, Numbeo takes into account:
- Cost of living and purchasing power
- Housing affordability
- Pollution including air, water, etc.
- Crime rates
- The quality of the healthcare system
- Traffic (travel time)
Russia in this list takes 59th place out of 71. It is slightly ahead of such countries as: Thailand, Pakistan, Brazil, China, Philippines, Ukraine, Iran and Egypt.
It should be noted that ratings are formed based on user data, the site only works in 4 languages (English, German, French and Spanish). Accordingly, the most representative data will be for the countries of these language groups.
Results: top 5 countries
After studying the data of all the ratings presented and a simple analysis, we compiled a summary of the top 5 (actually 6) leading countries:
- 1. Norway
- 2. Switzerland
- 3. Denmark
- 3. New Zealand
- 4. Australia
- 5. Netherlands
Norway occupies the first place, this country is represented more often than others in the top 5 in all ratings. The only rating in which it did not even make it into the top ten is the rating of the best countries for business from Forbes magazine - there it is in 15th position.
Second-placed Switzerland did not make it into the top 10 in the Doing Business rankings. In this list, it is on the 38th line, by the way, immediately after Belarus.
The third place was shared by Denmark and New Zealand. Both countries are not included in the top 10 countries in the health and healthcare rankings, as well as in the ranking of the human development index. At the same time, they are present in the top 20.
conclusions
In addition to the top 5 countries from our ranking, the UK, Singapore, Finland and Hong Kong often appeared on the top lines of all studies. It is easy to see that the most developed countries in all respects, for the most part, are the countries of Western Europe. Some competition for them is the Australia-New Zealand tandem. The countries of East and Southeast Asia (Singapore, South Korea, Japan) are a little behind.
But the US continues to lose ground. In some ratings, the States did not even make it into the top 20, and in the top ten they were only in the Doing Business rating, in 8th place. Neighboring Canada, for example, made the top 10 three times.
Interestingly, the Hong Kong SAR of the PRC ranks at the level of the UK, Finland and Sweden, while China itself occupies mostly middle places.
Basically, Russia also occupies the middle positions, although it continues its movement to the top lines. Separately, I would like to note the positive dynamics in business ratings. So this year, the Russian Federation got to the 31st line of the same Doing Business. And in the Forbes rating, financial freedom, corruption and personal freedom are the main deterrents. And if everything is clear with the lack of monetary freedom and high corruption. What additional “personal freedom” our citizens need for business development is not entirely clear.
In this regard, it is worth mentioning once again the certain bias of organizations from the UK and the USA. So we did not refer to the openly propagandistic Heritage Foundation (apparently, Forbs took the data on “personal freedom” from there). Also, we have already pointed out some inconsistencies in the reports of The Lancet and others.
If we take these facts into account, then a lot of interesting and useful information can be gleaned from reports and ratings. We hope you found this article helpful and that you found the information you were looking for.
In the world there are a lot of ratings of the countries of the world. They are based on various indicators - these are political and economic aspects, levels of crime, education, and so on. However, the most important indicator is actually the totality of all parameters and, as the total value of all branches of politics, the economy and spheres of public life, the standard of living of the population.
What is the standard of living?
The standard of living, or otherwise - the level of well-being, is a certain degree of satisfaction of the financial and spiritual needs of the country's population with the mass of goods and services that are used in a particular period of time. Usually, the basic indicators are the volume of real income per person, and its ratio to the consumer basket of goods and services.
The quality of life is also considered on the basis of non-material indicators, such as, for example, an analysis of the state of health of the population and the state of the country's ecology, psychological comfort, etc.
This indicator illustrates how people living in a particular country, or its individual regions, are satisfied in terms of spiritual and material needs in a certain period of time. As a rule, the year is taken as the time unit.
The standard of living is calculated on the basis of actual per capita income and the amount of goods and services consumed. At the same time, the standard of living is not always identical to the level of well-being: the latter is a broader unit, and when calculating this indicator, spiritual and material benefits are also taken into account.
As for indicators for the standard of living, their list has been developed and approved by the United Nations:
- fertility, mortality and life expectancy;
- sanitary and hygienic conditions;
- the amount of food consumed;
- living conditions;
- quality of education and culture;
- level of employment, working conditions;
- balance of income and expenses;
- prices for consumers;
- the state of the transport infrastructure;
- recreational system;
- the level of social security;
- human rights and freedoms.
Perhaps the most significant indicators are per capita income and life expectancy. According to this parameter, experts analyze the living standards of different segments of the population. In Russia, this criterion includes the budget and the minimum budget of consumers.
What is the standard of living directly in Russia and in the world in 2019?
One of the most successful, in our opinion, ratings is made by the Legatum Prosperity Index agency. When calculating data, it focuses not only on national indicators, but also on the quality of life of the population itself, taking into account wage levels, the educational system, the ratio of prices in the state and the real financial situation of the average citizen.
In 2018-2019, in fact, according to the agency, Russia occupies 61st place in the world list with a total of 142 points, located between Sri Lanka and, attention, Vietnam:
№ | part of the world | Country |
---|---|---|
1. | Europe | Norway |
2. | Europe | Switzerland |
3. | America | Canada |
4. | Europe | Sweden |
5. | Australia and Oceania | New Zealand |
6. | Europe | Denmark |
7. | Australia | Australia |
8. | Europe | Finland |
9. | Europe | Netherlands |
10. | Europe | Luxembourg |
11. | America | USA |
12. | Europe | Ireland |
13. | Europe | Iceland |
14. | Europe | Germany |
15. | Europe | Austria |
16. | Europe | Great Britain |
17. | Europe | Belgium |
18. | Asia | Singapore |
19. | Asia | Hong Kong |
20. | Europe | France |
21. | Asia | Japan |
22. | Asia | Taiwan |
23. | Europe | Spain |
24. | Europe | Slovenia |
25. | Europe | Malta |
26. | Asia | South Korea |
27. | Europe | Portugal |
28. | Asia | United Arab Emirates |
29. | Europe | Czech |
30. | America | Uruguay |
31. | America | Costa Rica |
32. | Europe | Italy |
33. | Asia | Kuwait |
34. | Europe | Poland |
35. | America | Chile |
36. | Europe | Estonia |
37. | Europe Asia | Cyprus |
38. | Europe | Slovakia |
39. | Asia | Israel |
40. | America | Panama |
41. | Europe | Hungary |
42. | America | Trinidad and Tobago |
43. | Europe | Lithuania |
44. | Asia | Malaysia |
45. | America | Argentina |
46. | America | Brazil |
47. | Asia | Kazakhstan |
48. | Europe | Latvia |
49. | Europe | Bulgaria |
50. | Asia | Saudi Arabia |
51. | Asia | China |
52. | Asia | Thailand |
53. | Europe | Croatia |
54. | Europe | Greece |
55. | Europe | Romania |
56. | America | Jamaica |
57. | Asia | Mongolia |
58. | Europe | Belarus |
59. | America | Mexico |
60. | Asia | Sri Lanka |
61. | Europe Asia | Russia |
62. | Asia | Vietnam |
63. | Asia | Uzbekistan |
64. | Europe | Ukraine |
65. | America | Belize |
66. | Asia | Philippines |
67. | America | Colombia |
68. | America | Paraguay |
69. | Asia | Indonesia |
70. | America | Dominican Republic |
71. | Europe | Montenegro |
72. | America | Botswana |
73. | America | Nicaragua |
74. | America | Ecuador |
75. | America | Peru |
76. | Europe | Serbia |
77. | Africa | South Africa |
78. | America | Venezuela |
79. | Europe | Macedonia |
80. | Asia | Kyrgyzstan |
81. | Asia | Azerbaijan |
82. | Africa | Morocco |
83. | Europe | Albania |
84. | Europe Asia | Georgia |
85. | America | Salvador |
86. | America | Bolivia |
87. | Europe Asia | Turkey |
88. | Asia | Jordan |
89. | Europe | Moldova |
90. | America | Guatemala |
91. | Africa | Tunisia |
92. | Asia | Laos |
93. | Africa | Namibia |
94. | Asia | Tajikistan |
95. | Europe | Armenia |
96. | America | Honduras |
97. | Europe | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
98. | Africa | Lebanon |
99. | Africa | Algeria |
100. | Africa | Ghana |
101. | Asia | Iran |
102. | Asia | Nepal |
103. | Asia | Bangladesh |
104. | Africa | Senegal |
105. | Africa | Rwanda |
106. | Asia | India |
107. | Africa | Zambia |
108. | Africa | Egypt |
109. | Africa | Niger |
110. | Africa | Cambodia |
111. | Africa | Mali |
112. | Africa | Burkina Faso |
113. | Africa | Benin |
114. | Africa | Uganda |
115. | Africa | Cameroon |
116. | Africa | Kenya |
117. | Africa | Tanzania |
118. | Africa | Congo |
119. | Africa | Malawi |
120. | Africa | Djibouti |
121. | Africa | Mozambique |
122. | Asia | Syria |
123. | Africa | Nigeria |
124. | Africa | Zimbabwe |
125. | Africa | Mauritania |
126. | Africa | Ethiopia |
127. | Africa | Liberia |
128. | Africa | Sudan |
129. | Africa | Sierra Leone |
130. | Asia | Iraq |
131. | Africa | Ivory Coast |
132. | Asia | Pakistan |
133. | Africa | Angola |
134. | America | Haiti |
135. | Asia | Yemen |
136. | Africa | Guinea |
137. | Africa | Togo |
138. | Africa | Burundi |
139. | Asia | Afghanistan |
140. | Africa | Congo (DR) |
141. | Africa | CAR |
142. | Africa | Chad |
Of its closest geographical and economic partners, Russia lost to Belarus, which took 58th place, Greece (54th place) and China (51st place). On the other hand, these figures are higher than those of Uzbekistan, which is in 63rd place, Ukraine (64th place) and Azerbaijan (81st).
Analysts noted that the best things in Russia are with education: according to the results shown by the regions of the country, it ranks 26th in the ranking (for comparison, in 2012 it occupied 27th place, and for an international scale, even one line is a significant breakthrough) .
New rankings of countries in the world, compiled by standard of living
But the most deplorable situation is in a country with state administration, here Russia is in 115th place, losing to Sierra Leone, but ahead of Burundi.
- Norwegians have a strong sense of community. According to opinion polls, 93 percent of the population assures that they can count on someone in difficult situations. The country ranks highest in work-life balance, with only 3 percent saying they work too much;
- Switzerland boasts a long life expectancy, with an average of 83 years;
- Canadians, unlike Norwegians, do not work very hard - 1702 hours every year. However, at the same time, they note absolute satisfaction in their participation in the political life of the country;
- the Swedes state a high level of education (87 percent - at least secondary education), as well as excellent quality of drinking water;
- finally, New Zealand has distinguished itself by the fact that more than all other countries, it uses energy sources (we are talking about renewable sources). In addition, the country has a high quality of education;
- oddly enough, Iceland was recognized as the safest country in the whole world in 2019;
- Singapore is the most developed country in terms of economic indicators;
- Denmark is the best adapted country for conducting, as they say, entrepreneurial activity, private business, family business.
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On the contrary, the last places were taken (in descending order) by Burundi, Afghanistan, Congo, the Central African Republic and the Republic of Chad.
At the moment, the standard of living in the countries of the world varies greatly. And the point here is not only in the development of the economic component of this or that state, but in the general prosperity of its population. We are talking about financial aspects, and educational, and political. The world ranking is influenced by dozens of factors of development of all segments of the population.
Standard of living
This characteristic demonstrates the degree of well-being of society. The standard of living in the countries of the world is an indicator of the satisfaction of the spiritual and financial needs of the population. This coefficient is calculated for a certain period: a quarter, a year, a five-year period, etc. The basic parameter is the average income per person, together with its ratio to
In addition, in order to calculate the standard of living in different countries, it is necessary to analyze the quality of healthcare, the state of the environment, the degree of psychological comfort of citizens, etc. This parameter illustrates the satisfaction of the population in material and spiritual needs in a specific period of time.
Additional indices in the calculation are the birth rate, death rate, housing conditions, the quality of education, employment and unemployment, prices for goods and services, transport infrastructure, social security, freedom of citizens, food supply, sanitary conditions, recreational system, life expectancy and so on. All these parameters are taken into account for all segments of the population.
European countries
This is significantly different from others in the degree of well-being of the population. The standard of living in general is much higher than in Asia, Africa or the Americas. The reason lies in the stable financial system and infrastructure development.
The demonstration that the standard of living in the countries of Europe is higher than anywhere else is better to start with Norway.
This small monarchy has a GDP of more than $335 billion. At the same time, the unemployment rate varies within only 3%. There are also high rates of literacy and social security. All this together allows Norway to lead the wealth ranking among all countries in the world.
Switzerland is second on the list. Here per capita accounts for about 80 thousand dollars. Switzerland is distinguished by a reliable service sector, a developed banking sector and a broad industrial sector.
Also in the top ten countries in the world with the best indicators of life and well-being are Sweden, Denmark, Finland and, oddly enough, Luxembourg.
CIS and Russia
This region has not been a role model for a long time in terms of economy and population development. Today, the standard of living in the CIS countries is far from ideal, and it is not for nothing that only one of them is in the top 50 in the world rankings. We are talking about Kazakhstan, which staked out 47th place. GDP per person is more than 24 thousand dollars. At the same time, the development of industry and healthcare, stability on the political front is noted.
All other CIS countries are noticeably lower than Belarus, this applies to Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and others. Russia is located on the 91st place in the list, behind Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Moldova.
Asian part of the world
The general standard of living in the countries of the world is assessed as satisfactory. In Asia, the average is above average. All thanks to several developed countries, the best of which is Singapore. It is this republic that is located in the wealth ranking above all Asian powers - in 18th place. GDP per capita here is more than 51 thousand dollars. In terms of population development and services, Singapore ranks 19th in the world.
The next in the ranking (19th line) is Hong Kong. According to the development index, this administrative Chinese region ranks 13th - the highest in Asia after Japan. GDP per person - more than 38 thousand dollars.
Taiwan is another administrative region of the PRC, which is distinguished by the level of well-being of the population. It closes the top 20 countries in the world ranking in terms of quality of life. A sharp jump in the development of all service sectors was observed after the recognition of the state by China.
Taiwan is followed by South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
American continents
Canada is the leader in this area. In the world wealth ranking, it is in 3rd place, after Norway and Switzerland. Canada is considered one of the richest countries in the world in terms of GDP - more than 1.5 trillion dollars. The population development index is rated as very high. Canada has a stable financial system, which relies on the excellent work of banks, coupled with profitability from agriculture and industry.
The USA is based on the 11th line of the rating. Its level of GDP exceeds 16.7 trillion. dollars. In terms of government revenue, the United States is in first place. Another thing is that unemployment is thriving in the country, taxes are constantly being raised, and social rights are being limited.
Uruguay is the only Latin American state to be included in the top 30 countries in the world ranking, closing it. The common denominator of GDP and the population development index is assessed as good.
Rest of the world
The total standard of living in the countries of the world is declining due to the slow development of most African and oceanic states. New Zealand stands apart here. It is rather an exception to the rule.
New Zealand deservedly settled on the 5th place in the world ranking. In the island monarchy per capita is about 35.5 thousand dollars. According to the Human Development Index, the country ranks 6th in the world. The basis of the state economy is agriculture, heavy industry and tourism.
Closes Chad (142nd place). Here the standard of living is assessed as low. This also applies to the degree of development of the population, and the GDP indicator, and other important components of the comfort and well-being of citizens.