Norway tops UN list of ‘best places to stay’

In the latest Human Development Index compiled by the United Nations, Norway came out on top as the best place to live today.

HDI is used to rank countries by level of “human development,” which usually also implies whether a country is developed, developing , or underdeveloped.  It is an index where great disparities between rich and poor countries can be seen.

The HDI is a compilation of 182 countries ranked by the UN Development Program on standards based on life expectancy, literacy, education, and gross domestic product.

Australia and Iceland made No.2 and No.3 respectively.  Niger, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic are at the bottom of the list.

China made the most significant jump as it moved to No. 92 by improving income levels, life expectancy, and educational standards.

France, which did not make the top 10 last year, is at No.8.  The United States is at No. 13, down one spot from last year.

This year’s index is based on data from 2007 and does not consider the impact of the global economic crisis.

The top 10: 1. Norway 2. Australia 3. Iceland 4. Canada 5. Ireland 6. Netherlands 7. Sweden 8. France 9. Switzerland 10.Japan.

[via news.yahoo.com]