Where to move for social progress

Over the years, social progress seems to have become a major concern for governments, as well as private enterprises and the society as a whole. Besides basic needs such as nutrition, medical care, water and sanitation, people are now more concerned about their personal safety, access to education, information and communication, and their overall wellbeing. Taking these factors into account, the Social Progress Index 2017 sheds light on the best countries to live in for a greater social fulfillment. Note that these countries are particularly assessed on their economic growth and government efforts to ensure their populations' safety and wellbeing.

Unsurprisingly, Denmark ranks first in a number of categories like in many other world indexes, followed by Finland, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand are also in the top ten. These are all high income developed countries, however, income is not necessarily the main factor for social progress.

Most outstanding performances

North European countries are world famous for catering for their populations' wellbeing. As the second happiest nation in the world in 2017, Denmark excells when it comes to shelter, personal rights, personal security and access to information and communication. Indeed, Denmark is world famous not only for its good quality of life but also for its efficient social welfare policies – after all, Hygge, the Danish happiness recipe, needs no introduction.

Finland also stands out for nutrition and healthcare, personal freedom and choice, as well as personal rights, tolerance and inclusion, shelter and access to information and communication. You are therefore more likely to adapt easily to your new home – regardless of your origin – if you have chosen to move to Finland. Like Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway have also developed efficient social welfare policies that definitely contribute in a significant way to their social progress. For greater tolerance and inclusion, you better move to Iceland, Norway, Canada, Australia or New Zealand.

Canada is the only G7 country in the top ten. The study points out the ease of access to good quality higher education namely in Australia, Ireland, UK and Canada thanks to the presence of many prestigious universities, which attract foreign students and professionals in large numbers. If you're rather looking for greater personal rights, freedom and choice, New Zealand is the right place to be. New Zealand is a country where the tolerance and inclusion indicators are really high – which is also true for Switzerland and the Netherlands. Sweden, for its part, stands out for personal security and environmental quality.

Regarding the environment, Germany performs really well even though much improvement is needed on the healthcare side. Compared to many other European countries, life expectancy in Germany is quite low (at 60). If you prefer to move to Austria, you are likely to enjoy greater personal safety and personal rights.

Where there's room for improvement

Many countries such as Belgium, Japan, South Korea, the USA, France and Italy have progressed a lot over the past few years although there's still much to be done in different aspects. Latin American countries such as Chile, Costa Rica, Uruguay and Argentina have also shown significant improvement while Mauritius – though a small island in the Indian Ocean – is the only African country to be in the top 40. Most of these countries perform well in aspects ranging from nutrition and healtcare to sanitation and basic education. However, they are still lagging when it comes to personal freedom and choice, tolerance and inclusion – these are undoubtedly factors to look at if you're considering to move there.

Reagarding your personal security, Japan takes a great leap upward while Italy falls down due to rising insecurity and crime rate. Even though France and the USA have progressed a lot, still much has to be done when it comes to personal security. In Italy, on the other hand, the rise of life expectancy with the decrease of prematured deaths related to non transmissible diseases and suicide, suggest that people enjoy fair living standards. In spite of a high life expectancy, suicide rate seems to be on the rise in Japan and France. Hence, more effort is required from the government and other competent organisations.