The best and worst countries for social progress

Social progress in the world

​In general, there were some improvements in different parts of the world even though personal rights and inclusion have deteriorated significantly between 2014 and 2018. Most significant improvements are related to shelter, access to information and communication, and access to higher education. Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Denmark, and Finland are the top five countries that stand out in many rankings including quality of life, happiness, and well-being. With their high-level of infrastructure and performing governments, these countries can also boast of their social, political, and economic stability. Japan, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, and New Zealand are also in the top ten.

Sudan is once again in the bottom ten due to political and social instability, along with Papua New Guinea, Burundi, Yemen, Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Chad, and the Central African Republic. Yemen and Afghanistan are considered as conflict countries and are joined by Ethiopia this year. Most of those in tier 5 are low-income countries – which no doubt explains the absence of social progress for the past few years.

Social inclusion

​Social inclusion takes into account factors like the acceptance of LGBT communities, the elimination of violence and discrimination against minorities, as well as equal socioeconomic, political and social power. Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany are once again in the top ten for social inclusion. As high-income countries, and since their government are making significant efforts to promote gender, economic and social equality, they offer an excellent standard of living to their inhabitants.

Burundi, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, and Tajikistan are the bottom ten countries regarding social inclusion. For example, Saudi Arabia, despite being a high-income country, ranks 85th overall due to recent political, economic, and social changes. Opportunities are plentiful in Saudi Arabia, both for Saudis and foreigners. However, gender equality and discrimination are still present. Also, Saudi Arabia has a relatively poor performance regarding personal rights, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and political rights.

Personal rights

​Nordic countries, including Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, are the best when it comes to personal rights, followed by Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and New Zealand. These countries give vital importance to personal rights, that is, political rights, freedom of expression, religious freedom, access to justice, as well as property rights for women. Overall, however, there was a drop in the level of personal rights in many countries during the past few years. For example, Canada is in tier 3 even though it is a high-income country that stands out for political rights. During the past twelve months, freedom of expression, religious freedom and access to justice have deteriorated.

The bottom ten countries for personal rights are Swaziland, Uzbekistan, Sudan, Tajikistan, Equatorial Guinea, China, Laos, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Eritrea. Ranking 84th overall, China is in tier 4 due to controversies relating to personal rights. From being a communist country to a socialist republic, China remains a strict country, as evidenced by media censorship on anything that is considered as a threat to the current regime. The internet is also censored in China.

Countries showing no improvement

​There was no improvement in seven countries, including the Dominican Republic, Montenegro, Sweden, Costa Rica, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Poland. On the other hand, there was significant degradation during the past few years in countries like Yemen, Mauritania, Turkey, Brazil, and the USA! Even though the USA is a high-income country, it falls to the 25th spot behind Slovenia, Singapore, and Portugal. For example, the USA performs as poorly as Ecuador regarding access to healthcare. Also, the country has been in the headlines for increasing violence and discrimination against minorities. Social inclusion also deteriorated due to inequality of power by socioeconomic positions. It's also worth noting that Ghana and Indonesia perform much better than the USA regarding personal safety.

Ranked 70th overall, Thailand is in tier 3 due to threats to freedom of expression, and weak political rights, and little access to justice. In a country where the unemployment rate is high, discrimination and violence against minorities are of great concern to international organisations. Thailand also ranks 115th for personal safety due to political crimes and torture, as well as traffic deaths.