Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world (and U.S. is 16th!)
Quality-of-life index links results of who is happiest and who has best quality of life in terms of wealth, health and trust in public institutions
By Larisa Brown
PUBLISHED:06:35 GMT, 29 November 2012| UPDATED: 06:42 GMT, 29 November 2012
The where-to-be-born index of 2013 which shows Switzerland at the top
Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world in 2013, and the U.S. is just 16th.
A new study produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit says American babies will have a dimmer future than those born in Hong Kong, Ireland and even Canada.
The EIU, a sister company of The Economist, attempted to measure how well countries will provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in years to come.
People born in Switzerland will tend to be the happiest and have the best quality of life judged in terms of wealth, health and trust in public institutions, according to the analysis.
The Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark also all make the top five in a 'quality-of-life' index highlighting where it is best to be born next year.
In 1988, the U.S. came top of a rank of 50 countries, though has not achieved the top spot since.
The index links the results of subjective life-satisfaction surveys - how happy people say they are - to objective determinants of quality of life across countries.
One of the most important factors is being rich, but other factors come into play - including crime, trust in public institutions and the health of family life.
In total, the index takes into account 11 indicators.
These include fixed factors such as geography, others that change slowly over time such as demography, social and cultural characteristics, and the state of the world economy.
The index also looks at income per head in 2030, which is roughly when children born in 2013 will reach adulthood.
Small economies dominate the top 10 countries, with Australia coming second and New Zealand and the Netherlands not too far behind.
Half of the top 10 countries are European, but only one, the Netherlands, is from the euro-zone.
The crisis-ridden south of Europe, including Greece, Portugal and Spain, lags behind despite the advantage of a favourable climate.
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Where to be born 2013..!
Can't be true. Everybody knows Disneyland is the happiest place on earth!
Should really attract LaidBackFreak, he likes on subject posts.
Hmmm... Interesting data! Switzerland and Scandinavia, like Singapore and the UAE, are wonderful places to visit. But, considering my Vietnamese root and American upbringing, I will take my chances with Can Tho and southern California. Smog and all.
If you believe the Mayans 2013 shouldn't matter!
Ashard Deen wrote:If you believe the Mayans 2013 shouldn't matter!
That was 2012? unless someone found a new calender!
What they say? The grass on the other side is greener.
I am here and I better learn to like it.
I was in Australia, and during the time of the stock market crash, it wasn't pretty.
I guess if you have the means, then it doesn't really matter.
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