Rating of the smartest countries in the world. Where is the best place to live? Ranking of countries by standard of living Top 10 countries by level

How to identify countries with a strong economy among the huge number of countries in the world? To identify highly developed countries, let's pay attention to the ratings - the results of comparative studies made by international experts and organizations to rank countries according to various indicators. Every year, studies are published showing which country has risen to the TOP, which has fallen. Consider the main indicators that determine which countries in 2019 became the most influential in economic area, have the most high level life, prosperity and freedom.

Level of economic development

By level economic development evaluate the efficiency and maturity of the country's economy. It is not for nothing that only countries with a high level of economic development are included in the group of developed countries, while the rest are called developing. This level is determined by various ratings.

Country ranking by GDP

The key indicator is the level of gross domestic product (GDP). This is the name of the total value of goods, services and other results of the activities of enterprises, firms, companies, institutions, organizations, individuals. This is the result of the work of all residents of the country in question during the year. It is calculated in two ways. The first is when all the income received during the year is added up: interest, profit, salary, and so on. The second is when expenses are summed up (government purchases, investments, consumption, export minus imports). The official source of such information is the database World Bank. The statistics are updated every year and published in autumn. The indicator is also kept by the International Monetary Fund and the UN.

The backbone of the world's GDP is produced by only a few countries, mostly large in territory and population.

If all goods and services produced in monetary terms (GDP) is an absolute value, then by comparing the gross domestic product with the population, we get a relative indicator indicating the well-being of citizens.

According to the World Bank and the IMF, the United States of America has the best GDP indicators. Based on countries, the first places in this indicator are occupied by:

The presented table with indicators is an actual value that does not take into account the difference in prices for homogeneous goods and services. As a consequence of this omission, GDP developed countries often overestimated, while developing countries lower scores are indicated.

Since purchasing power parity is more important, as it gives an idea of ​​the quality of life in the countries of the world, another rating based on PPP is more credible.

According to the International Bank, the level of GDP at PPP for the countries of the world is:

The International Bank estimates all the economies of the world with the exception of Syria (due to active hostilities), Somalia (since the state actually broke up into several separate parts) and Venezuela (domestic politics is extremely closed, it is impossible to accurately estimate the level of GDP by PPP).

economic freedom

The most important indicator of a country's development is the level (or index) economic freedom. It has been defined since 1995 by the American research center The Heritage Foundation and published annually on its website and in the Wall Street Journal.

Based on the theories of Adam Smith, experts at the Heritage Foundation define economic freedom as the level of non-intervention by the state in the process of production, distribution and consumption, except in situations where it is necessary to protect citizens.

The index is calculated according to the arithmetic mean of ten criteria of freedom - property, absence of corruption, the government's share in regulating the economy, freedom of trade, investment, labor, entrepreneurship, monetary, fiscal, financial. For each of them, an evaluation scale is developed from 0 to 100 points, which are summed up as a result. The higher the score, the higher the level of economic freedom.

Thus, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and Switzerland are considered countries with a free economy (from 80 points and above) in 2019.

As for the countries former USSR, then in most cases the level of economic freedom in them is weak. Most states are characterized by the active influence of the state on all spheres of life, which often creates some inconvenience and hinders the free development of the economy.

As an example, here are data from 2 studies conducted in 2016 and 2019 for comparison:

Prosperity Rating

The economic achievements of the countries of the world are also measured by the level of prosperity. This indicator is offered by the English analytical center Legatum Institute. He has been calculating it since 2006. This index is determined by the level of social well-being of countries in the field of economic development, entrepreneurship, governance, health, security, education, personal freedoms and social capital. Each of the eight criteria is calculated on the basis of statistical research by the UN, the World Bank, sociological data from the Gallup Institute and other authoritative centers. According to the results of comparative studies, a rating of states is published annually. In 2019, such results were published for 142 countries of the world.

Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, New Zealand, Sweden, Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands have the best indicators on the prosperity index.

Other indicators

There are other indicators by which the rating of a country's economic development is measured. This is the level of GDP per capita. It is not considered a strict characteristic, but is considered an important indicator.

Recent studies of the level of GDP per capita (nominal) according to World Bank estimates show the following results:

A more accurate characteristic is the level of the same indicator in terms of parity (the ratio of several currencies) of purchasing power per capita to a certain set of services or goods.

Here the first places are occupied by:

Index human development, which has been published in the reports of the United Nations Development Program since 1990, is another traditional comparative indicator of living standards and the economy. Norway, Australia, Switzerland, Netherlands, USA, Germany, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, Denmark have a very high human development rating, according to the latest 2014 report.

Based on all these indicators, the world's strongest and most efficient economies for 2019 are:

2. Hong Kong

3. Australia

4. Germany

5. Switzerland

7. Netherlands

8. New Zealand

9. Singapore

10. Japan

Corruption Perceptions Index

Since 1996 the most important indicator the state of the country's economy recognize the rating of the level of corruption. The official name is the Corruption Perceptions Index. It was introduced by the international non-governmental organization Transparency International. It takes into account how widespread corruption is in public sector. This ranking is calculated by analyzing surveys and statistical data. Corruption in the framework of the study refers to any extraction of personal gain through abuse of office.

Interestingly, the study is not based on the statistics of criminal cases or sentences, but on the opinion of those who suffer from corruption or study this phenomenon.

To determine this index, we developed a scale from zero to one hundred, where 0 means the maximum level of corruption, and 100 - its absence. Although the methodology by which the rating is determined is the object of criticism, in general it is recognized by experts as relatively reliable.

The most difficult situation with corruption is observed in the following countries:

Credit ratings

The economic "health" of the country is also assessed by financial or credit ratings. They are calculated according to financial history state, the size of his property and the ability and desire to pay debts. Such an index is needed in order to make it clear to potential creditors or investors how safe it is to deal with the country. Financial ratings are assessed international agencies. Moody's, Standard and Poor's and Fitch have the most serious reputation. They work all over the world and help to distinguish reliable partners from unreliable ones. Each of them has its own naming system, but in general, countries with a high degree obligations are marked with the letter A, medium and lower - Ba, risky - B, with high risk and close to default - C.

Index with a "human face"

The last few years have demonstrated the importance of such an indicator of economic development as social progress. Previous indicators answered economic theories, but they did not show how economic growth affects people's lives. Therefore, in 2013, the Social Progress Index was developed as an alternative to economic indicators. Its author is Harvard University professor Michael Porter. This rating is calculated based on the analysis of sociological survey data, expert opinions and statistical information from international organizations. Determining the achievements of each country in this area, the researchers took into account more than fifty factors.

1. This is the satisfaction of basic needs - food, water and medical care, housing, degree .
2. Then the fundamental foundations of well-being are taken into account - access to education and information, the level of literacy and communication.
3. And, finally, development opportunities are analyzed - the level of protection of civil and political rights and self-realization is determined.

From the results of the studies we analyzed, it is clear that there is a direct relationship between economic freedom, financial reliability, standard of living and social progress. Countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands lead among those who provide their citizens with dignity and at the same time respect civil and political rights, and also pay their bills honestly. Little Asian "tigers": Singapore or Hong Kong, as well as oil "millionaires" (UAE, Qatar) are "ahead of the rest" in terms of economic freedom and per capita income. But countries with a strong and efficient economy - the USA, China, Japan, Great Britain, Germany - are distributed in different positions in the ranking, because. far from always being able to provide the people living there with a high level of income and opportunities for development.

The absolute wealth of a country is expressed by GDP. The absolute indicator of GDP indicates the general level of development of the country's economy and its share in the world gross product. The wealth of the inhabitants is usually calculated as the total GDP / number of citizens of the country. It is clear that the wealth ratings of countries and their inhabitants have little overlap with each other.

The richest countries in the world 2016 by absolute GDP

1st place in terms of wealth in 2016 is occupied by the United States

America, against the backdrop of a greatly slowed down China in 2016, no longer threatens to lose first place. Compared to last year, GDP grew by $433 billion and the gap from second place widened.

2nd place went to China

The Chinese economic “bubble” has been deflating throughout the past year. Structural problems associated with rising labor costs have so far been filled with money - about $400 billion of reserves have been spent. GDP growth although it has slowed down, it shows a stable positive result: +$171 billion.

3rd place - Japan

The global technology giant continues to show good economic growth, despite the non-volatility of Asian markets. +$202 billion

4th place went to Germany

Despite the problems in the Eurozone, its economic powerhouse managed to remain the fourth largest economy in the world. +$54 billion

5th place - Great Britain

The only country in the top five that showed a negative result according to IMF estimates from April to April.

Russia among the strongest economies in the world was in 14th position with a result of $1.1 trillion of GDP. The Russian Federation, although it showed negative growth, was able to climb one step in the ranking due to Mexico, which fell to 15th place.

List of Top 100 countries by absolute GDP in 2016

It is clear that China, with a population of 1.36 billion people, is much easier to achieve absolute indicators than relative ones. The relative indicator of GDP is based on the ratio of the GDP produced by the country to the size of its population and characterizes the wealth and standard of living of the citizen himself.

The richest countries in the world 2016 by the level of well-being of citizens (GDP per capita)

The richest citizens of 2016 live in Luxembourg

The miniature state still lives on the rent from offshore and banking income and feels great about it. Citizens get $104,000 from country's GDP per person.

2nd place - Switzerland

Swiss banking secrecy and tourism allows the country's citizens to be among the wealthiest in the world. GDP per capita - $ 78 thousand.

3rd place was taken by Norway

The Nordic country, despite significant losses from falling oil prices, managed to remain in the top three countries with the highest living standards. $69712

4th place - Qatar

The oil-producing Middle Eastern state has lost more than Norway from the fall of oil. If last year Qatar was in the lead in the list, now it is only the fourth place with a result of $66,000 per person.

Rounding out the top five - Macau

The Special Administrative Region of China, with a small population of 500,000 by Chinese standards, earns from tourism (an annual flow of 25 million) and gambling, which accounts for 40% of GDP. $62.5 thousand

Russians in 2016 they became poorer by $1,300 per person. $7750 is the 73rd result.

List of Top 100 countries by GDP per capita

While GDP at purchasing power parity may not be a fair estimate and akin to a mental balancing act like the Big Mac index, we present the existing data.

Ranking of countries by GDP PPP per capita 2016

GDP growth during the crisis, the state of the economy, an increase in the size of the average wages- factors that allowed some countries to maintain leadership positions in terms of the quality of life of the population. At the end of 2016, which countries became more comfortable for life, which left the TOP-10 and which still remain dream countries? About this - in our article!

A good country is a healthy country. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN and the World Bank, the TOP-10 states with the healthiest population looks like this:

1. Iceland. Its superiority is due to the maximum number of health workers (more than 3.6 per 1 thousand population), the minimum number of people diagnosed with tuberculosis (only 2 per 1 thousand people) and the highest life expectancy in the world (over 72 years for men and 74 for women).
2. Singapore. The minimum number of people suffering from obesity (1.8%) and high life expectancy (average - 82 years) allowed this city-state to take a high place in the ranking.
3. Sweden. A small number of tuberculosis patients (only 3 per 1,000 people), coupled with a minimal infant mortality rate, allowed her to take an honorable 2nd place.
4. Germany. More than 11% of the state's GDP goes to healthcare (Germany spends more than 3,500 euros annually on the treatment of citizens).
5. Switzerland. The high place in the rating is due to the large number of doctors (3.6 per 1 thousand people)
6. Andorra. Health care expenditures in Andorra amount to more than 8% of GDP, and the average life expectancy of the population exceeds 82 years.
7. Great Britain. This country is the only state in the West, which owns 95% of medical facilities operating on its territory. More than 9.8% of GDP is spent on healthcare.
8. Finland. In this country, about 300 people a year fall ill with tuberculosis, while 30 thousand people are diagnosed with cancer every year (over 75% of patients are completely cured).
9. Netherlands. The country has a low incidence of tuberculosis (5.4 people per 1 thousand inhabitants) and sufficient life expectancy - more than 81 years.
10. Canada. The Medicare healthcare system is the pride of this North American state, because it guarantees almost free medical care to every inhabitant. Health expenditures account for over 10% of GDP, and the life expectancy of citizens exceeds 80 years.

The worst countries in terms of the health of citizens are the states of Africa: Swaziland, Somalia, South Sudan, Chad, the Central African Republic, Mali, etc. The rating is based on data from researchers at the University of Seattle and news agency Bloomberg.

WHO uses a special indicator to determine the quality of health care - life expectancy at birth. According to the rating of the World Health Organization, Russia ranks 110th in terms of medical care. And although the healthcare system leaves much to be desired, the Russian Federation is ahead of other CIS countries, such as Kazakhstan (111th place), Tajikistan (115th), Armenia (116th), Uzbekistan (117th), Ukraine (151st), losing only to the Republic of Belarus (98th place) .

TOP 10 countries ideal for business

Strong economy unthinkable without a successful business. The Forbes edition in 2016 compiled a list of countries that are most convenient for maintaining entrepreneurial activity. It is noteworthy that out of 10 participants in the rating, 6 are EU countries:

1. Sweden;
2. New Zealand;
3. Hong Kong;
4. Ireland;
5. Great Britain;
6. Denmark;
7. Netherlands;
8. Finland;
9. Norway;
10. Canada.

The American edition has been forming the rating for 11 years, taking into account the level of bureaucracy, taxes, corruption, economic growth, financial and personal freedom of citizens - a total of 11 factors were taken into account. For 7 of them, Sweden was in the top ten, because its economy grew by 4.2 percent at the end of the year with a GDP of 493 billion US dollars. The data for the assessment were obtained from the reports of the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, the non-governmental international anti-corruption organization Transparency International, etc.

In terms of the level of economic development, Russia took 40th place, and in terms of the complexity of starting a business, it was in 26th position. In terms of the availability of electricity, the Russian Federation became 30th, in terms of the availability of loans it became 44th, in terms of taxation - 45th, in terms of the complexity of obtaining construction rights, our country became 115th. According to the World Bank, the ideal country for doing business (without considering additional criteria, such as economic growth) is New Zealand, because in it "paying taxes is as easy as writing a check."

The most prosperous countries in the world

Well, where we do not? british non-profit organization The Legatum Institute has published a world ranking study of the most prosperous countries in the world. The most "prosperous" countries are determined taking into account economic and social indicators, business opportunities, the level of education and health care, social capital and personal freedoms of citizens. Experts evaluated 149 countries, giving them scores in the range of 0 - 10 on 89 criteria.

Based on the results of the analysis conducted in 2016, the following rating was compiled:

1. New Zealand (prosperity index - 79.28);
2. Norway (78.66);
3. Finland (78.56);
4. Switzerland (78.10);
5. Canada (77.67);
6. Australia (77.48);
7. Netherlands (77.44);
8. Sweden (77.43);
9. Denmark (77.37);
10. UK (77.18).

The purpose of the study is to study the public welfare of the states of the world on a global scale. The Prosperity Index is a composite indicator that measures the achievements of states in terms of well-being. In this list, Russia occupies 95th position (prosperity index - 54.73). The closest "neighbors" in the rating are Nepal and Moldova (94th and 96th places, respectively). Among the CIS countries, Russia has the best indicators: 25th place in the quality of education, 56th in environmental safety, 69th in entrepreneurship.

Russia's achievements are obvious - every year it moves to the top lines of the rating. At the same time, the results should be viewed through the prism of political sentiments: the report of the Legatum Institute repeatedly uses liberal clichés “Putin's Russia”, “Soviet heritage”, “communist past”, etc. When compiling the rating, the British organization uses survey data from the previous year, which does not allow a 100% objective reflection of reality.

Ranking of countries in the world in terms of living standards

The United Nations (UN) has been publishing a report on the quality of life of the population in various countries of the world since 1990. The rating is based on the Human Development Index, or Humanity Development Index (HDI). This index allows you to measure the achievements of states in the field of healthcare, incomes of the population, education, social services, etc.

The report was last published in 2015, and the best countries to live in were distributed in the UN rankings as follows:

1. Norway (0.94);
2. Australia (0.935);
3. Switzerland (0.93);
4. Denmark (0.923);
5. Netherlands (0.922);
6. Germany (0.916);
7. Ireland (0.916);
8. United States of America (0.916);
9. Canada (0.913);
10. New Zealand (0.913).

Russia is among the countries with a high human development index (0.798) on a par with Belarus. Our country is somewhat ahead of Oman, Romania, Uruguay, slightly yielding to Montenegro. The countries with the worst HDI index are located in Africa: Niger, CAR, Eritrea, Chad, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mozambique and Mali.

1. Denmark (201.53);
2. Switzerland (196.44);
3. Australia (196.40);
4. New Zealand (196.09);
5. Germany (189.87);
6. Austria (187);
7. Netherlands (186.46);
8. Spain (184.96);
9. Finland (183.98);
10. United States of America (181.91).

The index was calculated without the use of government data and official reports, so it can be considered subjective and depoliticized. For calculations, a formula was used that takes into account such factors as the purchasing power of the population, the ratio of the cost of real estate to the income of citizens, safety and cost of living, the quality of healthcare, climate, and even the situation on the roads (the less traffic jams, the better).

Russia ranks 55th in this list with a quality of life index of 86.53. It is somewhat ahead of Ukraine and slightly inferior to Egypt and Singapore. Russia showed good results in the field of real estate: the index of housing affordability is 13.3 (this is only a little more than that of Austria, France, Estonia, and South Korea). The purchasing power index of Russians is half that of citizens of the leading countries of the list - only 52.6. But the cost of living index in Russia is one of the lowest (35.62). For comparison: in Switzerland it is 125.67, in Norway - 104.26.

The table of indices that determine the position of the listed countries looks like this:

Along with a high standard of living, relative affordability of housing, and high purchasing power of citizens, the leading countries in terms of living standards are also the most expensive to live in. The ranking of the most expensive countries to live in looks like this:

1. Switzerland - 126.03;
2. Norway - 118.59;
3. Venezuela - 111.51;
4. Iceland - 102.14;
5. Denmark - 100.06;
6. Australia - 99.32;
7. New Zealand - 93.71;
8. Singapore - 93.61;
9. Kuwait - 92.97;
10. Great Britain - 92.19.

TOP-10 is based on data from the research company Movehub (UK). Index used (the Consumer price index, or CPI) takes into account the cost of food, utilities, transport, gasoline and entertainment. An interesting fact: the index reflects the ratio of the cost of living in New York (if it is 80, then living in the country is 20% cheaper than in the Big Apple).

The most affordable countries for life are mainly the countries of Asia and Africa: India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Egypt, Algeria. The states of Europe and North America are still attractive, but quite expensive to live in. The attractiveness is due to the excellent quality of medical and educational services. The best universities in the world are located on their territory: Harvard, Princeton and Yale, Oxford and Cambridge universities.

Many leaders of the listed ratings are countries with excellent ecology. According to according to Forbes, Switzerland, Sweden and Norway are the three cleanest and most favorable countries for living in terms of climate and ecology. There are practically no harmful industries on their territory, and endless green meadows, mountains and the purest natural reservoirs make living and relaxing in them as beneficial to health as possible.

It should be noted that many states are absolute leaders that excelled in all indicators. So, Norway, Iceland and Sweden can be safely called ideal for living, working, and tourism. And which countries, in your opinion, have provided their citizens with optimal living conditions and the highest possible standard of living? personal experience and share your opinions in the comments!

We look forward to your feedback, reposts and comments, thank you.

Russia rose from 27th to 26th place in the ranking of the 80 best countries in the world over the year, scoring the maximum number of points (ten out of ten) in such indicators as "military power", "political influence" and "leader" and an overall minimum (zero points) - in the "openness for business" category.

The list of the best countries in the world in 2018 is published on the website of the American U.S. News & World Report. It was compiled in collaboration with the consulting company BAV Consulting and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania based on sociological surveys in which countries were evaluated on a number of qualities, including their tourist attractiveness and natural beauty, political and military influence, the level of education and life of the population, development of civil society and freedom to do business.

In total, 80 countries were included in the list. The best country in the world in the overall ranking is recognized, as in the past year, Switzerland. The top three also included Canada and Germany. The top 10 also includes the UK, Japan, Sweden, Australia, USA, France and the Netherlands.

Russia's BRICS partners - China and India - were ahead in the overall ranking, taking 20th and 25th place, respectively. At the same time, Brazil is located four lines below Russia (29th place), and South Africa - 13th (39th place).

Russia outstripped in the ranking such countries of the former socialist bloc as Poland (32nd place) and the Czech Republic (33rd place). From the countries of the former USSR, Latvia (59th place), Azerbaijan (64th), Ukraine (69th), Kazakhstan (70th) and Belarus (72nd) got into the rating.

Strengths and weaknesses of Russia

In the 2018 ranking, Russia was in the leading positions in a number of indicators. First of all, we are talking about such an indicator as power and influence in the world. Russia on it was in the ranking in second place (USA - in first, China - in third). Russia received the maximum score (10 out of 10) in this category in terms of such criteria as "military power", "political influence" and "leader". 9.2 points were awarded to Russia for its economic influence and the strength of its international alliances.

The authors of the rating noted that the US, Russia and China are perceived as the most powerful countries in the world, while "the gap between the US and Russia is shrinking." All these countries are leaders in terms of military spending (the ranking cites World Bank data that the United States spends 3.3% of GDP on military needs, China - 1.9% of GDP, and Russia - 5.4% of GDP). Russia is also one of the world's largest arms exporters, trailing only the United States.

According to such an indicator as "movement", which takes into account, among other things, the pace of development, Russia "with one of the largest economies in the world" was on the 8th line. The leaders in this indicator were the United Arab Emirates, India and Singapore.

According to the “historical heritage” criterion, Russia is ranked 16th (the leaders in this indicator are Italy, Spain, Greece, France and Greece). The historical richness of the country and its cultural attractions were especially noted - 9.7 and 8.5 points out of 10 (while Russian cuisine was awarded only 1 point).

In terms of "cultural influence", Russia ranked 23rd in the ranking (the top three included Italy, France and the United States). And in terms of "entrepreneurship" - 24th place (the leaders here are Germany, Japan and the United States).

In other positions of the rating, Russia took places far from the center. It took 38th place in terms of quality of life, and 39th place in terms of the level of development of civil society. In terms of attractiveness for tourists - 56th. Russia is recognized as the worst among all 80 countries in terms of openness for business (top three: Luxembourg, Switzerland, Panama).

How the ranking of the best countries in the world was considered

The interviewed citizens indicated which of the 65 qualities is most suitable for a particular country. The sum of these scores was grouped into nine categories by level of entrepreneurship, tourism, citizenship, cultural influence, historical heritage, pace and characteristics of development, openness to business, power and influence on the world stage and living standards.

The survey results were correlated with a number of IMF statistics, including purchasing power parity.

Many people like to travel the world to see with their own eyes not only the famous monuments of architecture and art, but also the lives of completely different people. How do Americans, Italians or New Zealanders live? Better than us, or vice versa? After all, probably everyone wants to live where it's good?

Thus, the scientists of The Legatum Institute compiled a rating of countries in terms of living standards and prosperity based not only on numerical indicators (climatic, economic, environmental, etc.), but also taking into account the opinions of the inhabitants of countries obtained as a result of surveys. The latter identified such important criteria as social life in the country, comfort of living, the attitude of residents towards foreigners, freedom of movement and doing business, and many others.

So, below are the countries with a high standard of living, which occupy the first fifteen positions in the ranking.

15. Austria

This country ranks fifteenth in the ranking. Nevertheless, it is here that the highest level of education in the whole world is. Thus, more than 80% of Austrian citizens aged 25 to 65 have an education of at least secondary. In addition, the people of the country are known for their strong sense of community. More than 90% believe that in difficult times they can rely on one of their countrymen.

The average income of an Austrian family is 28,852 thousand dollars a year.

14. Germany

The Germans are in the position above. They are known to be hardworking people. There is practically a population, there is no unemployment. About 80% of citizens aged 15 to 65 work in paid positions.

Germany has a rather high rate (81 years). BUT average earnings- 30 721 thousand dollars a year.

In addition, surveys have shown that 75% of Germans experience much more positive emotions per day (such as joy, pride in the successes achieved, a sense of calm, etc.) than negative ones.

13. Iceland

Iceland previously occupied the twelfth position (ranking of countries by standard of living, compiled in 2012). Today, however, its performance has deteriorated somewhat. But, despite this, the country is flourishing, and is considered one of the best places for comfortable life. The ecology of Iceland is at a very high level. A huge amount of forests has been preserved here, and therefore, citizens breathe clean air.

The average income of an Icelandic family is $23,047 per person.

12. Ireland

The Irish are famous for their friendliness and good humor. They are all one big family and can rely on each other for difficult situation. And also do not forget to work and build your personal life. For example, Ireland scored the highest in the balance between personal life and labor activity.

The average income of the population is 24,104 US dollars per year (per person).

11. United States of America

In contrast to previous years, the United States has lost ground, and today it no longer falls short of tenth place in the ranking. However, Americans score best in the safety and housing categories. As well as the world's highest average per capita income - 38,001 thousand dollars a year.

10. Luxembourg

Top ten ranking opens Luxembourg. The country received the highest scores in the categories "ecology" and "health" (the level of air pollution here is within the limits of PM10). In addition, it is distinguished by a high life expectancy - 81 years. Citizens of Luxembourg are confident in the future, are satisfied with politics and actively participate in elections (91% of the country).

Average earnings are 23,047 thousand US dollars per year.

9. Netherlands

The Netherlands has the least work - only 1379 hours a year. However, the average income here is much higher than in other countries - 25,493 thousand dollars a year. The country also received a large number of points for general education programs.

8. Finland

Finland has a very high level of education and knowledge in general. Thus, the average Finnish student scored 543 points in mathematics, literacy and science. These are very high figures. According to surveys, more than 80% of Finns are satisfied with their standard of living.

The average income of each family member here is 25,739 thousand dollars.

7. Australia

Over the past years, the country's performance has fallen sharply. So, from third place (ranking of countries by standard of living, compiled in 2012), Australia moved to seventh.

However, there are still high rates in such categories as "housing conditions", "health care", "civic activity". All this makes the state-continent one of the most comfortable and happy countries.

Life expectancy is 82 years, and income is 28,884 thousand dollars a year.

6. Denmark

The country has the highest in the “life satisfaction” category: 90% of citizens are happy and experience a lot of positive emotions every day. High performance and in the "balance between personal life and work" rating. The Danes do everything.

The average annual income is 24,682 thousand dollars.

5. New Zealand

The country actively uses renewable energy sources. Much more often than in other countries. There is a high level of knowledge in the field of natural sciences and humanities. By the way, the results of testing knowledge in women are higher than in men.

The median annual income is $21,892.

4. Sweden

High level of education: 90% of the population have a diploma of secondary education. High level of ecology: clean air and drinking water. The median income is $26,242.

3. Canada

There are a lot of immigrants here, which indicates a high standard of living. After all, if it were bad, no one would go to Canada. Education, healthcare and ecology are at the highest level. But crime is very low here, so many emigrate here for the sake of peace and security. The country has a high level of social support and is quite good. Thus, the average figure is $ 38,194 per year.

2. Switzerland

Almost all indicators of the country's well-being are very high. This applies to the level of education, and life expectancy, and quality living conditions, healthcare and others. Excellent performance in general education programs OECD. High life expectancy. There is no unemployment and no crime. The average income of the population is $ 30,060 per year.

1. Norway

So, Norway leads the ranking of countries in terms of living standards. The country won the first place thanks to its social and economic indicators. Also, according to the results of the evaluation natural resources. Thus, 5% of the entire territory of the country is occupied by transparent and clean water bodies, 23% - by vast forests, the wildlife of which is under reliable protection.

In Norway, not only a favorable environmental situation, but also the highest standard of living. The country guarantees reliable and safe public transport, postal communication, land and air communication. There are no power supply problems here. High quality housing provided at affordable prices. The median income is $31,459 per year.

Unfortunately, Russia is not even included in the top twenty of the world. Our state occupies only 61 positions in the ranking. The main problem, according to surveys, is security. More than half of the respondents are afraid to be outside at night.