The 10 Happiest And Safest Countries In The World
We all like to think we live in the best place in the world (cc: Melburnians and Sydneysiders’ endless war, come on you guys!) – but there are so many factors that go into determining what a ‘good’ place even is, it’s hard to measure.
The excellent humans over at the UK’s Legatum Institute, however, have taken one for the team and done a lot of research into what makes a place safe and happy, and where each nation in the world ranks. They’ve calculated it using eight factors – Economy, Entrepreneurship & Opportunity, Governance, Education, Health, Safety & Security, Personal Freedom and Social Capital. They’ve made some pretty stunning infographics and a video to showcase the findings, too.
There are some incredibly interesting findings coming out of the study, which looks at improving worldwide prosperity, too. For instance, despite the Nordic countries coming up trumps thanks to their free education, excellent healthcare systems and highly attractive humans, the unemployment rates are rising due to the countries’ inability to bounce back from the GFC. The study also looks at some of the precursors to the takeover of ISIS and what effects the extremist militant group has had on all facets of life in those countries. The European migrant crisis has – shock horror – been “manipulated by populist politicians spouting hateful rhetorics”, and is dividing Europe and raising intolerance levels. And to confirm what the whole world already knew…the US is becoming increasingly dangerous. Gun violence guys. Not OK.
It’s fascinating stuff, and will definitely turn you into a bit of a sociological nerd.
The most important question, though: how did ‘Straya do? Well, look – we’re up there. There are 196 official countries in the world, so we’re doing pretty well. We have, however, been beaten by our mates across the pond in New Zealand, so we’re planning on giving Russell Crowe back immediately to rectify that. However, we did rank FIRST (!!!) in the world for education, which is something to be hugely proud of. Check out the list:
#1 Norway
#2 Switzerland
#3 Denmark
#4 New Zealand
#5 Sweden
#6 Canada
#7 Australia
#8 The Netherlands
#9 Finland
#10 Ireland
*Cue “It’s A Small, Small World’*
