16 most socially advanced countries - business insider

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The16mostsociallyadvancedcountriesintheworldMATTHEWSPEISERANDNATASHABERTRANDAPR.23,2015,3:16PM

TheSocialProgressIndexisametricthatmeasuresprogressthroughfulfillmentofbasichumanneeds(ratherthantraditionalindicatorsofeconomicgrowth).

SocialProgressImperative

Firstreleasedin2013,theSocialProgressIndex(SPI)measuresacomprehensivearrayofcomponentsofsocialandenvironmentalperformance,aggregatingthemintoanoverallframework.

Theindex,whichcoversabout99%oftheworldspopulation,wasdesignedbyProfessorMichaelE.PorterattheHarvardBusinessSchool,ProfessorScottSternattheMITSloanSchoolofManagement,andtheSocialProgressImperative,anonprofitgroup.

TheSocialProgressIndexshowsthatcountrieswithsimilarlevelsofGDPcanhaveverydifferentlevelsofsocialprogress,saidMichaelGreen,ExecutiveDirectoroftheSocialProgressImperative.

Oneexample:CostaRicaandThailandrank59thand58thintheworldinGDP,respectively.However,Thailandranks57thintheworldontheSPIwhereasCostaRicaranks29thdueinlargeparttosignificantlyhigherratingsinpersonalsafety,personalrights,andtoleranceandinclusion.

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StudentsatNewYorkUniversitycelebratetheirgraduation.

#16TheUnitedStates2014ranking:#16

GDPranking:6th

Intermsofmeetingbasichumanneeds,theUSranked21stoverall,including6thinShelter.Innutritionandbasicmedicalcare,however,theUSlaggedbehindat39th.

Thecountryranked8thoverallinOpportunityand1stinAccesstoHigherEducation.Butintermsofpersonalfreedomandpersonalrights,theUSrankedonly15thand24th,respectively.

TheUSrankedparticularlypoorlyinoverallwellbeing:68thinHealthandWellnessand74thinEcosystemSustainability.

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REUTERS/ToruHanai

ParticipantsfromgovernmentministriesandagenciestakepartintheCyberDefenseExercisewithRecurrence(CYDER)inTokyo,September25,2013.

#15Japan2014ranking:#14

GDPranking:20th

Japanranked1stinAccesstoBasicEducationand4thinShelter,butlaggedinAir,Water,andSanitation(21st),Nutrition(17th),andHealthandWellness(19th).Italsoranked67thinEcosystemSustainability.

ThecountryperformswellinPersonalRights,whereitranked5th,butranked21stinPersonalFreedomandChoice,42ndinToleranceandInclusion,and19thinAccesstoAdvancedEducation.

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PlayersfromtheGermannationalsoccerteam,whowontheWorldCupin2014,takeaselfie.

#14Germany2014ranking:#12

GDPranking:11th

Germanyranked1stinWaterandSanitation,10thinShelter,and12thoverallinmeetingBasicHumanNeeds.Theeconomicgiantranked50thinHeathandWellness,however,and24thinEcosystemSustainability.

ThecountryunderperformedinOpportunity,whereitranked16thoverallitwas28thinPersonalRightsand18thinEquityandInclusion.Thecountryrankedbetter(13th)inbothAccesstoHigherEducationandPersonalFreedomandChoice.

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PeoplerelaxindeckchairsonalawninstalledonVienna'sRingstrassestreettocelebrateWorldCarfreeDay,September22,2009.

#13Austria2014ranking:#11

GDPranking:9th

AustriaisfourthbestintheworldinmeetingBasicHumanNeeds,andistopsintheworldinprovidingcleanwatertodrinkandbathein(tiedwithseveralothernations).ItalsorankswithinthetopteninprovidingShelter(9th),PersonalSafety(7th),andNutritionandBasicMedicalCare(5th).

Intermsofwellbeing,thecountryrankshighinAccesstoInformationandCommunication(10th),butlagsbehindinAccesstoBasicKnowledge(32nd)andHealthandWellness(38th).

AustriaalsorankshighinPersonalRights(11th)andPersonalFreedomandChoice(14th).

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FanssupporttheIrishnationalsoccerteamduringamatch.

REUTERS/AlessiaPierdomenico

MembersoftheBicesterwithWhaddonChaseHunttakepartintheBoxingDayhuntinWinslow,centralEngland,December26,2007.

#12Ireland2014ranking:#15

GDPranking:8th

TheIrishownthetwelfthspot,andrankwithinthetop20ineverymajorcategoryontheSPIexceptforWaterandSanitation(wheretheyrank22nd)andEcosystemSustainability(wheretheyrankadistant119th).

TheIrishalsodoparticularlywellintermsofaccesstoopportunity:IrelandrankssecondintheworldinToleranceandInclusionandsixthinAccesstoHigherEducation.

#11TheUnitedKingdom2014ranking:#13

GDPranking:19th

TheBritshavealottobeproudof,includingtheirPersonalRightsrecord,forwhichtheycurrentlyranksecondintheworld.Theyrankwell(6thoverall)inaccesstoopportunity,too.

Elsewhere,theoldempirerankshighlyinWaterandSanitation(17th),AccesstoHigherEducation(4th),andAccesstoInformationandCommunications(15th).

Healthcareisnotthenation'sstrength:theUKcurrentlyranks27thinNutritionandBasicMedicalCareandHealthandWellness.

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CentreLaneinMelbourne.

#10Australia2014ranking:#10

GDPranking:12th

AustraliaistiedwithseveralothernationsforthehighestqualityWaterandSanitationintheworldnowonderpeoplelovetosurfthere.CouplethatwithhighrankingsinNutritionandBasicMedicalCare(7th)andHealthandWellness(5th)anditisprettycleanlivingdownunder.

Australiacouldstandtoimproveinotherareas,asitcurrentlyranks29thinAccesstoBasicEducationand64thinEcosystemSustainability.

Ontheplusside,Australia'saccesstoopportunityranksthirdintheworld,andithasaphenomenalPersonalRightsrecordrivaledonlybytheUKandNewZealand.

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PeoplecelebrateQueen'sDayinAmsterdam.

#9Netherlands2014ranking:#4

GDPranking:7th

TheNetherlandsmayhavedroppedfivespotsintherankingsthisyear,butthelowlandcountryisstillagoodplacetofindahome:thecountryranksthirdintheworldinprovidingShelterandistiedforfirstinWaterandSanitation.

Likemanyotherdevelopednations,NetherlandslagsbehindinEcosystemSustainability(25th)butmorethanmakesupforitwithAccesstoBasicKnowledge(8th),AccesstoInformationandCommunications(2nd),andPersonalFreedomandChoice(5th).

TheNetherlandsdoesnotrankoutsidethetop25inanymajorcategory.

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Denmarkwavestheirflagattheopeningtothe2014WinterOlympicsinSochi,Russia.

#8Denmark2014ranking:#9

GDPranking:13th

DenmarkisthemostadvancedcountryintheworldintermsofprovidingitspeoplewithBasicHumanNeedsincludingcleanwater(tied1st),PersonalSafety(5th),andShelter(1st).

TheDanesalsoenjoyahighqualityoflife,asthecountryrankssixthinAccesstoBasicKnowledgeandfourthinInformationandCommunicationSystemsaswellasPersonalFreedomandChoice.

Itisn'tallperfectthoughDenmarkranksonly26thintheworldwhenitcomestotheHealthandWellnessofitspeople.

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AfestivalinHelsinki,Finland.

#7Finland2014ranking:#8

GDPranking:17th

TheFinsrankthirdintheworldinProvidingBasicHumanNeeds,seventhinprovidingOpportunity,andeighthinprovidingtheFoundationsfortheWellbeingofitspeople.

FinlandisaworldleaderinofferingNutritionandBasicMedicalCareaswellastheFreedomofChoice.ItisalsosecondintheworldinprovidingShelter.

Asalways,thereisroomforimprovement,particularlywhenitcomestoEcosystemSustainability(43rd),HealthandWellness(18th),andWaterandSanitation(18th).

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TheCanadianwoman'shockeyteamtookhomethegoldmedalatthe2014SochiWinterOlympics.

#6Canada2014ranking:#7

GDPranking:14th

Ifyouwanttomoveupintheworld,movetoCanada.OurneighbortothenorthranksfirstintheworldinprovidingOpportunitytoitspeople,ninthinPersonalFreedomandChoice,andthirdinbothaccesstoAdvancedEducationandToleranceandInclusion.

CanadaalsobreaksintothetopteninPersonalSafety(8th)andShelter(7th).

WhenyouaccountfortheFoundationsofWellbeing,however,Canadalosessomeofitsglobalstature:thecountryranksonly18thinAccesstoBasicKnowledgeand25thinAccesstoInformationandCommunication.

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TheNewZealandnationalrugbyteam.

#5NewZealand2014ranking:#1

GDPranking:22nd

Lastyear'smostsociallyprogressivenationmayhavedroppedfourspots,butit'snotasbadasyouthink.

NewZealandistiedforfirstintheworldinWaterandSanitationandPersonalRightsandisrightbehindCanadainofferingOpportunityforitspeople(2nd).NewZealandalsoranksthirdintheworldforAccesstoBasicKnowledgeandfifthinToleranceandInclusion.

Intermsofoverallwellbeing,theislandnationhassomeworktodo:NewZealandranksonly28thinNutritionandBasicMedicalCareand34thinEcosystemSustainability.

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Facebook/InspiredbyIceland

#4Iceland2014ranking:#3

GDPranking:15th

IcelandranksfirstinWaterandSanitation,PersonalSafety,andToleranceandInclusion,andsecondinNutritionandBasicMedicalCareandHealthandWellness.ItranksthirdinAccesstoInformationandCommunications.

ItisalsoworthnotingthatIcelandranks13thinEcosystemSustainability,whichishigherthananyothernationonthislistthusfar.

Icelanddoesrank27thinAccesstoAdvancedEducation,whichisitsonlyrankingofallmajorcategoriesoutsideofthetop15.

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CrosscountryskiinginDavos,Switzerland.

PascalLeSegretain/GettyImages

#3Switzerland2014ranking:#2

GDPranking:4th

TheSwissdomanythingswell,butwhenitcomestoEcosystemSustainabilitytheyaretheenvyoftheinternationalcommunity.

TheyarealsostronginPersonalSafety(3rd),ProvidingShelter(5th),andofferingtheFreedomofPersonalChoice(3rd).TheirAchilles'heel?TheSwissrank48thintheworldinAccesstoBasicEducation.

Overall,theyranksecondworldwideinMeetingBasicHumanNeedsandinprovidingtheFoundationsofWellbeing.

#2Sweden2014rank:#6

GDPranking:6th

ItdoesnotgetmuchbetterthanSweden.TheBalticnationranksoutsidethetop10inonlytwocategories:Shelter(16th)andPersonalRights(11th).

TheSwedesareleadersinWaterandSanitation(tied1st),NutritionandBasicMedicalCare(3rd),PersonalSafety(2nd),HealthandWellness(4th),PersonalFreedomandChoice(6th),andToleranceandInclusion(7th).

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#1Norway2014rank:#5

GDPranking:2nd

Norwayisthemostsociallyprogressivecountryintheworld.

Inparticular,NorwegianshavethestrongestFoundationofWellbeingofanycountry,rankingfirstinAccesstoCommunicationsandInformation,secondinEcosystemSustainability,andthirdinHealthandWellness.

NorwayalsoenjoystopnotchWaterandSanitation(tied1st),PersonalSafety(3rd),andPersonalFreedomandChoice(2nd).

Norwaycanstillimprove,however:itsworstrankingisinitsAccesstoAdvancedEducation,whereitsitsat16th.Italsoranks14thinShelterand11thinPersonalRights.

WithNorwayandSwedensittingatoneandtwoontheSPI,itmayfinallybetimetoplanthattriptoScandinavia.

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Whilesomecountriesprogress,othersdonot.CheckoutThe12MostCorruptCountriesInTheWorld>

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