America Didn’t Even Make Top 15 in List of Best Countries to be Born Into

Americans may be known for cheering “We’re Number 1″, but a recently compiled list of the best and worst countries to be born into didn’t even place America in the top 15.  As a matter of fact, according to a report by the  Economist Intelligence Unit, there are 15 other countries which are better to be born into than America.

The study looked at over eight countries and scored them based on “which country will provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in the years ahead.”

The Washington Post reports:

The study incorporates hard data on facets such as economic opportunity, health standards and political freedoms; subjective “quality of life” surveys; and economic forecasts for 2030, when an infant born today would be entering adulthood. Even gender equality, job security (as measured by unemployment data), violent crime rates and climate are taken into account. 

So where does the United States of America stack up when measured against other countries? The United States and Germany tied for 16th. The top 15 countries include  Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Canada as well as a couple of Asian countries - Hong Kong and Singapore.

And even though people tend to think of diversity as a good thing, countries at the top of the list are mostly homogeneous.

The worst three countries to be born into are Nigeria, Kenya and Ukraine. Countries are deemed among the worst to be born into mainly based on income inequality, level of opportunity, violence, and freedom.

 

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