10 Best Countries to Live In

In the past I’ve reported on various rankings of countries including the smartest countries, the happiest countries, the best countries for entrepreneurs, the most competitive countries for business, the most peaceful countries in the world and even the most reputable country and today I’m adding to this list with the best country to live. The determination for this list of the best countries to live in is by citizen satisfaction. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released their Better Life Index and MSN.comused that report as the basis of this top 10 ranking. The OECD used the following 11 variables to ascertain a comprehensive look at citizen satisfaction in this Better Life Index: housing, income, jobs, community, education, civic engagement, health, life satisfaction, safety, and work-life balance. The top ten countries in order are:

  • 10. Luxembourg, ranked 11th last year. It seemed that a strong sense of community and active citizen participation is what brought up the ranking of this nation with a population of 509,000.
  • 9. New Zealand, ranked 4th last year. Though they have an employment rate of 72% (higher than the OECD average of 66%), their after tax average income of $18,601 is $5,000 less than the OECD average.
  • 8. Netherlands, ranked 10th last year. While some surveys have proved that finances are not the key to happiness, the Netherlands are certainly trying to become the exception. The average household wealth is $61,157, which is way above the OECD average of $36,238.
  • 7. Switzerland, ranked 8th last year. Education and employment seem to be why the Swiss are happy. 87% of citizens have at least a high school diploma and 79% of workers under 64 are employed, and they earn $5,000 more than the OECD average. Their happiness is not all based on money as 76.4 % of citizens say they have more positive than negative experiences each day which is also above the OECD average.
  • 6. Canada, ranked 2nd last year. Even with the drop to number six, Canadians have a lot to be proud of including health care, community and environment but what really sets Canada apart is its safety. 87% of Canadians say they feel safe walking alone at night where as the OECD average is 67%.
  • 5. Denmark, ranked 6th last year. Citizen ranked their general satisfaction with life a 7.8 out of 10, where as the OECD average was 6.7.
  • 4. Sweden, ranked 3rd last year. What allowed Sweden to rank this high on the list is its environment. They have the best air quality on the OECD list. Not to mention, 96% of citizens were happy with their water quality when the OECD average being 84%.
  • 3. United States, ranked 7th last year. When it comes to the American dream, money seems to be the key. Surprisingly, Americans have the largest amount of disposable income on the list. The average American makes $38,000 after taxes, where as the OECD average is $22,387.
  • 2. Norway, ranked 5th last year. Norway really doesn’t believe money doesn’t buy happiness as the average citizen rates their happiness a 7.6 out of ten (one of the higher rates in the OECD), yet the average household worth is $6,197. This number is below the OECD average of $36,238.
  • 1. Australia, ranked 1st last year. It seems that a sense of community is what makes Australians happy because they spend an average of six minutes a day volunteering well above the OECD average. Also, 65% of citizens have helped a stranger, which is above the OECD average of 47%.

This list proves that no one factor is the key to happiness. Canada may have ranked second last year but being in the top ten is quite an achievement. We’ll get back up there next year.
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35 responses to “10 Best Countries to Live In”

  1. Daniel says:

    What is this? The average household income in Norway is way higher than the OECD average.

  2. mariam says:

    OH i thougt usa would be the first

  3. VM says:

    Well, Singapore deserves a place there ~ it is also one of the safest countries in the world.

  4. R says:

    United States better place to live than Canada? lol I don’t think so.

  5. anon says:

    i find articles about “the best countries” or “the richest countries” to be so annoying. there are so many factors you need to consider. no need to go into detail here though, it would be a waste of time.

  6. toyo says:

    This was rigged, theres no scandanavian countries on the list! And U.S. no. 3? Oh please.

  7. Hn says:

    Usa is the best . And it’s better than Canada

  8. San says:

    Sense of community? Humph. There is plenty of that in North Korea.

  9. con says:

    AUSTRALIA REPRESENT!

  10. Rita says:

    @Hn

    USA better than Canada? Please USA has so much catching up to do in terms of healthcare, controlling racism and fixing up their economic issues.

  11. hi says:

    oh seriously, U.S.A is like sooo bad to live in. If an average person earns “$38,000” they have to spend like 10,000 bucks only if they have fracture on the arm. Like, seriously, think before u just publish something.

    • Angela says:

      We wrote about the results from a study conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development that considered many factors beyond financial to determine this ranking.

  12. YoRitaYourBAD says:

    Yo RITA, you’re wrong, ok? U.S. > Canada any day. You have catching up to do.

  13. KsenijaR says:

    Would totally agree with this top if we’re only talking about the quality f life. But there’s always a fly in the ointment – money issues. Luxembourg and Denmark sure are very pleasant places to live, but at the same time one of the most expensive in the world! And this might be a problem for one who chooses to move to one of this countries…
    Last month Mercer published their survey on the cost of living in different cities and it turns out that many of the cities that are best to live in are in the top of the most expensive for expatriates. Here’s a short version of their survey: http://www.traveling365.com/2013/01/the-cost-of-living-2012-survey/

  14. Interesting says:

    Interesting article. I would love to see the variables used. I do know from a freedom point of view that USA is way down the list and does not even show up in the top 10 list of “The most free” countries.

    Everyone compares to USA for some reason. Other countries have much to offer also; though, what works in one country may not work in another.

    I noticed that no country from Asia, South America or Africa shows up. I wonder where countries like Japan, Singapore, etc… show up at.

  15. Gaurav says:

    India ….India on first number…..best place to live in today

  16. Adam says:

    (comment has been edited) 3 of the 4 scandinavian countries are there. And USA is a horrible place to live.

  17. mohamed says:

    actualy the french prefer mali and lybia

  18. Jill says:

    I cannot believe that the USA was number 3. other stats have them at number 23 , which is more like it. America is no longer a better place to live. Greed , crime , high taxes with nothing to show for those taxes ,high infant death rates , life expectancy has decreased. So it surely is no longer a better place to live.

  19. John Thomas says:

    Canada is proud of its “Health Care”? LOL! Yeah, that’s why they routinely come to the U.S. for actual treatment… Well, not for much longer with 0bama’s Commie-Care kicking in. Say goodbye to serious cancer treatment.

  20. Pearl says:

    Australia is pretty good.

    Sadly wished you guys complaining about USA not being number one looked at some of the statistics. Sadly not the country it used to be.

    Its not the location, money, weather, traditions that make a country great. It all starts with the accepting attitude of its people…

    But hey! just be thankful we all live in countries that allow us to have the freedom and technology to talk to each other.

    Take care everyone

    PS … Should come down under and say gday 😉

  21. Gabriel says:

    Hey you guys, you know norway is the best, i am in the czech republic and in the future i will definetely want to live in in norway… The nature the enviroment.

  22. Duggu says:

    Canada will buy USA soon as USA is getting poor. So Canada will be next superpower and thus CANADA is better.

  23. Anonymous says:

    USA Better to live than in Canada?? After the bombings in Boston… The new town conneticute shooting.. heck people are dying on the street all the time… In Canada ill find out about a handful in a year… Medical care is free… Just Renew your health card… and we can climb out of our recession….

  24. hmmm says:

    hmmm not sure about this list…. Aus number 1???

    There is probably very little separating any of the countries in the top 10. Splitting hairs really, all good places to live 🙂

    PS: I’m Australian

  25. Graham says:

    I would love to live in Canada, the people there seem to be so nice and its so beatiful. Coming from an American, I would not move to the US. Within 15 years the country will fall, and if it continues the way it is, it will fall hard. The best we could hope for is that we fall softly, like Great Britain, just kind of fade away. Power will shift to some other part of the globe (probably China) and we’ll just be another country. This probably wont happen though, and I dont plan to be around when something does.

  26. Ron says:

    The one big consideration not being taken into here is, that of the list of the top countries, none need a defense budget like that of the US, because the US protects the majority of them. Also, when you’re the “great melting pot” you’re going to have different problems than those of countries that don’t allow anyone into them on a permanent visa, with a path to citizenship.

  27. Jassem says:

    The best country to live in , where your family and real friends are .

  28. 10 Best Cities to Live in Canada 2013 - Income Property, Real Estate Investment in Canada says:

    […] illustrate how Canada measures up globally. I’ve covered how Canada ranked in posts such as the best countries to live, the smartest countries, the happiest countries, the  most peaceful countries, the most […]

  29. luis says:

    why is U.S.A 3rd? it sucks here!!!!

  30. Caly says:

    toyo: “There is no scandinavian countries in the list”? Did you learn geography in an American public school or something? Three of the four scandinavian countries is in the list.

    But I agree, US third? MooOOooahahaha!
    Highest incarceration in the world.
    Fastest declining litteracy in the world.
    Highest national debt in the world.
    Rampant and violently enforced taxation.
    Most hated nation in the world.

    It’s called the “American dream”, because you HAVE to be asleep to believe it.

    Over all, it seems the list is highly based on how effective the state-mafia extortion-racket robs their citizens, and gives them back crumbs and propaganda to make them dosile and imagining safety.

  31. Fran says:

    As a citizen of the USA, I believe that the USA ranking of 3 is too high. The country has a corrupt Federal Government run by two totally corrupt political parties. The voters don’t know what they are doing. Polls show congress at an approval rating of less than 15% yet they vote to re-elect the politicians again.

    If you don’t want to work, and have your essentials paid for, then the USA is a good choice for you. The politicians love to hand out money that the country does not have. The debt in the USA is skyrocketing and the stupid voters, many of which have very little education and no idea what is going on in the country, keep voting for the District of Corruption (DC) to continue to spend more money.

  32. Ja Dee says:

    USA really shouldn’t be on this list. It has one of the least happy and divided populations in the world.

    The only reason it’s here is to appease the muricans

  33. Amy says:

    I’m not sure where some of their figures come from but $38,000 is not average for “most Americans”. Granted I do not live in a city but most the average people I know make more like $20,000 a year and some less than that. Rural America is drying up and as far as happiness goes, what the hell is that?

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