The countries which have a highest standard of living are the archetype of brilliance in all the fields. These countries serve as a benchmark for other countries to reach. Most of the people often confuse per capita gross domestic product with the standard of living but it is not the case. There are many nations which have a lot of residents but if they are subjected to poverty and are not provided with the basic human needs such as sanitation, food, shelter, then they cannot be considered in the list of countries with highest standard of living.
It is absolutely fine if people are living without luxuries but living without the basic necessities is really heart wrenching. These people have a very sad state and if you look at them, they are barely surviving. Some of them have a meal and have no idea where would the next meal come from, they grow poor and die poor, their kids are illiterate and they do not have resources to teach them so the vicious cycle continues throughout the generations together.
On the other hand, there are such nations which are not that rich but the residents have access to the basic needs as mentioned above. They have access to the technology and education and also they have the opportunities available for them to grow and express themselves well.
The highest standard of living has three measurement criteria – basic needs of humans, basis of wellbeing, and opportunities for growth therefore let us find out Top 10 Countries with highest Standard of Living in the World based on these three factors.
10. Iceland and New Zealand — 88.45
Number 10 position has a tie between Iceland and New Zealand.
New Zealand is the “the youngest country in the world,” and surely beautiful. Opportunities are in abundance as the population is low and therefore jobs are more. Nearly a 25% of the residents are working and receive decent incomes. The pollution levels are quite low in the country and that is actually an extremely significant characteristic since the climatic changes have a great impact on living standards.
Iceland is also one of the gorgeous countries and has a great score on the social progress in terms of basic human needs and the GDP making its place on the number 10 of the top 10 countries with highest standard of living in the world.
9. United Kingdom — 88.58.
On number 9, we have United Kingdom as the education and medical care is given utmost importance in the country. Residents have free access to quality education and therefore the quality of living is substantially nice as compared to other countries.
8. Netherlands — 88.65.
The country that ranks 8th in the list is one of the famously known tolerant countries of the world. People have personal freedom and their own choice. They have placed a great importance on education and that is why more than 75% of the population of Netherlands has secondary education at the very least due to which high employment opportunities are being created and therefore the standard of living rises.
7. Norway — 88.70.
Norway is on position 7 due to the medical and education facilities along with nutrition for its residents. This is a great example for many countries that Norway provides the basic human necessities to its residents and therefore the people are happier and healthier. Non-European Union countries are probably following Norway as an example to excel in their country.
6. Sweden — 88.80.
Clean Water and clean sanitation along with proper nutrition and rights to the residents make Sweden rank 6th in the list of countries with the highest standard of living in the world. Life expectancy is great and people have jobs for their livelihood. But it is also noted that the income is not distributed in equal proportions that’s why rich are becoming richer day by day.
5. Switzerland — 88.87.
One of the most expensive countries of the world but people get the access to education, good healthcare and medical facilities which are worth spending the money. Also it is one of the richest countries and the residents are pretty prosperous which can be evidently seen by the average remuneration of $35,000 which a person earns. Paid jobs and education for the residents is looked after well and the water and air quality of the country is great. People of this country are very happy and enjoy the richness of everything. It is corruption free and thus people get the most benefits.
4. Australia — 89.13.
There are a number of people who want to begin a new life in Australia. The reason being education, work opportunities and freedom. Life expectancy is high along with high education and high employment rate. Australia is surely one of the best countries of the world to live in. Cleanliness is emphasized and people of this country are quite aware about keeping their nation clean.
3. Denmark — 89.39.
Denmark ranks on number 3 as the income, basic human requirements and health and life expectancy is incredibly higher.Education is laid emphasis on and work ethics are not compromised. Income is equally distributed and therefore people are comparatively happier and lead good lives.
2. Canada — 89.49.
At number 2, we have Canada which is one of the huge countries of the world. The healthcare facilities are just exemplary. The education and the opportunities provided in the country are quite strong.The average annual income is almost $30,000. Therefore people have a better lifestyle in Canada.
1. Finland — 90.09.
Finland is on top of the list of countries which have highest standard of living. The residents of this nation enjoy the personal freedom, they are provided with education and health care facilities which makes them have a better standard of living. If you plan to migrate to Finland ensure that you carry warm clothes as the temperature may fall to -50 Celsius during winters. The excellent living standard mixed with unsurpassed education systems on the earth makes Finland a great place to live in. Teaching styles are unique and there are no consistent tests. The most interesting fact is that the girls outperform the boys in the tests.
Conclusion
It is mostly the Scandinavian countries on the top as to calculate the living standard, populations do not play a vital role unless they are meeting their basic needs of education, sanitation and job opportunities. That is the reason why densely populated countries usually have low standard of living and the people of these countries also have limited access to meet their basic requirements.
I’m Hina Khan, working as a writer at Worldblaze.in blog. I love dancing and listening punjabi music. Here I’m sharing all the interesting stuffs that will definitely entertain you.