Human Development Index

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The UN's Human Development Index ranks countries according to how they rate on a number of factors relevant to living conditions. The top twenty, in order:

2007/2008 Human Development Index rankings

• 1. Iceland
  2. Norway
  3. Australia
  4. Canada
  5. Ireland
  6. Sweden
  7. Switzerland
  8. Japan
  9. Netherlands
  10. France
  11. Finland
  12. United States
  13. Spain
  14. Denmark
  15. Austria
  16. United Kingdom
  17. Belgium
  18. Luxembourg
  19. New Zealand
  20. Italy

See here.

The HDI – human development index – is a summary composite index that measures a country's average achievements in three basic aspects of human development: health, knowledge, and a decent standard of living.