U.S. News and World Report recently released its ranking of the best countries in the world based on quality of life.
To rank the 87 countries listed, U.S. News and World Report, WPP and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania surveyed more than 17,000 people worldwide.
The best countries for quality of life were scored across the following metrics:
- Affordable
- A Good Job Market
- Economically Stable
- Family Friendly
- Income Equality
- Politically Stable
- Safe
- Well-developed Public Health System
- Well-developed Public Education System
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No. 1 country for quality of life: Sweden
Sweden is the best country in the world for affordability, safety and more.
According to Numbeo, the cost of living in Sweden is, on average, 20.9% lower than in the United States, while renting is 57.5% lower.
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Sweden is well known for its free healthcare and college education, according to U.S. News and World Report.
Sweden's people boast one of the longest life expectancies, with an average age of 82.8 years, according to the CIA World Factbook.
The country has a stellar parental leave policy: Parents are entitled to 480 days of paid leave when a child is born or adopted. Should there be two parents, each one is entitled to 240 of those days.
10 best countries in the world for quality of life
- Sweden
- Norway
- Canada
- Denmark
- Finland
- Switzerland
- Netherlands
- Australia
- Germany
- New Zealand
Norway is ranked as the second-best country in the world for quality of life.
The country is a trendsetter for gender equality, according to the CIA World Factbook.
The country's parental leave enables parents to split taking care of their child at home for up to 49 weeks at full salary (or 59 weeks with 80% of their salary).
Norway also offers a monthly allowance to families from a month after a child is born until they turn 18 to defray some of the costs of raising children.
Norway's life expectancy at birth is 82.75 years and since 2013, it has ranked in the top 10 of the world's happiest countries on the World Happiness Report.
Canada rounds out the top three. The country is known for its affordability, access to education, and healthcare system.
It has a life expectancy of 83.99 years, 3.24 years higher than its neighbor to the south, the United States.
Canada outperforms the average in income, jobs, education, health, environmental quality, social connections, and life satisfaction, according to the OECD's Better Life Index.
The country has universal health care coverage. It offers citizens a health system funded mainly through tax revenue and is free at the point of delivery.
According to Columbia University, there is no cost-sharing for inpatient or outpatient care and prescription drug prices vary but are still inexpensive.
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