The surprising countries with the best quality of life
15 June 2016
Who lives the best life?
British immigration and citizenship firm Henley & Partners has released a new ranking of nationalities to show which have the best and worst quality of living. The report looks at the strength of each country’s economy, health, education and standard of living, and levels of peace and stability. Based on this, each country was given a score between 0-100%. The higher the score the better the quality of living. Where does your country lie?
33rd: Australia
With stunning weather, beautiful beaches and a stable GDP, what’s not to love about living in Australia? Australians, who scored 52.5%, enjoy a high level of freedom, and as part of the Commonwealth are able to travel freely and work in fellow Commonwealth countries.
32nd: Canada
With a score of 52.7% the study proves Canadians are a happy bunch. The nation scores highly in everything from safety of its citizens and a stable economy to freedom and healthcare.
31st: New Zealand
Scoring 53.4% and coming 31st place is New Zealand. In part thanks to its beautiful, natural surroundings, the island nation continues to rank highly in the list thanks to a stable economy and high levels of peace and stability.
30th: Japan
For the second year in a row, Japan has held on to the same position with a score of 56.2%. The nation’s people experience high levels of peace and stability as well as solid health care.
29th: Croatia
Made up of 1,100 islands, Croatia boasts some of the most stunning beaches, coves and bays in Europe. Aside from its beauty, Croatia receives more than 2,600 hours of sunshine each year and, as a member of the European Union, citizens enjoy a high level of travel and overseas work freedom. The country’s quality of life continues to improve, jumping three spots in the last year, with a score of 58.3%.
28th: United States
Slipping one place down the list is the United States with a score of 63.5%. The index found US residents scored highly in human development (health, education and standard of living), as well as economic strength and diversity of travel freedom.
27th: Bulgaria
Over the last four years, this European nation has continued to improve its quality of life, jumping three spots up the list and improving its score by a whopping 10.2% to 72.4%. The reason for the jump? Since the end of Communist rule, the country has made significant strides towards achieving a democratic, free market economy.
26th: Romania
Moving two places up the list is Romania. This European nation improved its score by 9.8% to 72.6%. Despite its Communist past, Romania joined the EU in 2007, opening up freedom to travel and work overseas for its residents. Although the financial crisis of 2008 hit the country hard, it has slowly but steadily recovered.
25th: Cyprus
Looking at pictures of the stunning island nation located in the eastern Mediterranean, it’s not hard to see why Cyprus continues to earn a place at the high end of the list with a score of 73.4%. In recent years the country has continued to grow its economy through tourism and light manufacturing.
24th: Latvia
Located along the Baltic Sea, Latvia improved its ranking by one spot with a score of 76%. The nation’s people enjoy solid education, healthcare and standard of living as well as an economy that continues to grow as it embraces a free market.
23rd: Lithuania
Scoring a healthy 76.2% is Lithuania. The Baltic state scored highly across the areas of health, education, standard of living and travel freedom.
22nd: Malta
Located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Europe and Northern Africa, Malta’s quality of life rating comes in at 76.4%. The nation’s strong economy is bolstered by tourism and is a leading center for container and freight shipping.
21st: Greece
Despite its position on the list, Greece’s ranking has slowly declined over the years largely due to its ongoing economic crisis. Despite this, residents appear to still enjoy their country with a score of 76.5%.
Joint 20th: Poland
Once under Communist rule, Poland has become a very desirable place to live. It scored 76.7% on this list and jumped three places, has a strong and stable democracy, solid economy and good standard of living.
Joint 20th: Estonia
In joint 20th position and jumping four places up the list is Estonia with a score of 76.7%. Since gaining independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Estonia has become one of the most successful of the EU’s newer eastern European members. Here residents enjoy solid health care and education as well as a high level of travel freedom.
19th: Slovakia
Slovakia has moved two places up the list in the last year with a score of 77.9%. Located in the heart of Europe, Slovakia has proudly preserved its own language and cultural traditions. Joining the EU in 2004, the country is seen as one of Europe’s biggest success stories so it’s no wonder its residents enjoy a high quality of life.
18th: Hungary
The landlocked nation is rich in traditions and proud of its culture. With a score of 78%, Hungary excelled in the areas of peace and stability, education, health and settlement freedom. This is defined by Henley & Partners as when an adult is allowed to work without permission or by virtually automatic permission in another country for at least 360 days without having to obtain a visa.
17th: Slovenia
Maintaining 17th position for the second year in a row is Slovenia with a score of 78.8%. The small country, located in central Europe, is full of natural beauty with Alpine mountains, thick forests and Adriatic coastline. Although it was dragged into economic strife by the European financial crisis, it has bounced back with residents enjoying a high quality of life.
16th: Portugal
With a rich history this oceanside country is one of the most peaceful in the world with a score of 78.9%. With strong health and education systems, residents of Portugal also enjoy travel and settlement freedom since becoming an EU member in 1986.
15th: Czech Republic
The Czech Republic has jumped three spots in the last year with a score of 79.1%. The country, which separated from Slovakia in 1993, scored highly across peace and stability, health and education, and freedom in the areas of travel and settlement.
14th: Luxembourg
The small European nation – it has a population of just 550,000 – jumped one spot up the list with a score of 79.3%. Landlocked by Belgium, France and Germany, the country is a prominent financial center. As well as a strong economy, residents here have a high standard of life, great healthcare access and a rich history.
Joint 13th: Italy
Renowned for its glorious architecture and fascinating history, it’s probably not too surprising that Italians are a happy bunch. Its score of 79.8% was achieved in part to its EU membership which allows citizens ease when travelling and working in other EU nations.
Joint 13th: Spain
In joint 13th position is Spain with a score of 79.8%. The country, which is sandwiched by the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, has a rich history and stunning coastline. According to Henley & Partners, Spain scored highly across peace and stability, travel and settlement freedom and human development.
12th: Liechtenstein
The 25km-long principality between Austria and Switzerland is known for its beautiful medieval castles, alpine chalets and for being a tax haven. However, in recent years the nation has tried to shake of its image and reposition itself as a legitimate financial center. It scored 80% and retained its position for the second consecutive year.
11th: United Kingdom
The UK is next with a score of 80.1%. Residents enjoy relative peace and stability with strong health and education services as well as the freedom to travel and work overseas in many other countries.
10th: Belgium
Known for its medieval old towns, this European country is visually stunning. And that’s not all Belgium, which scored 80.2%, has going for it. The country’s capital city Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), making it an important center of international diplomats and civil servants.
9th: Netherlands
The Netherlands jumped one spot with a score of 80.3%. Famous for its high standard of living, the nation has also maintained a steady economy despite hardships faced by neighboring nations.
8th: Switzerland
The mountainous nation often tops quality of life polls thanks to its strong educational resources, health care, overall standard of living and peaceful surroundings. It has a score of 80.7%.
7th: France
Great food, great wine and beautiful cities, what’s not to love about France? The European nation remains in the top 10 for the fourth year in a row with a score of 80.9%. The country’s residents enjoy a high standard of living and the ability to travel and work in many other countries.
Joint 6th: Ireland
It wasn’t the luck of the Irish that nabbed the country its place on the list. Ireland scored an impressive 81% thanks to a high standard of living, good education and health, stability and its ability to bounce back after years of tough economic conditions.
Joint 6th: Austria
In joint 6th position is Austria with a score of 81%. The nation, which jumped three spots on the list, was applauded for its peace and stability, while it also has a high standard of living and solid healthcare.
Joint 5th: Sweden
Inching its way into the top five is Sweden with a score of 81.6%. Education, health, standard of living, freedom and peace are strong pillars of this country.
Joint 5th: Iceland
In joint 5th place, and moving one place up the list, is Iceland with a score of 81.6%. As well as scoring highly for human development, travel and settlement freedom, it also topped the peace and stability list, which makes sense as the nation is one of the few in the world that doesn’t have military forces.
4th: Norway
Moving one spot up the list with a score of 81.7% is Norway. A mass of mountains, coastal fjords and glaciers, the Scandinavian nation scores strongly across all areas of the report. Residents have access to top healthcare and education, as well as enjoying a high quality of life with an excellent work/life balance.
3rd: Finland
In third position for the third consecutive year is Finland with a score of 82%. Although the country has slipped 0.2% in their rating, it still scored highly in the areas of travel freedom, settlement freedom, health and education.
2nd: Denmark
It might have narrowly missed out on the top spot, but life is still pretty sweet for Denmark. The nation scored a whopping 83% in the report scoring highly in the areas of stability, peace and settlement freedom. It’s the third year in row Denmark has achieved this position, with its percentage increasing steadily over the previous years.
1st: Germany
In the top spot for the fifth consecutive year is Germany with an impressive score of 83.1%. The nation rated highly for its ability to live and work abroad easily and travel to many countries without a visa – according to the report Germans hold the strongest passport in terms of visa-free access to other countries.
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