NEW: Human Development Index 2005

[STING2]

The new Human Development Index 2005, which measures and ranks the standard of living of all countries around the world just came out today. Here is the top 100:

1. Norway
2. Iceland
3. Australia
4. Luxembourg
5. Canada
6. Sweden
7. Switzerland
8. Ireland
9. Belgium
10. United States
11. Japan
12. Netherlands
13. Finland
14. Denmark
15. United Kingdom
16. France
17. Austria
18. Italy
19. New Zealand
20. Germany
21. Spain
22. Hong Kong
23. Israel
24. Greece
25. Singapore
26. Slovenia
27. Portugal
28. Korea, Rep. Of
29. Cyprus
30. Barbados
31. Czech Republic
32. Malta
33. Brunei Darussalam
34. Argentina
35. Hungary
36. Poland
37. Chile
38. Estonia
39. Lithuania
40. Qatar
41. United Arab Emirates
42. Slovakia
43. Bahrain
44. Kuwait
45. Croatia
46. Uruguay
47. Costa Rica
48. Latvia
49. Saint Kitts and Nevis
50. Bahamas
51. Seychelles
52. Cuba
53. Mexico
54. Tonga
55. Bulgaria
56. Panama
57. Trinidad and Tobago
58. Libyan Arab Jamahirya
59. Macedonia, TFYR
60. Antigua and Barbuda
61. Malaysia
62. Russian Federation
63. Brazil
64. Romania
65. Mauritius
66. Grenada
67. Belarus
68. Bosnia and Herzegovina
69. Colombia
70. Dominica
71. Oman
72. Albania
73. Thailand
74. Samoa (Western)
75. Venezuela
76. Saint Lucia
77. Saudi Arabia
78. Ukraine
79. Peru
80. Kazakhstan
81. Lebanon
82. Ecuador
83. Armenia
84. Philippines
85. China
86. Suriname
87. Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
88. Paraguay
89. Tunisia
90. Jordan
91. Belize
92. Fiji
93. Sri Lanka
94. Turkey
95. Dominican Republic
96. Maldives
97. Turkmenistan
98. Jamaica
99. Iran, Islamic Rep. of
100. Georgia



Just to compare, last years Human Development Index top 20 looked like this:
2004 Index

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


It should be noted that a decline in the ranking from last year to this year does not necessarily mean a decline in standard of living. The United States was at 0.938 in 2000 and is now at 0.944 despite dropping in rank for two consecutive years. The drop in rank is explained by greater gains in standard of living made by other countries.

The Netherlands and Japan, staples in the top 10 for years have dropped out of the top 10. Despite this fact, both countries have increased their standards of living since 2000.

Sweden which was #2 last year and is now #6 has experienced a drop in standard of living since 2000 going from 0.958 down to 0.949 this year.

Ireland continues on its path to the top and is for the first time in its history, ranked ahead of the United States in standard of living coming in at #8. Ireland currently is #2 in Per Capita GDP worldwide!

China has increased its ranking from last year when it was at #94 all the way up to #85. Since 1995, China has gone from 0.683 to 0.755 in 2005.

 

[LJT]

woo Irelande is pretty high up...wooohooo...though i guess NI wouldn't be included in it

 

[STING2]

woo Irelande is pretty high up...wooohooo...though i guess NI wouldn't be included in it

Northern Ireland results would be included with the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has declined in actual standard of living as well as its rank on the chart since 2000. But when I was in Northern Ireland this summer, I learned that it has become the best kept secret in the UK, with many new arrivals from England. People from England say it does not have the overcrowding problems that other parts of England have.

 

[deep]

Sting

I know you like these charts

but I would not trade what I have here in the US (no.10) to live in of the other top 9 countries


and I can easily say
that many in the US have a lousy standard of living
behind many in countries listed below no. 10




here are some facts

year after year the poverty rate in US is going up


and me and my fellow upper income Americans’ net worth and tax cuts are way up



What a country!

 

[Axver]

Wow, Australia in #3?

I guess I've a reason to be thankful I moved from New Zealand after all.

 

[wizard2c]

reply

New Zealand sounds more appealing each day.......

carol
wizard2c

 

[TheQuiet1]

Northern Ireland results would be included with the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has declined in actual standard of living as well as its rank on the chart since 2000. But when I was in Northern Ireland this summer, I learned that it has become the best kept secret in the UK, with many new arrivals from England. People from England say it does not have the overcrowding problems that other parts of England have.

Which is kinda ironic given what LJT is doing...

As for the UK thing, well, I'm getting used to the fact that however much I want to be proud of where I come from, best country on earth yadda yadda yadda. It actually ain't all that No, in fact, Every single sodding day you hear about how this place is going to hell in a handcart and when things like Anthony Walker, the fire in Newcastle happen how can you argue? I know there are places worse off than this, of course there are, but it doesn't make what the UK is becoming right does it? It doesn't make it any more acceptable?

Perhaps Northern Ireland WOULD be better off with the Republic, perhaps the Welsh and Scots HAVE got the right idea with the popularity of their independence parties, perhaps the jokes in my sixth form yearbook about a Yorkshire Independence Party aren't such a bad idea after all... 'cos from what I can see England seems to be dragging the rest of the UK down with it. Ignoring economic factors, perhaps we WOULD all be better off going our own separate ways.

Yeah, I'll stop incoherently ranting now Well, it seems joining the EU has really helped out ROI. Was surprised to see Spain dropping 'cos it's been getting a lot of EU funding... What is the formula for working out the human development index, does anyone know? Is it just a Quality of Life Index formula?

PS. Well done on the football LJT, I won't tell you my friend's response in the bar last night when I said, "Well, you gotta admit it was a good goal." (I know nothing about football btw but as the males in the group were transfixed by the screen I felt I had to make some comment)

 

[LoveTown]

yeah the USA...what a country. I have to work 40-70 hours per week just to keep my head above the poverty limit. Oh, did I mention that my job is one of the best paying jobs in my area of the state?....yeah...what a country

 

[LoveTown]

Re: reply

New Zealand sounds more appealing each day.......

carol
wizard2c

yeah! I wanna live there with all the hobbits, gimli, legolas, gandalf...and aragorn

 

[TheQuiet1]

*Has finally noticed fatal flaw in Human Development Index*.

Erm, aren't the vast majority of countries in the top ten underpopulated? (Australia, Canada, Norway, Iceland, Sweden all are I believe)

Sooooo, one of the defining features of an underpopulated country is its high standard of living so isn't this table just what we'd expect? Australia for example could still fit in a few million more people, reach its optimum population and still have a high standard of living. Its countries like Luxembourg (no doubt helped by the fact that its got the highest GDP per capita in the world) and Belgium who've done well to get in the top ten because aren't they regarded as overpopulated in geographical terms?

 

[Axver]

Actually, I really don't think Australia's population should rise too much more. Bear in mind much of the continent is desert - not the optimum area to build a city. The stark lack of water is only the beginning. The drought of the last few years has shown Australia's current population is testing our water supplies; allow it to keep growing and that'll just create more pressure. The most inhabitable part of the country is the eastern seaboard, and let's face it, much of that area is valuable for farming, other economic activites besides residential development, or in need of environmental preservation.

So no, I would not say Australia is underpopulated at this point in time. People who look at Australia as this massively uninhabited landmass that could house millions upon millions more people often seem to miss those words 'Great Sandy Desert' written on their maps.

 

[Axver]

Re: Re: reply

yeah! I wanna live there with all the hobbits, gimli, legolas, gandalf...and aragorn

My father almost literally walked into Elijah Wood on a central Wellington street one morning as he walked to work.

Wellington The most beautiful city in the world. It's been over two years since I've been back.

 

[TheQuiet1]

So no, I would not say Australia is underpopulated at this point in time. People who look at Australia as this massively uninhabited landmass that could house millions upon millions more people often seem to miss those words 'Great Sandy Desert' written on their maps.

Definition of underpopulation:

This occurs when there are too few people in an area to use the resources effectively for a given level of technology. In these circumstances an increase in population would mean a more effective use of resources and increased living standards for all of the people.

Underpopulation is characterised by high per capita incomes (but not maximum incomes), low unemployment and inward migration.

Eg.) Canada and Australia who can export their surplus food, mineral and energy resources.

^Yes, I did just copy that from a book! To me that, especially the second paragraph, describes Australia to a T. BUT you'd, of course, know far more about this whole thing living there than I would. I was just blindly going by what I was told.

Perhaps 'millions more' was a bit OTT on my part but I honestly don't think you've reached a state of optimum population yet. So let's just agree to disagree. However, can we all at least agree on Canada being underpopulated? I'll put up a fight for Canada if anyone disagrees!!

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Damn, I knew there was a reason I kept up with all my college friends from Norway. Wonder how hard it is to emigrate? (VERY hard from what I've gathered.)

 

[hiphop]

I would have been interested in all countries not only the top100. Maybe I´m gonna look it up.

Austria is going down compared to the year before. Hmm maybe this is due to unemployment rate. The consevatives are ruining this country

 

[LoveTown]

Re: Re: Re: reply

My father almost literally walked into Elijah Wood on a central Wellington street one morning as he walked to work.

Wellington The most beautiful city in the world. It's been over two years since I've been back.

Id love to visit there. Not just because I'm a Lord of the Rings fanatic...but because it looks like a beautiful place.

 

[Axver]

Re: Re: Re: Re: reply

Id love to visit there. Not just because I'm a Lord of the Rings fanatic...but because it looks like a beautiful place.

I can tell my share of LOTR stories. My father's house was just 10-15 minutes from part of the Helm's Deep set, my aunt was part of the production team, and about half of New Zealand appeared as extras!

If you ever get the chance to go to New Zealand, don't hesitate. It truly is amazingly beautiful - and although I'm a North Islander, I'll admit that I think the South Island is more stunning. The Southern Alps and Fjordland are just beyond words.

 

[Axver]

Definition of underpopulation:

This occurs when there are too few people in an area to use the resources effectively for a given level of technology. In these circumstances an increase in population would mean a more effective use of resources and increased living standards for all of the people.

Underpopulation is characterised by high per capita incomes (but not maximum incomes), low unemployment and inward migration.

Eg.) Canada and Australia who can export their surplus food, mineral and energy resources.

^Yes, I did just copy that from a book! To me that, especially the second paragraph, describes Australia to a T. BUT you'd, of course, know far more about this whole thing living there than I would. I was just blindly going by what I was told.

Perhaps 'millions more' was a bit OTT on my part but I honestly don't think you've reached a state of optimum population yet. So let's just agree to disagree. However, can we all at least agree on Canada being underpopulated? I'll put up a fight for Canada if anyone disagrees!!

Well, alright. I really don't know where many millions more people could fit, though. Australia has a wealth of resources, but not a wealth of locations to build gigantic cities - indeed, I believe Sydney's built on prime farmland. I live on the Gold Coast, and I think this city is overpopulated for its location: the Hinze Dam is only just supplying enough water, and thousands of people here live on a floodplain or on land reclaimed from sand dunes (no wonder we have beach erosion problems). Not a smart place to put a city.

 

[STING2]

Sting

I know you like these charts

but I would not trade what I have here in the US (no.10) to live in of the other top 9 countries


and I can easily say
that many in the US have a lousy standard of living
behind many in countries listed below no. 10




here are some facts

year after year the poverty rate in US is going up


and me and my fellow upper income Americans’ net worth and tax cuts are way up



What a country!

Here is the poverty rate in the United States for every year from 1959 to 2004.

1959 22.4%
1960 22.2%
1961 21.9%
1962 21.0%
1963 19.5%
1964 19.0%
1965 17.3%
1966 14.7%
1967 14.2%
1968 12.8%
1969 12.1%
1970 12.6%
1971 12.5%
1972 11.9%
1973 11.1%
1974 11.2%
1975 12.3%
1976 11.8%
1977 11.6%
1978 11.4%
1979 11.7%
1980 13.0%
1981 14.0%
1982 15.0%
1983 15.2%
1984 14.4%
1985 14.0%
1986 13.6%
1987 13.4%
1988 13.0%
1989 12.8%
1990 13.5%
1991 14.2%
1992 14.8%
1993 15.1%
1994 14.5%
1995 13.8%
1996 13.7%
1997 13.3%
1998 12.7%
1999 11.8%
2000 11.3%
2001 11.7%
2002 12.1%
2003 12.5%
2004 12.7%



The average Poverty Rate when Clinton was President: 13.28%

The average Poverty Rate for Bush so far is: 12.25%

While the Poverty rate has increased since 2000, the rate of increase is slowing up, with just an increase of .2% from last year. Next year's figures will probably show the poverty rate leveling off and then decreasing in the following years, provided that the strong economic growth continues.

The lowest recorded poverty rate in this nations history is 11.1% in 1973 when Nixon was in office.

The poverty rate has stayed between 11.1% and 15.2% since 1966.

 

[oktobergirl]

i'm ready to move to Norway.

 

[deep]

The average Poverty Rate when Clinton was President: 13.28%

The average Poverty Rate for Bush so far is: 12.25%

So average poverty rate under Clinton - 13.28%, declined by 13% from when he entered office in 1993 15.1%

(1.83 is 13% of 15.1)


and

W's average, 12.25% is 4.7% higher than when he entered office in 2001 11.7%


Sting, by your own post W is a flat out disaster.

 

[hiphop]

The average Poverty Rate when Clinton was President: 13.28%

The average Poverty Rate for Bush so far is: 12.25%

While the Poverty rate has increased since 2000, the rate of increase is slowing up, with just an increase of .2% from last year. Next year's figures will probably show the poverty rate leveling off and then decreasing in the following years, provided that the strong economic growth continues.

The lowest recorded poverty rate in this nations history is 11.1% in 1973 when Nixon was in office.

The poverty rate has stayed between 11.1% and 15.2% since 1966.

The amazing thing is it hasn´t been going down exceptionally since 1966. Given proper leadership, the U.S. could boast only 2% of poverty rate right now. Oh well but capital needs poverty as we all know.

Oh, and did everyone notice the sharp rise of poverty when Reagan came into office? I remember that. I was in the US in 1978 and everything was so full of luxury, they seemed fine off. Then, when I returned 1984 (or 85)? people on the street, unemployed in NY, a row of three damn blocks of homeless people; Greyhound/ public transport less comfortable and only used by the lower classes; wait for an ambulance for more than an hour,..

but the conservatives
oh yeah the conservatives
they did their little dance and loved it

if there was an arms industry hall of fame, both Reagan and the Bush dynasty would have very prominent places

 

[Angela Harlem]

TheQuietOne, most cities in Australia are landbanked. End of story.


I've always believed here is freer and more citizen friendly than the US. It isn't just bias. We bitch and moan, but what we bitch and moan about, you lot have groups still fighting for. It's not ideal.

Hey Axver, where's Timothius?

 

[Sherry Darling]

1. Norway
2. Iceland
3. Australia
4. Luxembourg
5. Canada

A heathy private sector, and a healthy public sector. It works.

 

[TheQuiet1]

Hey, I was just saying geographically Australia is underpopulated. How that actually equates to real life (as with most theoretical stuff) is quite another matter! Not to take into account feasibly habitable/uninhabitable areas of a land mass does make the whole thing ridiculously flawed; that I'll admit.