Denmark Ranks Fifth In The Where-To-Be-Born Index 2013

11 Jan 2013

Which country will be the best for a baby born in 2013? To answer this question, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a sister company of The Economist has analyzed which country will provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in the years ahead.

The EIU has Switzerland comfortably in the top spot, with Australia second. Denmark ranks fifth right after two other Nordic countries. Compared to the same study completed 25 years ago, Denmark has improved its ranking significantly from rank 24 to 5.

Generally, the small economies dominate the top ten. Half of these are European, but only one, the Netherlands, is from the euro zone. The Nordic countries shine, whereas the crisis-ridden south of Europe (Greece, Portugal and Spain) lags behind despite the advantage of a favourable climate. The largest European economies (Germany, France and Britain) do not do particularly well in the study.

The study measures the quality of life across countries by linking the results of subjective life-satisfaction surveys—how happy people say they are—to objective determinants like wealth, crime, trust in public institutions and the health of family life. In all, the index takes 11 statistically significant indicators into account.

Source: http://www.copcap.com/content/us/quick_links/news/latest_news/2012/news_4th_quarter_2012/denmark_ranks_fifth_in_the_where-to-be-born_index_2013