UN crowns Australia the second best place in the world to live

By Roisin Kelly-Goldsmith · · 2 min read
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Norway is the the top place to live with Australia ranking a close second, according to the United Nations. The international body just released the annual Human Development Report which used a pool of data from agencies around the globe to determine which countries are doing well and which are lagging behind. The UN report scored Australia at 0.935 in a close second to Norway at 0.944.

To judge the global contenders, the report factored in population trends, health outcomes, gender equality, the level of poverty and education. One reason why Australia did so well is due to the strong record of Aussies living healthy lives to an average age of 82.4 years. Similarly, Norwegians have an average 81.6 expected years to live. 

The lucky country pulls in tourists too, with 7.2 million having travelled to Australia in 2015, which accounts for 2.7% of the GDP.

While Australia pulled high scores  in the report, its neighbours in Asia and the Pacific did not fare so well. Haoliang Xu, Assistant Administrator and Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, noted education and health care as areas needing improvement.

“In order to ensure that the work-force is capable of adapting to rapidly changing demands [in Asia and the Pacific], governments need to make strategic investments into education and health care,” he said.

On average, Australians are educated over 20.2 years, the most for any country around the world. Meanwhile the UN continues to work with other states to improve the quality of life for those in developing countries, in the hope to publish a brighter report next year.

While Australia was found to be the second best place to live in the world, research by Roy Morgan has shown Aussies are the most adventurous while they were away overseas in countries like Canada and the South Pacific, than those who holidayed locally.

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