全球最适合居住排名, 荷兰第5

全球最适合居住排名

【万维读者网】联合国公布全球最适合居住的地方排名，挪威、瑞典、澳洲是首三位；香港第廿三；中国居九十四；日本第九。

明报报道,由联合国发展计划组织发表的人类指数把各地的统计数计汇合，例如寿命、人均产值、教育普及程度等进行排名，其中非洲国家因为爱滋病问题而排名下滑。而伊朗、阿富汗、北韩和利比里亚因缺乏数据而没有排名。

挪威已连续四年居首，原因是男女平等，人民贫富差异极小所致。由第四级至十五位是工业国，分别是：加拿大、荷兰、比利时、冰岛、美国、日本、爱尔兰、瑞士、英国、芬兰、奥地利、卢森堡。

最差的二十个地区中有十三个在非洲，包括安哥拉、中非共和国、莱索托、莫桑比克、塞拉利昂、斯威士兰、赞比亚等。

在亚洲，日本第九；香港居廿三位；新加坡廿五位;南韩廿八；泰国第七十六；菲律宾八十三；中国九十四;印度一百廿七。

Netherlands placed 5th in UN quality of life report  

16 July 2004

AMSTERDAM — The Netherlands is the second best country in the EU for quality of life, according to new United Nations figures.

The UN's Human Development Report 2004, which was released on Friday, also ranks the Netherlands fifth in the world in terms of health and life expectancy, education and earnings. It is placed second in the EU behind Sweden.

The report said the Netherlands had an average life expectancy of 78.3 years and an average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of USD 29,100 (EUR 23,420).

Sweden was second overall with a GDP per capita of USD 26,050 and an average life expectancy of 80, the highest in the world.

The Belgians came in sixth overall, with an average life expectancy of 78.7 years and an average GDP per person of USD 27,570. This places the Belgians in third place only to Sweden and the Netherlands within the European Union.

For the fourth year running, Norway comes out on top of the human development index, with a life expectancy of 78.9 years, 98 percent of its population enrolled in education and GDP at USD 36,600 per inhabitant.

It is closely followed by Sweden, Australia and Canada. Five of the top six countries had an educational index of 99, with Canada one point lower.

The educational index is determined by a nation's adult literacy rate and gross school enrolment ratio.

The US came eight on the index, although the GDP per capita at USD 35,750 was second only to Norway. Average life expectancy in the US was 77 years and the educational index was 97.

The UK was listed in 12th place, with an educational index of 99, but an average life expectancy of 78.1 years and GDP per capita of USD 26,150.

Reflecting the improvement in its economic fortunes in the 1990s, Ireland came in 10th with a GDP per capita of USD 36,360, but an average life expectancy of 76.9 years and an educational index of 96.

Of the 20 top countries, only Australia, Japan and New Zealand are not within Europe or North America.

The figures show that a total of 55 countries have a good quality of living, 86 have average and 36 a poor standard of living.

Sierra Leone keeps its unenviable position at the bottom of the 177 countries charted by the UN Development Fund.

Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali also trail nearest the foot of the index and the bottom 19 countries listed are African.

Around 30 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan, do not feature on the list due to insufficient information.

East Timor makes its debut this year, ranking at 158.

The report stresses that development has stalled in sub-Saharan Africa due to the raging AIDS epidemic.

Thirteen countries have seen a real decline in this respect since the UNDP index began in 1990.

Life expectancy has dropped below 40 in eight countries, including Angola, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, where people live on average half as long as the Japanese.

Twenty-seven countries have been classified as an "absolute priority" for global aid.

[Copyright Expatica News 2004]