Which country do you think is the best country to live in and why?

[centrajapan]

The Human Development Index (HDI) is the measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standard of living for countries worldwide. It is used to determine and indicate whether a country is a developed, developing, or underdeveloped country and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life.

The top 10 ranking countries in 2007 according to this report was.

Iceland 0.968 ( 1)
Norway 0.968 ( 1)
Australia 0.962 ()
Canada 0.961 ( 2)
Ireland 0.959 ( 1)
Sweden 0.956 ( 1)
Switzerland 0.955 ( 2)
Japan 0.953 ( 1)
Netherlands 0.953 ( 1)
France 0.952 ( 6)

Canada has been the highest ranked country ten times, followed by Norway, which stayed at the top six times. Japan has been ranked highest twice and Switzerland and Iceland once.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index

I think Norway is a pretty good place to live though I don't like the winters here. It's easy going and safe. If I could choose to live anywhere I wanted to I think I'd want to stay in Scandinavia or live in Japan. France, Germany and the Benelux countries seem OK too.

[centrajapan]

The human poverty index for selected OECD countries (HPI-2)
The Human Development Reports website summarizes this as "A composite index measuring deprivations in the three basic dimensions captured in the human development index — a long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent standard of living — and also capturing social exclusion." The formula for calculating it is:

1 Sweden 6.5 7.2 7.5 1.0 6.5
2 Norway 7.0 8.4 7.9 0.4 6.4
3 Netherlands 8.2 8.7 10.5 2.5 7.3
4 Finland 8.2 9.7 10.4 2.1 5.4
5 Denmark 8.4 10.4 9.6 1.3 -
6 Germany 10.3 8.8 14.4 5.0 8.3
7 Switzerland 10.7 7.8 15.9 1.6 7.6
8 Canada 10.9 8.1 14.6 0.7 11.4
9 Luxembourg 11.1 9.7 - 1.2 6.0
10 France 11.4 9.8 - 4.3 8.0
11 Japan 11.7 7.1 - 1.5 11.8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Poverty_Index

This report means that the chances of you being poor and end up homeless and starve to death is smaller the higher the ranking of the country is.

[Goldiegirl]

I couldn't pick because I haven't lived long enough in any other country to determine their quality for myself. I don't like to take others opinions as they may have a vastly different idea on what makes a great quality of life. I spent 6 months in Scotland and loved every second, but I couldn't say that I would be happy to live there. I've spent a bit of time in Japan, and I couldn't say that I would want to live there either. As for ending up poor and homeless, life is what you make of it....

[centrajapan]

It's just an opinion. Everyone has an opinion. I'd rather live in Gaza than USA. Not because I think Gaza has a higher standard of living but because I probably can have an easier time relating with people there than if I move to Michigan or Texas.

[Sarapva]

I couldn't say which would be the best - like Goldiegirl, I think it depends on what a person is used to. Cultures are different in each country. If I had to choose, I'd say either the U.S., England or Canada, but only because I've been to each of those and think they would be most what I'm used to.

[centrajapan]

I have been to UK and have to say I liked it there.

[Tokis-Phoenix]

This is a really tough question actually, and can only really be answered largely based on our individual personal experiences of living in a particular country etc.


I actually have a duel nationality, i am technically half english and half australian. I was born in England and have lived the majority of my life here, although i also have a lot of family living in australia and i have lived there for long periods of time at certain points in my life.


Australia is a really nice country to live in, from a day to day point of view, i think it has a better health system and education system, and many parts of australia are very prosperous- property prices are also generally a lot cheaper in australia than what they are other here in england.
It does have its big problems though like any other place to live in the world, it is had an increasing amount of natural disasters due to global warming, it has a lot of problems in aboriginal communities (mostly centreing around alcohol and drug abuse and problems with prostitution, paedophilia, abuse between married couples, employment problems etc), and problems with its wildlife and how people are destroying it etc.

But on the bright side, my visits to australia have always generally being pleasant. I also think people are generally friendlier and happier in australia, its very easy to meet new people in australia and i generally feel welcome when i visit places in australia, people seem to smile more and be more positive than people over here in England. Maybe its something to do with the weather?


But there are still reasons why i would choose to live in England as a country rather than Australia, even though australia has many positive aspects/points to it.
Most of the reasons i guess probably seem a bit silly to you guys- for example, australia's landscapes can be very bleak looking, just miles and miles of scrubland and desert, all parched and all the same. I always found while living there that after a while, i just started to really miss the vibrant flourishing greeness of Englands green countryside, i missed having more seasonal weather too.

And Englands wildlife is so much more cuddlier and friendlier than Australia's- living on the farm in England, the sort of wildlife you encounter tends to be along the lines of cute small birds like finches and sparrows, little harmless friendly bugs and insects, soft and elegant looking roe deer and cute little foxs full of character, cute little voles and rabbits etc.
But if you live on a farm in Australia, its wildlife is more along the lines of deadly spiders, snakes, bugs and insects, scorpions, angry red kangaroo's, koala's which look cuddly but that scratch and bite you to bits, crocadiles and deadly snakes lurking in the freshwaters, and deadly poisonus octopus and sea urchins and anemones and fish etc lurking in the sea. Its like everything will either bite you or run away from you or both, and everything seems to be poisonus or deadly in one way or another. You really do have to watch where you put your feet and hands when you're going about your day to day buinsess and you live in one of the more rural area's in particular.

[Sarapva]

Originally Posted by Tokis-Phoenix

I actually have a duel nationality, i am technically half english and half australian.

But there are still reasons why i would choose to live in England ... Most of the reasons i guess probably seem a bit silly to you guys- for example, australia's landscapes can be very bleak looking, just miles and miles of scrubland and desert, all parched and all the same. I always found while living there that after a while, i just started to really miss the vibrant flourishing greeness of Englands green...

I also have dual nationality - I was born in England, but have lived practically my whole life in the U.S. I've been back to England a few times, though, and I know what you mean about the greenness of England. My family used to go there in the summer - we'd leave the hot and humid air in Virginia, where the grass might be starting to go brown, and get off the plane into a lush, cool, beautiful world in England, with thick green grass underfoot and all kinds of pretty flowers. From the plane it looks like a patchwork quilt with all the farms. It was always a nice break from the summer heat of Virginia. We even needed a sweater sometimes (don't know if it's still that way now)!

[yamahaR1]

to me, Japan is the best country to live in. Why? Well, it has everything that I love.

[Doc]

I pick any of the countries that have lots and lots of snow. Me love snow.

[Derfel]

I'd pick the one that offers the highest salary amongst the safe countries. If cash wouldn't matter, It would either be Scotland or Japan.

[Doc]

Originally Posted by Derfel

I'd pick the one that offers the highest salary amongst the safe countries. If cash wouldn't matter, It would either be Scotland or Japan.

I'd pick Scotland then if I were you. At least they know how to drink!

-Doc

[Derfel]

Going to study there hehe, I'll have them teach how to make dodgy drinks

[Mavrek]

I like to live in Canada ,a very beautiful and peaceful country.

[centrajapan]

Japan is a lovely country. Tokyo is an amazing city. Its my favourite city city. Its fast, hectic, energetic. Lots of good culture.. Not to mention the best food and the greatest parties.

BUT...

I think Norway is a great place to live. We are surrounded by tall mountains, fjords, breath taking land scape, glaciers, fresh air. It also is known to be a liberal tolerant society. The winters can be a bit harsh and dark but we also have the midnight sun and the northern lights in the winter time.

It was chosen as the most beautiful country on this planet by National Geographic. Norway with its rugges coast line where the sea meets the tall mountains and where the water falls pour down from various parts of the mounatins into the fjords is quite nice actually.

It also happens to be the easiest place to get a job in Europe. Anyone can get a decent job here because of a constant labour shortage and a strong economy.

[Tsuyoiko]

I've only ever liked in the UK and have no great desire to even visit another country, let alone live there. This country has a lot of faults, but I'm used to it. Better the devil you know.

I could never live in a country without socialised medicine, such as the US.

[Derfel]

Originally Posted by centrajapan

Japan is a lovely country. Tokyo is an amazing city. Its my favourite city city. Its fast, hectic, energetic. Lots of good culture.. Not to mention the best food and the greatest parties.

Hmm Im interested in Japan for quite the opposite reason, I want to see the countryside, don't really like a fast pace and huge cities. Gief teh countrehside lal!

[centrajapan]

I've never lived in the country side in Japan so I don't know what it is like to live there. Just from visitng. I can say. It is nice and beautiful. When people think of Japan most people think of cities, lots of people etc however most of Japan is covered with unhabited mountains.

The rice paddies are shiny in the day time in the evening you hear insects and frogs singing. Its really loud and like an orchestra. There are bamboo forrests. In the spring time you can go an dig up bamboo shoots in the forrest.

Japan is very green. From a Norwegian or from an European perspective Japan is like a tropical island with a lucious vegetation due to the hot humid summers with lots of rain during the rainy season.

The people are nice and friendly. Less stressed out than Tokyoties I suppose. People are quite cheerful. Atleast compared with Scandinavians. I think they laugh more in Japan than in Europe. They have the child in themselves in a good sense.

I have only been to some rural parts of Japan like Izu, Kanto, Nagano. I highly recommend those places. In some parts of Japan there is so much snow in the winter time it is unbelievable. I am from Norway and used to snow but there is alot more snow in some parts of Japan than any place i Norway. The snow is different too.