The world’s best countries

Much of a person’s life chances has to do with the country where he was born. Certain countries give their citizens a better quality of life and greater opportunity to succeed. It depends on a host of factors, the most basic ones being the opportunity to live a healthy, safe, educated, and upwardly mobile life.

Recently, Newsweek came out with a list of the World’s Best Countries. Surveying 100 countries, the list was divided into five categories of national well-being — education, health, quality of life, economic competitiveness, and political environment.

Overall, Finland topped the list. It ranked highest in education, 4th in quality of life, and 5th in political environment. Switzerland and Sweden followed closely in 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. In Asia, the highest scorer was Japan at 9th place and South Korea at 15th.

By category, education’s best performers were Finland, South Korea, Canada, and Singapore. In health, Japan bested all countries followed by Switzerland and Sweden. Norway had the best quality of life, while Switzerland and Luxemburg followed closely. Singapore was the most economically dynamic country in the world, trailed by the United States and South Korea. Finally, Sweden has the best political environment, followed by Norway and the Netherlands.

The Philippines had an overall ranking of 63rd. We placed 46th in education, 66th in health, 75th in quality of life, 64th in economic dynamism, and 58th in political environment. We were overtaken by neighbors Singapore (20), Malaysia (37), and Thailand (58). But we ranked higher than Indonesia (73) and Vietnam (81).

The list tells us several important things. First, a broad-based educational system is key to future economic prosperity, and one of the most decisive factors in the success of Western Europe and rich Asian nations like South Korea and Japan.

Second, a universal health care system is the bridge that will finally close the wealth and income gap. By relieving thousands of families of the anxiety that comes with falling ill, it will be one of the most effective means to bridge the deep chasm between the rich and the poor.

Finally, the leadership and political environment of a nation heavily influences its ability to improve its people’s lives. Leaders of successful nations are those that prioritize infrastructure and social services like health care and education. These are productivity-enhancing activities and provide the foundation for future economic progress.

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