A、Life expectancy is an important index in the ranking. B、Poverty rates and progress for women suggest that rich nations are rel

Canada, for the seventh consecutive year, ranks as the best place to live in the world.
But if you are woman, you are better off in Scandinavia, says the UN Human Development Report 2000, released last Thursday.
Norway is in second place in overall rankings, followed by the United States, Australia, Iceland and Sweden. Britain is in 10th place.
At the other end of the scale, the 10 least-developed countries that provide the fewest services to their people are mostly in Africa.
The survey ranks 174 nations according to income, health care, life expectancy and educational levels.
When progress for women is measured, Canada slips into eighth place and the United States ranks 13 when measuring the number of women in parliament, government, professional or technical jobs and their average earnings compared to men. The top countries in this category are mostly in North Europe.
Japan, whose high standard of living and widespread education put it in 9th place in the overall rankings, was 41st on the gender equality index, below that of Costa Pica, in 24th place. The situation in South Korea is similar.
Among the richest nations, the report shows relative prosperity is also accompanied by pockets of poverty. While the United States has the world’s highest gross national product, it ranks first in poverty ratings among the 18 richest countries. Ireland is in second place and Britain is in third.