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European-American
Topics - Politics
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Norway
posted August 2006
Norway still the world's best place to live
For the fourth year in a row, the United
Nations has ranked Norway as having the
highest standard of living in the world.
Sweden, Australia and Canada are next in
line, while the United States is further
down the scale. The annual ranking is based
largely on average levels of education and
income, combined with expected length of
lifetime. The report measured standards of
living in 177 countries around the world.
Other Nordic countries also ranked high,
with Iceland in 7th place, Finland 13th and
Denmark 17th. Norway's gross national
product per person amounted to USD 36,600,
beaten only by Luxembourg. Its men and women
are expected to live to an age of 78.9 years
and Norway is one of 19 countries in the
world with no measurable rates of
illiteracy. Researchers for the United
Nations Development Program (UNDP) also
weighed countries' degrees of cultural
freedom in their analysis. They called
cultural freedom a "basic human right," and
awarded high scores in this year's UN Human
Development Report to countries that accept
immigrant cultures in addition to their own.
Norway's cultural diversity has blossomed
in recent years, and public policies are
aimed at integrating various ethnic groups
and promoting tolerance. Norway also was
lauded for its high literacy rate in
addition to educational levels and material
wealth. Norwegians themselves generally
point to their country's scenic beauty,
recreational opportunities, clean water and
fresh air. The United States landed in
eighth place on the list, while France, for
example, was 16th. Aftenposten English
Web Desk
www.aftenposten.no
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