CANADIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Canada is the 4th best place to live in the world - UN

Monday, 12 October 2009

The United Nations Development Program issued their annual report of the best places to live earlier this week which states that Norway has the highest quality of life, while Niger has the lowest.

This report shows Canada as being ranked fourth and the United States being well behind that at 13th.

The report which is titled the 'Human Development Index' sheds light on the inequality of well-being and quality of life between rich and poor nations. In making its rankings of the 182 countries included in the report, some aspects of life that are taken into account are, life expectancy, literacy, school enrolment and per capita GDP.

This can be easily illustrated by looking at life expectancy and per capita GDP of both Norway and Niger. While a child born in Niger is only expected to live 50 years a child born in Norway can expect to live for 80 or more years. This gap is even more present when looking at per capita income per person, for every dollar earned by someone in Niger, their equal in Norway earned close to $85USD. Canada can be compared to Norway in both of these areas as the life expectancy for a child in Canada is up to 80 years.

The index was released as part of the UNDP's annual Human Development Report, which this year highlighted migration. "Most migrants, internal and international, reap gains in the form of higher incomes, better access to education and health and improved prospects for their children," said the report. "These gains often directly benefit family members who stay behind as well as countries of origin indirectly".

The top ten countries listed on the index are: Norway, Australia, Iceland, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Switzerland and Japan.

If you are interested in Visas to Canada, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Canada.