12 Best Countries for Quality Living, Ranked
Ensuring access to food, housing, quality healthcare, and employment is key to a high quality of life. U.S. News & World Report carried out a study to identify which countries are regarded as treating their citizens the best.
Depending on your personal situation, it may or may not come as a surprise to you the United States didn’t make it into the top twelve rankings.
Living Well
U.S. News & World Report determined the countries with the best quality of life based on their global survey of 17,000 people in 2023. They used and equally weighted average of scores focusing on the following attributes:
- Affordability
- Job market
- Economic stability
- Family-friendliness
- Income equality
- Political stability
- Safety
- Education and health system quality
These are the countries offering their residents the highest quality of life.
1: Sweden
With incredibly well-developed public education and health systems, political stability, and income equality, Sweden is a safe, family-friendly country to call home. Although it earned the top spot for the best quality of life in the world, Sweden’s steep cost of living makes it unaffordable for many Americans.
2: Norway
Norway is a scenic wonderland that consistently ranks as one of the happiest countries in the world. So naturally, its quality of life is high. It earned the highest points for income quality, political stability, and being family-friendly. Like Sweden, Norway’s high cost of living is a challenge for some hopeful foreigners wanting to move there.
3: Canada
Canada’s desirable healthcare system, strong job market, and welcoming demeanor make many of its residents happy year-round. Some immigrants relocate to Canada to start fresh with its relatively stable economy and safe environment.
4: Denmark
Denmark is among the happiest places to call home, with gorgeous landscapes and charming towns. It earned high marks for having well-developed public health and education systems and being family-friendly and economically stable.
5: Finland
Located in Northern Europe, Finland has a lot of perks, including free education for all, high-salaried jobs, and all-natural, healthy foods to enjoy. It’s a beautiful place to raise a family, with a high-quality public education system and a strong safety score.
6: Switzerland
As the overall number one country in the world according to U.S. News, it’s no surprise that Switzerland has a high quality of life. It earned a perfect score in safety and economic stability, and many residents love it for its low unemployment rates and world-class scenery.
7: Netherlands
A low crime rate and friendly locals make the Netherlands one of the best places to live for a high-quality life. Many residents welcome newcomers with open arms, and the country received high marks for a strong economy and abundant job market.
8: Australia
Head to the Land Down Under to live among exotic wildlife, various climates, and accessible healthcare. Australia is an economically stable country with a solid job market and healthy outdoor lifestyles to make life even sweeter.
9: Germany
Pretzels and beer scratch the surface of the incredible things you’ll find living in Germany. If you’re in the market for a career change, Germany earned a perfect score for their job market. Residents enjoy a relatively low cost of living, a reliable healthcare system, and a stable economy.
10: New Zealand
Many people dream of living in New Zealand, and its high quality of life is just one of the reasons why. Being a Kiwi is smooth sailing thanks to a high employment rate and robust public health and education systems. It scored the highest for family-friendliness.
11: Belgium
Universal healthcare and an excellent education system landed Belgium among the countries with the highest quality of life globally. There’s no shortage of green space, and many gave it a shoutout for political stability.
12: Austria
Home to some of the best ski resorts in the country, Austria rounds out the top twelve countries offering the highest quality of life. Thanks to its low pollution rates, you can take a deep breath of fresh air. Austria also ranked highest in safety and political stability.
Worst Quality
Now that you know the countries with the highest quality of life, here’s the country with the worst: Ukraine came in last, scoring zero points for safety, political stability, and economic stability. No category for Ukraine scored higher than 10 out of 100 for quality of life.
Safety First
Feeling safe and secure where you live is essential to a high-quality lifestyle. U.S. News ranked Switzerland as the safest country overall. To put things in perspective, the United States didn’t even make the top twenty, coming in at 46 out of 87 ranked nations.
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