For the fourth year in a row, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has ranked Norway as having the highest standard of living in the world. The ranking is based largely on average levels of education and income, combined with expected length of lifetime.
18/07/2004 :: The report measured standards of living in 177 countries around the world. Other Nordic countries are also ranked high, with Sweden in second place, 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 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.
Click on the the report to the right to read it in its entirety.