The United Nations Development Programe released its list of the best countries to live a while ago, and Norway came out on top for the sixth year in a row. Data collected prior to the global economic crisis showed people in Norway, Australia and Iceland had the best living standards, while Niger, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone scored worst in terms of human development.

Second through Tenth places this year went to Iceland, Australia, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, Japan and the United States, while 17 countries – including Iraq and Afghanistan – were omitted due to “insufficient data. Indonesia ranked 111th, while our neighbor Malaysia is taken the 66th position. I love living in Indonesia, but I can’t argue too much about this list. There are many sectors that we have to improve and it is up to us to change that. What can we expect from the government? Lets start the movement with our self, start taking seriously on what you do, whether its in business sector, Technology, art, design, sport, education or even fashion.

Image: Oslo Opera House. taken from architecture.about.com

Here are some facts taken from Reuter,

“Life expectancy in Niger was 50, about 30 years shorter than Norway, according to the index. For every dollar earned per person in Niger, $85 was earned in Norway.

Half the people in the poorest 24 countries were illiterate, compared with 20 percent in nations classed as having medium levels of human development, the index showed.

Japanese people lived longer than others, to 82.7 years on average, while life expectancy in war-ravaged Afghanistan was just 43.6 years.

Liechtenstein has the highest GDP per capita at $85,383 in a tiny principality home to 35,000 people, 15 banks and more than 100 wealth management companies.

People were poorest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where average income per person was $298 per year.

Five countries — China, Venezuela, Peru, Colombia and France — climbed three or more places from the previous year, driven by greater earnings and longer life expectancy. China, Colombia and Venezuela also scored better due to improvements in education.

The UNDP, which has published the index annually since 1990, said human development had improved globally by 15 percent since 1980, with China, Iran and Nepal the biggest climbers in the chart.”