Healthiest Countries in the World 2019

Spain has just surpassed Italy to become the world's healthiest country. That's according to the 2019 edition of the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, which ranks 169 economies according to factors that contribute to overall health. Spain placed sixth in the previous gauge, published in 2017. Australia ranked seventh in the new index.

The index grades nations based on variables – such as life expectancy – while imposing penalties on risks such as tobacco use and obesity. It also takes into consideration environmental factors, including access to clean water and sanitation.

Four additional European nations were among the top 10: Iceland (third), Switzerland (fifth), Sweden (sixth) and Norway (ninth). Japan was the healthiest Asian nation, jumping three places from the 2017 survey into fourth and replacing Singapore, which dropped to eighth. Israel rounded out the top 10.

South Korea improved seven spots to 17th while China, home to 1.4 billion people, rose three places to 52nd. Life expectancy in China is on track to surpass the US by 2040, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.Sub-Saharan economies accounted for 27 of the 30 unhealthiest nations in the ranking. Haiti, Afghanistan and Yemen were the others. Mauritius was the healthiest in Sub-Sahara, placing 74th globally as it had the lowest death rate by communicable diseases in a region still marred by infectious mortality

The Friendliest Countries in the World for Expats 2018

A 2018 survey from InterNations, the largest global network and information site for people who live and work abroad, has looked at data and comments supplied by almost 13,000 expats from 188 countries and territories to reveal which are the friendliest countries in the world to live.

Portugal claims the title of the most welcoming country for expats, according to the latest results of the Expat Insider survey. An overwhelming majority of 94% of expats currently living in Portugal said locals have a friendly and helpful attitude towards expats. Rounding out the top five spots are Taiwan, Mexico, Cambodia, and Bahrain.

Not ranking in the top ten – or even top 20 – are Ireland and the UK, which are in 30th and 56th place, respectively, reflecting how unwelcome people from abroad can feel in these countries. On the other hand, Portugal has been ranked number one, followed by Taiwan, Mexico, Cambodia and Bahrain.

Freedom in the World 2018

Freedom in the World is an annual global report published by Freedom House in the U.K. measures political rights and civil liberties, composed of numerical ratings and descriptive texts for each country and a select group of territories. The 2018 edition covers developments in 195 countries and 14 territories from January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017.

• Democracy faced its most serious crisis in decades in 2017 as its basic tenets—including guarantees of free and fair elections, the rights of minorities, freedom of the press, and the rule of law—came under attack around the world.
• Seventy-one countries suffered net declines in political rights and civil liberties, with only 35 registering gains. This marked the 12th consecutive year of decline in global freedom.
• The United States retreated from its traditional role as both a champion and an exemplar of democracy amid an accelerating decline in American political rights and civil liberties.
• Over the period since the 12-year global slide began in 2006, 113 countries have seen a net decline, and only 62 have experienced a net improvement

 

Global Wealth Report 2018

Global wealth increased by US$ 14 trillion last year – with China ranking second after the USA. Credit Suisse's Global Wealth Report  2018 breaks down the world's wealth and analyses the global outlook. The report is the most comprehensive source of global household wealth information. It analyzes wealth held by 5.0 billion adults across the globe, from the least affluent to the wealthiest individuals. Now in its ninth edition, the report includes a focus on female wealth holdings, in particular on gender differences with males.

The global mean wealth of US$ 63,100 per adult masks considerable variation across countries and regions.

Switzerland (US$ 530,240), Australia (US$ 411,060) and the United States (US$ 403,970) again head the league table according to wealth per adult. The ranking by median wealth per adult favors countries with lower levels of wealth inequality and produces a slightly different table. This year, Australia (US$ 191,450) edged ahead of Switzerland (US$ 183,340) into first place.

Global wealth is projected to rise by nearly 26% over the next five years, reaching USD 399 trillion by 2023. Emerging markets are responsible for a third of the growth, although they account for just 21% of current wealth. 

 

World Bank Ease of Doing Business 2019

The World Bank has released its latest Ease of Doing Business 2019 rankings - an annual report that ranks countries on business-friendliness, procedural ease, regulatory architecture and absence of bureaucratic red tape. 

Highlights:

• 4 of the 10 top improvers—Afghanistan, Djibouti, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo—are countries suffering from fragility, conflict and violence
• One-third of all business regulatory reforms were in the economies of Sub-Saharan Africa—a total of 107 reforms and a record for the region
• 2 countries from Eastern Europe and Central Asia made the top 10:  FYR Macedonia in 10^th and Georgia, edging up two spots to 6^th
• Brazil recorded the largest score improvement in Latin America and the Caribbean, reforming in four areas.
• United Arab Emirates entered the top 20 in 11^th place.
• China, one of this year’s top 10 improvers, advanced more than 30 spots to 46th place in the global rankings.
• India became South Asia’s top-ranked economy, advancing 23 spots to 77th place in the global ranking.

 

 Full Report: World Bank Doing Business 2019

Global Peace Index 2018

The 12th annual "Global Peace Index" by the Institute for Economics and Peace, an independent non-profit think tank based in Australia, scored 163 independent states and territories according to their levels of peacefulness. 

The study assessed global peace through three filters: safety and security in society, extent of ongoing domestic or international conflict and the degree of militarization. Researchers considered 23 peace indicators to determine scores, including the number of casualties from terrorism and conflicts in that country, the number of murders per capita and the ratio of military spending to gross domestic product.

Key Highlights of the Global Peace Index 2018:

• Global level of peace has deteriorated by 0.27 percent in the last year.
• A total of 71 countries have shown improvement in their rankings on the index, while, 92 countries have shown deterioration in their rankings on the index.
• Amid continuing social and political turmoil, the world continues to spend resources on creating violence, but very little on peace.

Iceland fetched 1st rank on the index, a position it has held since 2008, followed by New Zealand and Austria at 2nd and 3rd position. Portugal and Denmark rounded up the top five most peaceful rankings.

Syria remains the least peaceful country in the world, a position it has held for the past five years. Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq and Somalia round up the list of five least peaceful countries. 

Full report here: Global Peace Index 2018

Global Rule of Law Index 2018

The WJP Rule of Law Index® measures rule of law adherence in 113 countries and jurisdictions worldwide based on more than 110,000 household and 3,000 expert surveys. Featuring primary data, the Index measures countries’ rule of law performance across eight factors: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice.

Fundamental human rights are reported to have diminished in almost two-thirds of the 113 countries surveyed for the 2018 Rule of Law Index, amid concerns over a worldwide surge in authoritarian nationalism and a retreat from international legal obligations.

While the Nordic trio of Denmark, Norway and Finland again rank first to third in the index, the United Kingdom has dropped out of the top 10 to 11th place overall. In all, 38 countries have seen their overall Rule of Law score diminish since the last index.

Of the 35 countries classified as “high-income” in the report, the United States ranks 19th, just ahead of Korea and behind France. But in the fundamental rights category, the US falls five places to 26th, with worsening levels of discrimination and due process of law plus decreased guarantees of the right to life all contributing to this downward trajectory.