Incredibly, Ireland has just been ranked as one of the best countries in the world for its quality of life. According to the newest UN report, it has outperformed even America, Canada, and Australia.
The United Nations (UN) report ranks 189 different countries around the world for their general quality of living using an average of a variety of factors: education, income, life expectancy and the Human Development Index Value (HDI) of each country’s citizens.
This time around, Ireland has been revealed as one of the leading countries with leading scores in each category.
Ireland scores above high-ranking countries such as Australia and Canada
The top 10 countries for the highest quality of life are as follows: 1. Norway, 2. Switzerland, 3. Ireland, 4. Germany, 5. Hong Kong, 6. Australia, 7. Iceland, 8. Sweden, 9. Singapore, and 10. The Netherlands.
The high-ranking position of Ireland in the top three might come as somewhat of a shock for some, given Ireland’s huge housing crisis. However, in reality, Ireland has outranked even favourites like Canada and Australia, who have been commonly found in this position previously. We also defeated our neighbours in the United Kingdom, who only ranked fifteenth overall.
In material terms, Qatar is the richest with a gross national income of € 110,489. Ireland is the 12th richest, on €55,660, putting it higher than countries such as Canada, Japan, Germany and Sweden.
Even the United States paled in comparison overall
The UN found that President Trump’s ‘great again’ America scored at only number 16 on the list, with an expected years-of-schooling score of 16.3 compared to Ireland’s 18.8. This makes Ireland one of the most well-educated countries in the world.
In terms of life expectancy, America sits at number 37 on the list with 78.9 years for its citizens on average. This pales in comparison to Ireland’s impressive 82.1 years average.
Back in 2012 Ireland found itself ranked in the same position as America does, meaning the tables have turned for the Emerald Isle in the last decade as it has climbed 13 places overall.
The lowest-ranked country in the quality-of-life survey was Niger. Indeed, every country in the bottom 10 sadly came from Africa.
Ireland continues to develop and excel in all regards
The report specifically highlights Ireland’s Human Development Index, ranked at 0.942, as particularly impressive. It also shows the incredulities of Ireland’s life expectancy which is so high that it places the country second in the world in this category. In fact, Ireland is only 0.7 behind Hong Kong, who enjoys the number one spot for overall life expectancy.
Quality of life in Ireland only gets better with time. In the last United Nations report on Human Development, Ireland managed to take the fourth-place spot. This year, however, that position is even higher, with the country behind only Switzerland and Norway.
And with its gorgeous scenery, famous landscapes, and mighty craic, it’s no surprise that people love to live here so much.
We wouldn’t blame you for wanting to move.
