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The best place in the world to live

Contents

1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................. 4

2 How is the Quality of Life Index composed?......................................................................................... 5

3 The best place in the world to live........................................................................................................... 6

3.1 From here to there easy and quick ....................................................................................................... 6

 

3.2 Economic enigma.................................................................................................................................. 6

3.3 A long, healthy life................................................................................................................................ 7

3.4 The downsides of France..................................................................................................................... 7

4First runner-up.......................................................................................................................................... 8

5 Moving up three places. Italy................................................................................................................... 9

5.1 Weather................................................................................................................................................. 9

5.2 Health.................................................................................................................................................... 9

5.3 It needn't cost the earth................................................................................................ 9

 

6 Argentina-new to our top 10.................................................................................................................... 11

 

7 Stay Stateside for convenience................................................................................................................ 12

 

8 The place of Russia in 2007 Quality of Life Index. American’s view on Russia.................................... 13

8.1 Russia Per Se......................................................................................................................................... 13

8.2 Russia's Role in the World.................................................................................................................... 13

8.3 Russia's Government and Economic System........................................................................................ 14

8.4 Views of President Vladimir Putin....................................................................................................... 14

8.5 Perceptions of the Strength of Russian Influence Now and in the Future........................................... 14



9 Comparison of Russia with the best and the worst places in the world.................................................. 16

10 Statistics of 2007 Quality of Life Index................................................................................................ 17

10.1 Biggest cities....................................................................................................................................... 17

10.2 World's most dangerous cities............................................................................................................. 17

10.3 Most polluted cities on earth............................................................................................................... 17

 

10.4 The 10 most touristed countries ......................................................................................................... 18

10.5 Where you'll live longest (Average life expectancy in years).............................................................. 18

10.6 The world's fastest-growing cities....................................................................................................... 19

10.7 World's most expensive countries....................................................................................................... 19

10.8World's cheapest countries.................................................................................................................. 20

10.9 Greatest population density (per square mile)..................................................................................... 20

11 Conclution.............................................................................................................................................. 21

12 References.............................................................................................................................................. 22


Introduction

Quality of life is the degree of well-being felt by an individual or group of people. Unlike standard of living, quality of life is not a tangible concept, and therefore cannot be measured directly. Furthermore, quality of life consists of two components. The first is a physical aspect which includes such things as health, diet, as well as protection against pain and disease. The second component is psychological in na­ture. This aspect includes such things as stress, worry, pleasure and other positive or negative emotional states. It is virtually impossible to predict the quality of life of a specific individual, since the combination of attributes that leads one individual to be content is rarely the same for another individual. However, one can assume with some confidence the higher average level of diet, shelter, safety, as well as freedoms and rights a general population has, the better overall quality of life said population experiences.

Understanding quality of life is today particularly important in health care, where monetary measures do not readily apply. Decisions on what research or treatments to invest the most in are closely related to their effect on a patient's quality of life.

The well-being or quality of life of a population is an important concern in economics and political science It is measured by many social and economic factors. Large part are standard of living, the amount of money, infrastructure and access to goods and services that a person has – these numbers are fairly eas­ily measured. Others, such as freedom, happiness, art, culture and leisure, environmental health and innovation are far harder to measure.

       
 
 
   
Picture 1. Factors of quality of life

 

 


Imagine that you could choose the place to live. What country would you prefer? I wonder where you know about the countries with the best conditions of living?


 

2 How is the Quality of Life Index composed?

Let’s turn our eyes upon 2007 Quality of Life Index. How do people live in different countries?

To produce this annual Index are considered, for each of these countries, nine categories: Cost of Living, Culture and Leisure, Economy, Environment, Freedom, Health, Infrastructure, Safety and Risk, and Climate. This involves a lot of number crunching from "official" sources, including government websites, the World Health Organization, and The Economist, to name but a few.

But that's not all. Once the official data is collected, also take into account what local correspondents from all over the world have to say about our findings. They are, after all, working and living in these countries themselves. They point out where the institutional stats are all wet.

The results are distilled into a mammoth survey.

 
 
Picture 2. Categories of comparison in Quality of Life Index

 

 


 


The best place in the world to live

The best place, according to the 2007 Quality of Life Index, is France.

Why? There are some reasons:

  1. It’s a country open to the world.
  2. France’s infrastructure is among the best in the world.
  3. France is known for quality, reliability and productivity.
  4. France has the best overall health care system in the world.
  5. France is the European Union’s largest agricultural producer.
  6. France has a solid economy.

 

No question, France has its downsides, but, in many ways that matter, this country is hard to beat. Paris is not cheap (a recent report by Mercer Consulting reports that this city is the 15th most expensive in the world), but, outside the capital, you'll find the cost of living lower and the choice of properties selling for less than $100,000 impressive. And not only about ruins and renovation projects, either.

The trickiest thing will be deciding which region of France has the qualities you seek. The wild, rocky shores of Celtic Brittany, steeped in old customs and traditions? Or sun-drenched Provence with its hill towns and lavender fields, fringed by a turquoise sea and the shady palm trees of the Côte d'Azur?

Then there's the Dordogne département in Aquitaine, a lush land of castles and quaint villages stuck still in the Middle Ages. If you're mad for markets, you'll be in paradise here. The Dordogne has dozens, and it's renowned for its gastronomic specialties, such as foie gras, truffles, and other wild mushrooms.

3.1 From here to there easy and quick

 

France's infrastructure is among the best in the world (it ranks fifth in this category with a score of 77 out of a possible 100). Unlike some countries, you're not in for a horrid experience if you travel second class on French trains. The SNCF isespecially proud of its TGV (high-speed) trains. These Trains de Grand Vitesse whisk you from the country's far-flung cities to the capital inmere hours. The journey from Paris to Aix-en-Provence, for example, takes six hours by car but less than three by TGV.

All sizable towns have bus networks with good coverage. Many cities also have underground train services, known as the Métro. Paris has one, of course, but so too do Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, and Rennes.

3.2 Economic enigma


France has a tax burden that accounts for 45% of GDP. That's the bad news. On the other hand, the French economy, although not as strong as in recent years, scores 89 points in our 2007 Index.

The world's fourth-largest exporter, France has a per-capita GDP of $27,500, and inflation stands at just 2%. With last year's growth rate coming in at 1.1%, and this year's forecast to be 2.6%, the French economy has lots of things going for it-including ultra-modern transport and communications systems, competitive energy costs, and a AAA credit rating.

But, yes, it also has a 35-hour work week, 9% unemployment (in comparison, Ireland, with one of the strongest economies in the world right now, has a 4.5% unemployment rate), and all kinds of generous provisions for the workforce that would result in much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the lean, mean, business world of North America. Approximately one in four employees work in France's cumbersome public sector.

Yet, despite France's long tradition of state involvement in the economy, successive recent governments, both left and right, have been striving to create the kind of pro-business environment sought by international investors. The former socialist prime minister, Lionel Jospin, privatized or partially privatized more companies than his four predecessors combined. Air France, France Telecom, and Thomson Multimedia are the flagships, but other telecommunications, defense, aviation, and banking companies have also moved in recent years from state to private sector.

For most overseas onlookers, France's marketplace image conjures up visions of perfumes, cosmetics, fashion, top-quality wines, and gourmet foods. All are valuable exports, but so too are Exocet missiles, Mirage jets, and Renault, Peugeot, and Citröen cars.

Although e-business is growing significantly, the country's traditional muscle lies in engineering and transportation-few would disagree with the fact that TGV trains rank among the world's best, for example. Some engineering talent has recently been lured into the glitzy world of web ventures, but the metal-bashing industries still attract top graduates; likewise the nuclear, defense, chemical, telecommunications, and pharmaceutical sectors.

With sales totaling $23.5 billion, France represents 24% of the European pharmaceutical market and is the continent's number-one producer of drugs. More than 150 North American biotech and pharmaceutical companies now operate in France, including Amgen, Abbott Labs, Baxter, Genzyme, and Quintiles.

Furthermore, France is the European Union's largest agricultural producer, and farmers here are a powerful political lobby group. Most of us have traveler's tales about being halted at the Channel ports by the blockades and barricades of those fuming sons of the soil.

3.3 A long, healthy life


According to the World Health Organization France has the best overall health care system in the world. Life expec­tancy now averages 83 years for women and 76 for men. In the past 10 years, the number of people living over the age of 100 has doubled, with 6,840 people reaching the three-digit mark. The infant mortality rate is five per 1,000 live births, on a par with Denmark. By comparison, Singapore has the lowest infant mortality rate in the world with 2.9 per 1,000 live births.

3.4 The downsides of France


Superstar infrastructure, solid economy, and the world's best health care…plus a surprisingly affordable cost of living outside Paris, beautiful and diverse countryside, and one of the world's most alluring and romantic capital cities…That's the good news.

As I've mentioned already, the bad news in this country has a lot to do with its tax systems. The question of whether you pay U.S. or French taxes on your worldwide income comes down to which country you make your fiscal domicile-that is, where you are resident for tax purposes. If you live permanently in France, and your residence is considered to be your fiscal domicile, you must pay taxes to the French government on your worldwide income.

Remember, in addition, that living or earning income outside the U.S. does not relieve a U.S. citizen of the responsibility for filing tax returns. However, France has a tax treaty with the U.S. This ensures that you will not be taxed twice on the same income. U.S. citizens living and/or working abroad may be entitled to various deductions, exclusions, and credits.

 

First runner-up


Australia moves from third position last year to second place this year. If you don't mind a 12-hour flight back to the States when you've a hankering to "go home," then Australia is an attractive option, especially if you're young. The climate is good (Australia gets an 89 in this category of our Index), the lifestyle is easygoing, and there are plenty of ways to spend your days living in the Great Outdoors. Cost of living is low (the country scores 73 in this category). And, right now, the U.S. dollar is holding its own against the Australian dollar; a buck buys you $1.27 Aussie dollars.

Australia's economy is strong (score of 89 points in this category). Australia is a member of Apec, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and aims to forge free-trade deals with China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

The Aussie government is stable-Prime Minister John Howard first took office in 1996 and has been re-elected twice since. In this time, the BBC reports, "He has highlighted Australia's robust economy, and the approval of a free-trade agreement with the U.S. in 2004, as being among his government's key achievements."

Australia's neighbor Down Under, New Zealand, comes in fourth place this year in our Index, moving up one position from last year.

New Zealand is jaw-droppingly beautiful. Stretching across 1,000 miles, the North Island and South

Island make up what the native Maori people call Aotearoa-the Land of the Long White Cloud. Settlers have called it "Godzone:" God's own country.

Made famous as the location for The Lord of the Rings movies, its elemental landscapes are so pristine you might have trouble believing they're for real…even if you see them with your own eyes.

Geysers gush, and mud pools bubble. Whales spout, dolphins frolic, and surf booms onto sands where yours might be the only footprints. Iced with glaciers, towering mountains range above a landscape veined with rushing rivers.

But New Zealand offers more than surf, turf, and Middle Earth wonderland. Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch are vibrant urban centers. And numerous small coastal and rural towns offer an enviable community spirit that's increasingly hard to find in today's world. Auckland is the fifth best city in the world to live, according to a 2006 Quality of Life survey by Mercer Consulting, with Wellington coming in 12th position.

The other-worldly landscapes are backed up by substance: affordable health care (New Zealand scores 90 points in this category in our Index), an English-speaking population, free education, a low crime rate, great infrastructure, and one of the world's highest "healthy longevity" figures.

On top of all that, New Zealand hides enticing real estate opportunities. You can still find homes-and we mean proper houses you can move into-for less than US$50,000. (Right now your U.S. dollar will buy you $1.46 Kiwi dollars.)

The downside to living in Australia and New Zealand is how increasingly difficult it is to obtain full-time residency. Both countries are looking for younger, professional expats. In New Zealand, for example, you must qualify through a point system-you get more points for certain qualifications than for others, and the younger you are, the better.

 


Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1209


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