Venezuela rates well on UN human developement list!

[Judi Lynn]

Norway world's best place to live, Niger worst
Sun Oct 4, 2009 11:02pm EDT


BANGKOK, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Norway has retained its status as the world's most desirable country to live in, according to U.N. data released on Monday, which ranks sub-Saharan African states afflicted by war and HIV/AIDS as the least attractive places.

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.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) index was compiled using 2007 data on GDP per capita, education, and life expectancy, and showed marked differences between the developed and developing world.

"Despite significant improvements over time, progress has been uneven," UNDP said in a statement.

"Many countries have experienced setbacks over recent decades, in the face of economic downturns, conflict-related crises and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and this was even before the impact of the global economic crisis was felt."

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 to 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, with life expectancy in war-ravaged Afghanistan 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.

http://www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSSP457256

Here are some stats, but they are probably not the very latest. They are a starting place, however. It's late and I'm going to get some sleep.

Human Developement Reports:

http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:e2-_zXjKcdIJ:hdrstats.undp.org/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_VEN.html+United+Nations+Development+Programme+Human+Development+Reports+Venezuela+2007&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

[spanza]

1. Nice!

And interesting to see Colombia and Venezuela showing the same trends.

Thanks for the article.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Venezuela moves up in the Human Development Index

CARACAS, Monday October 05, 2009
Venezuela moves up in the Human Development Index


Norway is leading again the world's highest quality of life, whereas Venezuela moves up to the 58th place in the list. Meanwhile, Niger is the worst place to live, according to the Human Development Index (HDI), released on Monday by the United Nations.

The data on quality of life, compiled by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and drew on statistics dating from 2007, place Australia and Iceland in the second and third place in the list, while Afghanistan and Sierra Leone are at the bottom on the index before Niger, Efe reported.

China, which is ranked 92; Colombia (77), France (8), Peru (78) and Venezuela (58) are the big gainers in terms of human development compared to 2006, due to increases in income, life expectancy or improvements in education (such as illiteracy and school enrollment).

http://english.eluniversal.com/2009/10/05/en_pol_art_venezuela-moves-up-i_05A2844251.shtml
Opposition newspaper

[spanza]

3. Not only bad news after all

I'll send you another good news by the opposition press:

http://english.eluniversal.com/2009/09/29/en_eco_art_venezuela-signs-ener_29A2808291.shtml

[Braulio]

4. Human Development Ranking Index

COngratulations to Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay!! They rank 1,2,3 in Latin America.

Unfortunately, Chile, the top ranked Latin American nation, ranks behind world leaders:

Norway Australia Iceland Canada Ireland Netherlands Sweden France Switzerland Japan Luxembourg
Finland United States Austria Spain Denmark Belgium Italy Liechtenstein and New Zealand

All of which practice the rule of law, capitalism, and democracy at the same time. Let's hope Latin America copies their example in the future.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Don't fail to read Dipsydoodle's contributed article:

U.S. Fails to Make Top 10 in Quality of Life Index, or Why Right-Wingers Really Hate the U.N.

Posted by Adele Stan, AlterNet at 9:00 AM on October 5, 2009.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/world/143083/u.s._fails_to_make_top_10_in_quality_of_life_index,_or_why_right-wingers_really_hate_the_u.n

Stupendous! :woohoo:

[ChangoLoa]

6. thank you

really very funny!

[Braulio]

8. US Fails to make top Ten

The US usually fails to make the top 5, but it has dropped a lot recently. However, the list includes nations such as Iceland, which have suffered hugely from speculating in mortagages and derivatives. The Icelanders got rich playing in the financial markets, and now that bank lending practices are tighter, and the real estate market has dropped, their thin-margin bond holdings and derivatives aren't worth a truckload of Honduran bananas.

[Judi Lynn]

7. DU'er Excess_3 posted the whole list of countries tonight on an LBN thread!

List of countries by Human Development Index
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index#Complete_list_of_countries

Now THAT'S a great link!