Very recently, the ‘Best Countries Report‘ was unveiled at the World Economic Forum located in Davos, Switzerland with a collaborative effort involving ‘The U.S News and World Report‘ and ‘The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania‘. This report considered several parameters to reach a conclusion, in narrowing down the list of countries that could be adjudged the best. We, on the other hand, would like to focus on one particular aspect, lifestyle; Martin Luther King Jr once said 'The quality, not the longevity of one’s life is what is important and this is what we intend on giving you, a countdown on the top 10 countries where people have the best lifestyle.
Before we proceed let us understand what encapsulates a good quality of life; An economy wherein there exists a well-developed educational system, advanced health care, economic stability, a balanced income alongside job security and safety of the populace can be classified as a country whose lifestyle equals expectations of satisfaction.
# CanadaCan anybody beat Canada?. Canada, the name in itself sounds resplendent. A tolerant, multicultural and happy bunch, the Canadians. If you’ve seen prank channels on television or YouTube, most of which take place in Canada, you realize just how easy going and sportive the people can be. Canada is known to have a populace that is termed as the most educated in the world, given that the country invests heavily in education with compulsory education up to the age of 16 or 18, depending on the state. If requirements on age and residence are met, education is provided free of cost to the public. Medicare ( reminiscence Australia), a publicly funded health insurance system, provides basic healthcare to the public with the quality of care being very high, being regulated by federal standards. Crime rates are low and the safety that the populace enjoys is high. A progressive thinking means that the Canadians are a proud lot; proud of their country, proud of their environment and proud of their government. In addition, the Canadians enjoy economic stability which translates to better job opportunities and job security. After all, nothing speaks multicultural than 4 Indian- Origin Canadians being sworn in as Cabinet Ministers.
# SwedenSweet Sweden, where the population is multicultural, hard working, open and deem each other equal. There’s a good reason to why the Swedes are known to be the happiest people in the world. They have free education, yes, free education is provided at Colleges and Universities and at the Higher Education Level, although only for Swedes at the moment. They also receive monetary aid as an allowance for full-time studies. Healthcare is a well-developed affair with the average lifespan of the people being 80 years and any medical care exceeding a specific cost is free. Speaking of free, dental care is free for everyone up to the age of 19, while dental insurance covers everyone post 19 years of age. Summertime is vacation time, where people go out to the beautiful countryside and enjoy their time with friends and family. Apart from the usual pleasures of life, Swedes also enjoy a high level of freedom of press apart from an open and accepting society. Like the Australians, the people in Sweden devote great importance to nature and make use of an efficient Waste Management System and an exceptional Renewable Energy System, with 48% of power production stemming from this source.
To conclude, thank Sweden for Skype; the innovation is high with the Swedes.
# DenmarkA happy Dane is a healthy Dane! .As the leader in Renewable Energy and Waste Management, one can be inspired by the Danish lifestyle.Danish people enjoy a calm atmosphere and follow the policy of greenery all around. As the most bicycle-friendly place in the world, people here in majority travel everywhere in bicycles, every single day of the year. Denmark has been categorized as the ‘Happiest Country in the World‘, denoting their level of satisfaction with their daily lives and furthermore the ‘Human Development Report 2015‘, rated Denmark to be the best country to live in. Financial Stability and job security are a few of the Danish perks, stemming from their brilliant economy. They are also the pioneers in healthcare, having incorporated a model of E-Health or Electronic Health that makes Medical records digitized, providing easier access to doctors on patient records, creating a more efficient health care system that the people have access to. Educational prowess is high among the Danes, given their well-developed education system, where students are not charged any fees in schools but are also provided with a monthly allowance that functions as education support. Ever felt burdened with educational loans? Become a Dane!.
# AustraliaApart from a cool accent, “mate!”, Australia also has a cool lifestyle.On the outset, Oz has an excellent economy that is characterized by stability, ensuring job availability and job security. An economy of this standard also means higher cost of living but this is balanced with an equally generous income, so the people can be adjudged to be well off. The healthcare that the population receives is exceptional given that the country possesses a ‘Universal Health Care Structure‘ that provides for the people’s medical costs to be borne by the Government through the publicly funded insurance scheme known as ‘Medicare‘. This can be attributed to Australia ranking high in Quality of Care and health of the population. Much like the Netherlands, Australia mandates for compulsory education till the age of 17 and has a track record of excellence with 16 Universities being ranked among the top 100 Universities that are 50 years old, in a survey conducted by the ‘World University Rankings‘. The Aussies can be classified as highly humorous and highly competitive people. They are avid shoppers and one cannot find a spot to park in, on the days they are not enjoying their time on the beach. They have an informal lifestyle with many wearing informal wear even to work. Given their love for the environment, it’s not hard to imagine why they have clean surroundings, beach sanctity and an effective recycling system, all of which have contributed to their good health. Learn living, from the Aussies my friends.
# Netherlands'Zoals het klokje thuis tikt, tikt het nergens' is a dutch saying that translates to the idiom 'There is no place like home' and we’ve got to agree with this statement, given the beauty of this wonderful place called the Netherlands. The Dutch are a friendly, healthy and tolerant bunch of people who have the learned the art of peaceful co-existence. They are best known and recognized as ardent cyclists, with people owning cycles that makeup twice the number of people living there!. Hence, their health is top notch and they remain as exuberant as ever with their fitness. Family life is something that is prioritized to a great extent and people live in tight-knit harmony. One can easily find a suitable spot to set up home at relatively lower costs and with extremely low crime rates and a social life that is all-inclusive, much is expected from the dutch. Healthcare is a well-developed affair, with doctors being readily available at all times for any emergency. and with compulsory education for kids till the age of 16 and a semi-compulsory education for students from the age of 16 to the age of 18, the education system is well implemented, giving the populace a strong base to build their lives on. What’s more, the Dutch are people who are accustomed to strict punctuality and live a scheduled life, not that it makes things boring, just more organized.
# New ZealandNew Zealand is the perfect example of har(money), a unique blend of safe living, friendly surrounding, cleanliness and hygiene.Having been scored in the 2nd place for great work and life balance in the HSBC 2015 Expat Explorer Survey, the Kiwis are truly blessed with great comforts that include a pollution and stress-free environment. The government has prioritized health care to a great extent and the populace benefits from a ‘Public Health Care System‘ that is anywhere from free to extremely low cost, depending on the nature of circumstances. Education is also a high-quality affair, with people from New Zealand being respected on the International Scale if they possess a degree from Universities that most often than not score among the best in the world. As the country to have been the first to introduce a Code of Practice, the Kiwis enjoy an educational system that pays strict adherence to cultural, environmental and financial balance apart from ensuring a stress-free and flexible environment.
Beautiful Landscapes, Calm Beaches and Mountainous regions are a few of the many nature pleasures that people here get to enjoy, with many beating a retreat to several of these spots in order to gain that moment of calm.
# GermanyWhile Germany was recently adjudged to be the World’s Best Country securing the 1st place in the Best Countries Report, in terms of lifestyle it gets placed 7th on our list. The country is known to have the world’s most stable economy and the population enjoys a wide variety of cuisine, festivities and pompous celebration apart from being a renowned tourist spot. The country has prioritized education to such an extent that the cost of education one would incur to study range from significantly less to NIL!. Yes you read that right, scholarships are given to all deserving students and their education costs are taken care of and above this, the Universities and Schools that stem from this country are known to be pristine and highly prodigious in their conduct. The cost of living can be suited to one’s lifestyle and as long as you don’t demand driving around in a Limousine, one can very well manage the costs. Health care is an equally developed affair, with a health insurance known as the ‘Statutory Health Insurance‘ being made mandatory for everyone living in the country with 89% of the populace covered under this scheme, while the rest of them are covered under private insurance making the entire country safe, in terms of their health. A stable democracy since a period of 60 years, political stability and hence, effective implementation of policies is something that the country enjoys.
If you wish to migrate to a country for education and want to remain safe at the same time, all while keeping your pocket heavy …look no further than this Nation.
# The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is made of autonomous regions that include England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is the nation that gave us the Industrial Revolution and it has come a long way since then, currently being the 5th largest national economy in the World alongside enjoying extreme stability. Publishing company ‘Pearson’ ranked the U.K in the 2nd place in the world for its well structured and highly effective education system. Their healthcare system has also been highly acclaimed with their quality of health care being ranked in the first place in a selective analysis. Long story short, the citizens of the UK enjoy a well-planned education and health system. If you’ve heard of the ‘Tower Bridge’, it is just one of the plethora of infrastructural marvels that the people enjoy, due to the existence of well-developed infrastructure.The Brits are used to living in a diverse culture with a variety of entertainment options that include visual arts and performing arts, given that they have the largest number of immigrants entering the country due to an accepting atmosphere that exists sans discrimination. People flock to the U.K and most often than not, never leave; pledging allegiance to the Queen! well maybe not the queen but to the ethos as a whole.
# AustriaWhen one thinks of Austria, what comes to mind is the scenic beauty of the famous Austrian Alps and the modern marvel that is Vienna, the capital of Austria, also known to be the ‘City of Culture‘. Roll back to the year 2005 and we see that Vienna was ranked in the 1st place for its quality of life among 127 cities. Vienna apart, Austria as a country is also known to be one with an excellent lifestyle, characterized by a stable economy, excellent public infrastructure and a high purchasing power due to the existence of the value for money. The health care system is well developed due to the presence of what is known as a ‘Two Tier Healthcare System‘, where the populace is a recipient of public-funded health care benefits with the system being rated in the 9th place by the World Health Organization. Education is funded by the government, as it steps in to fund the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education and has made University education free, for candidates who complete their education in the least amount of time and are citizens of the European Union and European Economic Area. To top it, the level of safety that Austrians enjoy is immensely high as it is free of violence or any form of extremist activity making it a literal haven for the people.
# JapanApart from being a country whose population enjoys the benefit of leading a long life, with the average life expectancy of 85 years, Japan is also known to provide a good lifestyle to its citizens.Having attained consistent development through hard work and self-reliance, the Japanese have come a long way from the shambles of World War II. Yes, the Japanese lead a well-balanced life, loaded with healthy practices, including, exercise and intake of healthy food, in moderation alongside, living in humble homes. They work with utmost diligence and are known to the world as one of the most hardworking sets of people. Their economy is highly stable and their literacy rates are at an all-time high, given their highly developed education system, with assistance in terms of monetary aid given by the government and charitable institutions and several Japanese universities being noted as among the best in the world. Public health has been of high priority, courtesy of their public health system that commits to 70% of healthcare costs being borne by the government and a Universal Health Insurance that provides access to quality healthcare, which together can be attributed to their lengthy lifespan. With amenities such as a modern road network, high-speed trains and an advanced communication system, their infrastructure is the envy of the world, with countries flocking to see the marvel that is Japan.