The U.S. ranks 9th in retirement security

According to the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index, the United States ranks ninth out of eighteen countries ranked according to financial security in retirement, with a score of 59.0. Denmark ranks first, with a score of 82.9.  The top ten countries (and their scores) are:

The U.S. ranks 6th in living the good life

According to the OECD “Better Life Index,” the United States ranks sixth in terms of overall quality of life among thirty-six industrialized democracies. The top ten countries are:

1. Australia
2. Sweden
3. Canada
4. Norway
5. Switzerland
6. United States
7. Denmark
8. Netherlands
9. Iceland
10. United Kingdom

The U.S. ranks 15th in perceived press freedom

According to Gallup, 87% of Americans believe that the United States has a free media. That is enough to make the United States tied for fifteenth with Senegal out of one hundred thirty-three countries ranked in that category. Finland ranks first, with 97% of Finns believing that their country has a free media.

The U.S. ranks 1st in plastic surgeons

According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, in 2011 there were 5,950 plastic surgeons working in the United States, or 18.7% of all plastic surgeons working in the world. That is enough to make the United States rank first in that category.

The U.S. ranks 22nd in gender equality

According to the World Economic Forum, the United States has a gender equality score of 0.7373 (out of a possible 1.0000), which makes the United States rank twenty-second out of one hundred thirty five countries ranked in that category. Iceland ranks first, with a gender equality score of 0.8640.

The U.S. ranks 10th in economic freedom

According to the Heritage Foundation’s 2013 Index of Economic Freedom, the United States has an economic freedom score of 76.0, which makes the United States rank tenth out of one hundred seventy-seven ranked countries. Hong Kong ranks first, with an economic freedom score of 89.3.

In 2012, the United States also ranked tenth, with a score of 76.3.

 

The U.S. ranks 29th in intellectual property protection

According to the World Economic Forum, the United States has an “intellectual property protection” score of 4.97 (out of 7.00 possible points), which makes the United States rank twenty-ninth out of one hundred forty-four countries ranked in that category. Finland ranks first, with a score of 6.28.

The U.S. ranks 16th in liking Iran

According to the Pew Global Attitudes Project, 13% of Americans have a favorable view of Iran, which is enough to make the United States tied for sixteenth with Brazil, out of twenty-one countries surveyed in that category. Pakistan ranks first, with 76% of Pakistani’s having a favorable view of Iran.

The U.S. ranks 23rd in wage distribution

According to the OECD, a full-time American worker paid at the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour earns 38% of the median wage in the United States. That is enough to make the United States tied for twenty-third with Japan out of twenty-five OECD countries ranked in that category. Turkey ranks first, with a minimum wage-to-median wage ratio of 0.71.

The U.S. ranks 10th in purchasing power of minimum wage

According to the OECD, the U.S. federal minimum wage of $7.25 makes the United States rank tenth out of twenty-three OECD member nations in terms of the purchasing power of minimum wage. Luxembourg ranks first with a minimum wage purchasing power parity (PPP) of $11.36.