The U.S. ranks 11th in minimum wage

According to the OECD, the U.S. federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is enough to make the United States rank eleventh out of the twenty-four member nations of the OECD ranked in that category. Australia ranks first, with a minimum wage equivalent to $15.75 USD.

The U.S. ranks 12th in prosperity

According to the Legatum Institute, the United States ranks twelfth in prosperity, out of one hundred forty-two countries ranked in that category. Norway ranks first. The eleven countries more prosperous than the United States are:

1. Norway
2. Denmark
3. Sweden
4. Australia
5. New Zealand
6. Canada
7. Finland
8. Netherlands
9. Switzerland
10. Ireland
11. Luxembourg

The U.S. ranks 11th in happiness

According the the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the United States ranks eleventh in the “Average Cantril Ladder,” a measure of happiness. Denmark ranks first. The top ten countries are:

1. Denmark
2. Finland
3. Norway
4. Netherlands
5. Canada
6. Switzerland
7. Sweden
8. New Zealand
9. Australia
10. Ireland

The U.S. ranks 12th in age of first sex education

According to the 2005 Durex Global Sex Survey, the average age at which Americans have their first sex education is 12.5 years, which makes the United States tied for twelfth with Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom out of forty-one countries ranked in that category. Germany ranks first, with the average age of first sex education at 11.3 years.

The U.S. ranks 6th in happiness

According to Ipsos, 28% of Americans report being “very happy.” That is enough to make the United States tied for sixth with Australia in that category out of twenty-four countries. Indonesia ranks first, with 51% of Indonesians reporting being “very happy.”

Chart from Ipsos

The U.S. ranks 89th in Hepatitis B vaccinations

According to the World Health Organization, 92% of one-year old children in the U.S. were vaccinated for Hepatitis B in 2009, which makes the United States tied for eighty-ninth in that category with Australia, Burundi, Colombia, Guatemala, North Korea, San Marino, Turkey, Tuvalu, and the United Arab Emirates. Several countries tied for first, with a 99% vaccination rate.

The U.S. ranks 17th in credit worthiness

According to Standard & Poor’s, the U.S. has a credit rating of AA+, which makes the U.S. rank seventeenth in the world in that category. Sixteen economies rank higher, at AAA. They are: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Isle of Man, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom.

The U.S. ranks 23rd in Women’s Index

According to Save the Children’s publication, State of the World’s Mothers 2010, the United States ranks twenty-third out of forty-three “more developed countries” in the “Women’s Index” ranking. The top ten countries are:

1. Australia
2. Norway
3. New Zealand
4. Denmark
5. Iceland
6. Finland
7. Sweden
8. Ireland
9. Netherlands
10. United Kingdom

The U.S. ranks 28th in Mothers’ Index

According to Save the Children’s publication, State of the World’s Mothers 2010, the United States ranks twentieth eighth out of forty-three “more developed countries” in its “Mothers’ Index” ranking. The top ten countries are:

1. Norway
2. Australia
3. Iceland
4. Sweden
5. Denmark
6. New Zealand
7. Finland
8. Netherlands
9. Belgium
10. Germany (tie with Belgium)

The U.S. ranks 11th in commitment to development

According to the Center for Global Development, in 2010 the United States had a Commitment to Development Index score of 5.4, which makes the United States tied for eleventh with Australia and Austria out of twenty-two ranked countries. Sweden ranked first, with a score of 7.0.

As reported here last year, in 2009 the United States ranked seventeenth, with a score of 4.7.