The U.S. ranks 44th in health care efficiency

According to Bloomberg.com, the United States has the forty-fourth most efficient health care system out of fifty-one countries ranked in that category. (Efficiency includes life expectancy and health care costs per capita.) The top ten countries in health care efficiency are:

1. Singapore
2. Hong Kong
3. Italy
4. Japan
5. South Korea
6. Australia
7. Israel
8. France
9. United Arab Emirates
10. United Kingdom

Data from Bloomberg.com
http://www.bloomberg.com/infographics/2014-09-15/most-efficient-health-care-around-the-world.html

The U.S. ranks 23rd in gender equality

According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report for 2013, the United States ranks twenty-third in gender equality out of one hundred thirty six countries ranked in that category. The United States is sandwiched in between Burundi and Australia. The report measures “the magnitude and scope of gender-based disparities.”

The top ten countries for gender equality are:

1. Iceland
2. Finland
3. Norway
4. Sweden
5. Philippines
6. Ireland
7. New Zealand
8. Denmark
9. Switzerland
10. Nicaragua

The U.S. ranks 33rd in internet download speeds

According to the Ookla Speedtest, the average internet download speed in the U.S. is 21.72 Mbps, which makes the United States rank thirty-third out of one hundred ninety economies ranked in that category. Hong Kong ranks first, with an average internet download speed of 72.54 Mbps. The top ten internet download speeds are:

1. Hong Kong (72.54 Mbps)
2. Singapore (58.73 Mbps)
3. Romania (56.69 Mbps)
4. South Korea (52.35 Mbps)
5. Japan (42.28 Mbps)
6. Andorra (42.08 Mbps)
7. Sweden (41.39 Mbps)
8. Lithuania (40.48 Mbps)
9. Switzerland (40.35 Mbps)
10. Macau (40.25 Mbps)

The U.S. ranks 46th in freedom of the press

According to Reporters Without Borders, the United States has the forty-sixth freest press in the world (sandwiched between Romania and Haiti), a decline of thirteen spots from 2013. This decline was one of the biggest in the world.

The top ten countries for press freedom are:

1. Finland
2. Netherlands
3. Norway
4. Luxembourg
5. Andorra
6. Liechtenstein
7. Denmark
8. Iceland
9. New Zealand
10. Sweden

Reporters Without Borders ranked 180 total countries.

The U.S. ranks 30th in folk religions

According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, there are an estimated 630,000 Americans who practice folk religions. That is enough to make the United States rank thirtieth out of more than two hundred countries ranked in that category. China ranks first, with an estimated 294,320,000 practitioners of folk religions.

The U.S. ranks 24th in foreign born

According to Pew, 14% of the population of the United States was born outside of the United States. That is enough to make the United States tied for twenty-fourth (with Latvia, Spain, and Norway) out of one hundred fifty-five countries ranked in that category. The United Arab Emirates ranked first, with 84% of its population being foreign born.

The U.S. ranks 26th in child well-being

According to UNICEF, the United States ranks twenty-sixth out of twenty-nine developed countries in terms of the overall well-being of children. Here is a list of the top ten countries in child well-being:

1. Netherlands
2. Norway
3. Iceland
4. Finland
5. Sweden
6. Germany
7. Luxembourg
8. Switzerland
9. Belgium
10. Ireland

The U.S. ranks 24th in literacy

According to the Program for International Student Assessment, the average reading literacy score for U.S. fifteen-year old students is 498 (out of 1000 possible points). That is enough to make the United States rank twenty-fourth out of sixty-five educational systems ranked in that category. Shangai, China, ranked first, with a score of 570.

The U.S. ranks 27th in leisure and personal care

According to the OECD Better Life Index, Americans spend an average of 14.27 hours per day “on leisure and personal care, including sleeping and eating.” That is enough to make the United States rank twenty-seventh out of thirty-six countries ranked in that category. Denmark ranks first, with 16.06 hours per day dedicated to leisure and personal care.

 

The U.S. ranks 24th in freedom from corruption

According to the Heritage Foundation’s 2013 Index of Economic Freedom, the United States has a “freedom from corruption” score of 71, which makes the United States rank twenty-fourth out of one hundred seventy-seven countries ranked in that category. New Zealand ranks first, with a score of 95.