MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, best places to live in South America, says UN

Brazil Latinamerica’s largest economy ranks 75

In a report released Monday, the United Nations Human development index ranks Norway as the best place in the world to live. Factors such as life expectancy, literacy, school enrolment, health system and GDP help determine these rankings.

The rankings are based on data compiled in 2007 and give us one perspective on what makes a great place to live.

While the United States fell one spot from the previous year, it still ranks 13th. Given the hard hit economic crisis, it is not surprising to see the US drop a little.

The top ten of the list are Norway, Australia, Iceland, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Switzerland, and Japan, with Finland and Luxembourg following ahead of the US.

In Latinamerica and the Caribbean the leading spot is for Barbados, ranked 37, and in the group of Very high human development. Chile follows in position 44 of the so called High human development; Argentina ranks 49, Uruguay, 50 and Cuba 51.

Mercosur members: Brazil figures in position 75, Paraguay, 101, and associate member Bolivia 113. Venezuela that is longing to join the South American trade block ranks 58.

Other Latinamerican countries: Mexico, 53; Costa Rica 54; Colombia 77; Peru, 78; Ecuador 80 and Honduras in the midst of a political crisis, 112.

Britain ranks 21, behind Spain, 15; Italy, 18; New Zealand, 20 and ahead of Germany, 22; two world emerging economies, China, 92 and India 134.