World's Greatest Country?

[CanonRay]

I have often heard politicians (especially those on the right) exclaiming that we are the greatest country in the world, and wondered how true it really is. I've compiled a list (admittedly incomplete) to which I will add from time to time and repost, showing the actual rankings of the USA versus other countries. The total number of countries in each category varies, but is usually from 150-215. I'll let you draw your own conclusions!

Category, Rank, Nearest Competitor, Source

Greenest Countries, 23, Latvia, Environmental Sustainability Index
Deaths by Firearms, 3, Jamaica, None
Life Expectancy, 24, Cyprus, WHO
Global Peace Index, 96, Yemen-Iran, The Economist
Child Well-Being, 19, Hungary, Unicef (rich countries only)
Competetivness, 1, Singapore, IMD International
Student Teacher Ratio, 19, Czeck Rep, OECD
Government Surveillance, 28, Slovenia, Privacy International
Home Ownership (2003, 7, Portugal, Eurostat
Health System, 37, Slovenia, WHO
Press Freedom, 17, Hong Kong, Reporters without Borders
Likelihood of Terrorist Attk, 4, Pakistan-Phillipines, World Market Research Center
Gun Ownership, 1, Norway, United Nations
Debt (external), 1, UK, CIA
Economic Aid (donor), 4, Japan, CIA
Trade Balance, 162(last), Spain, CIA
Electricity Consumption, 1, China, CIA
Distrib. Of Family Income, 38, Cameroon, CIA
Household Inc by Consumption, 57, Ghana, CIA
Industrial Production Growth, 70, Zimbabwe, CIA
Investment % GDP, 95, Guatemala, CIA
Inflation Rate (2007), 73, Belize, CIA
Natural Gas Consumption, 2, Russia, CIA
Oil Consumption, 1, China, CIA
% Below Poverty Line, 78, Syria, CIA
Public Debt %GDP, 62, Cuba, CIA
Unemployment, 95, Romania, CIA
Gold Reserves, 21, Italy, CIA
Death Rate, 99, Cambodia, CIA
Infant Mortality, 40, Croatia, CIA
Adult AIDS Rate, 49, Latvia, CIA
Literacy, 9(tie), Moldova, CIA
Military Expense %GDP, 19, Chad, CIA

Maybe if people realize where we're REALLY at, they'll figure out we have some work to do!

Edit: Links http://www.photius.com/rankings/

[madrchsod]

1. needs some links

really like to print out these figures

[Solon]

2. Lot of areas with room for improvement...

The biggest problem is perhaps the most obvious, having a corrupt political system means that the ability to improve on any of the many problems we have as a nation is difficult, if not impossible, to implement on a reasonable timetable.

[Clear Blue Sky]

3. As bad as our political system is, it could be far worse...

[provis99]

4. Why do you hate America?

(sarcasm intended).

[PDJane]

5. Please note that on the press freedom index,

the US is 48th internally, and 111th internationally. The US tends to hide what it does in other people's countries.

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=24025

Canada is 17th and going down, mostly because of the control freak that we currently have at the helm.

[CanonRay]

6. I just wish you guys would relax your immigration rules!

I have a feeling we'd be pouring over your border.

[Kitty Herder]

7. Wow, those are some depressing figures. Hey, at least we're number one

in competetiveness, which is all that matters to some people. How do they measure competetiveness, anyway?

[CanonRay]

8. I was wondering that myself...

I would have thought we'd be behind China, Hong Kong, etc.

[warren pease]

9. A few more proofs of the intrinsic wonderfulness of the US ...

Overall quality, fairness of access to and effectiveness of medical system -- 37th -- Slovenia -- UN/World Health Organization summary of a 2000 study comparing the medical systems of 190 countries

Annual per capita cost of funding medical system -- 1st (around $6,400 then; over $7,000 today) -- nobody even close -- from a 2005 study comparing health expenditures per capita among 31 countries tracked by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Preventable deaths per year due to lack of medical insurance -- 22,000 -- last -- Institute of Medicine (2004) and Urban Institute (2007)

As this guy says, "Not surprisingly, the United States ranks last in preventable deaths compared to 14 Western European nations." Larry Weiss, public health researcher (retired).

USA! USA! We're Number 190th! USA! USA!


:puke:


wp