Nederland op nummer 8 beste landen

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Netherlands
Population: 16.8 M (small)
Income: $49.4K/capita (high)

Education
Literacy rate: 99.0% (CIA World Fact Book)
Avg years of schooling: 19.7 (Vision of Humanity)

Health
Healthy life expectancy: 73 years (WHO)

Quality of life
Income inequality (GINI): 30.9% (UNDP)
Gender gap: 0.749 (World Economic Forum)
Percent living on $2/day: 1.99% (World Bank)
Consumption per capita: $22.8K (Global Insight)
Homicides per 100.000: 0.9 (UN)
Environmental health: 89.3 (Yale)
Unemployment rate: 5.0% (CIA World Fact Book)

Economic Dynamism
Productive growth: $39.2K (CIA World Fact Book)
Services % of GDP: 72.85% (World Bank)
Manufacturing % of GDP: 2.52% (World Bank)
Innovation index: 4.79 (World Economic Forum)
Ease of doing business: 30 (World Bank)
Time to resolve insolvency: 1.1 yrs (World Bank)
New business start time: 10 days (World Bank)

Political Environment
Freedom house rating: 1.0 (Freedom House)
Political participation: 9.44 (EIU)
Political stability: 87.0 (Political Risks Services)

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Despite the long winter, Finland is a pretty great place to be—the best, actually. It ranked the highest overall and also comes in as the best small country, the best high-income country, and the best country for education. Its students scored first in science and second in both reading and math in the 2006 (the most recent one for which data are available) Program for International Student Assessment, a test of 15-year-olds' education skills by the OECD. Finland's schoolkids enjoy a laid-back and inclusive learning environment where shoes are optional, all teachers have master's degrees, and extra help is the norm: every year about one in three students gets individual time with a tutor.

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With a relatively low unemployment rate—5.6 percent in 2009—and an economy that's one of the healthiest even during the global recession, Australia has a lot more to offer than just beaches and Hugh Jackman. In the overall index, Australia ranks fourth. In the other categories for medium-size countries, it claims the top spot for political environment and ties Spain for best health care. With its high standard of living, safe cities, sunny climate, and outdoorsy citizens, Australia also has the best quality of life among medium-size countries.

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The innovative country that brought the world sushi, Nintendo, and the Kyoto Protocol is also the one with the most healthy citizens. The average person in Japan lives to the age of 82; the average woman lives to be nearly 86. (Japanese women are the longest-living women in the world.) What explains their longevity? No one knows for sure, but it's likely a combination of preventive medicine, diet, health education, high standard of living during old age, and universal health care. Japan also ranks first among large countries in education and fourth in quality of life.

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Albania rarely makes headlines and seems an unlikely model for other countries, but this new democracy actually outperforms all other low-income countries. Among the nations in its category, it consistently ranks highest in education, health, and quality of life. Nearly 99 percent of Albanians are literate. Despite being a citizen of one of the poorest countries in Europe, the average Albanian can expect to live to be 78, the average Albanian woman to be 81—a pretty good statistic, considering that the average citizen of wealthy Germany will live only until age 79.

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As a member of the EU (it joined in 2004), Poland is increasingly leaving its communist past behind—and for the better, it seems. As the top upper-middle-income country, Poland is pretty much a winner across the board. Its political environment is the best in its category, and it's in the top 10 for economic dynamism, education, health, and quality of life. In August, Poland elected its fourth democratically chosen president; its large cities, such as Kraków and Warsaw, are becoming increasingly vibrant and wealthy.

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Among low-income countries, Ukraine is the best for education, with a 99 percent literacy rate. When it comes to math and science, Kazakh students are earning high marks, too, and not just among middle-income countries; they outperformed the United States and many others in math on the 2007 TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study). South Koreans are also among the highest-performing students in science, and they're the highest in reading among the world's wealthy countries. It seems their educational success continues into adulthood, making South Koreans the most likely to have university degrees out of those in developed countries. Despite spending only about 3.5 percent of its GDP on education (the U.S. spends a little more than 5 percent), Japan still ranks best in education among large countries. Nonetheless, its top spot is at risk; after being criticized for its harsh academic atmosphere, Japan turned to a more relaxed curriculum, only to see its students' performance slip in the past few years.

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Though you can't count on Tunisia for education, it's tied with China for the No. 1 spot on the health index among poor countries. Chile, which performs fairly well across the board, ranks No. 1 for health among middle-income countries, and Switzerland is the winner among small countries, beating out Sweden and the Netherlands. Spain and Australia share beautiful beaches and weather but also the title of healthiest medium-size countries.

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Given its breathtaking natural landscape and a laid-back atmosphere—most stores are still closed on Sundays—it's no wonder Norway has the highest quality of life. But the Scandinavian country of 4.8 million also has hard figures to back up its ranking: it scored the highest on standard of living for five years in a row, according to the U.N. Human Development Report. Norwegians also live in one of the most socially and economically equal societies, with one of the healthiest environments.

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Germany has the highest quality of life among large countries and ranks in the top 10 for quality of life among wealthy states. Two of its cities—Munich (pictured) and Berlin—are often ranked among the most livable in the world. Australia, with its active citizens and high standard of living, comes in first among medium-size countries. In the low-income category, Ukraine comes out on top, and Cuba outdoes its fellow middle-income countries in quality of life. Cuba also ranks No. 3 in education among upper-middle-class countries.

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Don't be fooled by Singapore's tiny size. Its population is little more than half that of New York City, but it still enjoys a high GDP per capita and has one of the recession's fastest-rebounding economies. The bite-size island's flourishing economy—thanks in part to low levels of regulation and low taxes—is even prompting the government to recruit foreign talent. With its open economy, low levels of corruption, and high government and business efficiency, Singapore no doubt deserves the title of the most economically dynamic country.

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Though the United States beats out China for most economically dynamic large country, China ranks the highest in that category among low-income nations. And though Malaysia's export-driven economy has recently become sluggish, it's still the best out of all middle-income countries in this category. Among medium-size countries, South Korea has the strong corporate sector and open markets needed to claim the top spot.

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In a competition for most neutral country, Sweden could give Switzerland a run for its money: Swedes haven't fought a war in nearly two centuries, and even though they joined the EU in 1995, they have not adopted the euro. Transparency International ranks Sweden among the top three least corrupt countries in the world. The cartoonist Lars Vilks—who was attacked for drawing the Prophet Muhammad as a dog—embodies Sweden's commitment to freedom of speech as well as freedom of religion. All places of worship in Sweden receive some funding from the government. Perhaps it's the open environment that inspires about 80 percent of Swedes to vote.

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Though Ghana (pictured) may not have a stellar economy, its political environment is the best among low-income countries like India, Albania, and Morocco. Poland wins in the middle-income category. Australia is a winner on many fronts, including its democratic freedom and voter participation, making it No. 1 in this category among medium-size nations. And Germany tops the list for large countries with the best political environment.