Norway tops U.N. list of best place to live, while U.S. jumps from 13th to 4th

The oil-rich Scandinavian nation of Norway, which has led the list for all but two years since 2001, has a life expectancy of 81 years and a per-capita income of $58,810.

Read the report here and the full list here.

The U.N. Development Program, which compiles the so-called human development well-being list based on global wealth, poverty, health and education, is largely upbeat on the quality of living around the world.

An excerpt:

In some basic respects, the world is a much better place today than it was in 1990 — or in 1970. Over the past 20 years, many people around the world have experienced dramatic improvements in key aspects of their lives. Overall, they are healthier, more educated and wealthier and have more power to appoint and hold their leaders accountable than ever before.

Japan was first in life expectancy, at 83.6 years, while Afghanistan was just over half that, at 44.6 years. Tiny Liechtenstein claimed the highest per-capita annual income, at $81,011, which was 460 times higher than last-placed Zimbabwe, at $176.

Here is the top 10 list:

1. Norway
2. Australia
3. New Zealand
4. United States
5. Ireland
6. Liechtenstein
7. Netherlands
8. Canada
9. Sweden
10. Germany

Here are the bottom five on the list:

165. Mozambique
166. Burundi
167. Niger
168. Congo, Democratic Republic of the
169. Zimbabwe