According to article published in The Business Insider: "If the United Nations gave out MVP trophies for entire countries, Sweden would win hands-down".

According to last year report called the "Good Country Index," which ranked 163 countries by their contributions to the global community, Sweden takes the top spot overall. In individual categories, the tiny Nordic scored first in measures of Prosperity & Equality and Health & Wellbeing.

"Sweden must be bored of coming top in every bloody country index but that's the fact of the matter," Simon Anholt, an independent policy advisor and the Index's creator, told The Local.

As Anholt suggests, Sweden is no stranger to topping lists of innovative countries. Last June, for instance, it ranked second in the Global Innovation Index, most notably for its elite research universities. Within the last four years, it has never fallen outside the top three.

To compile the Good Country Index, Anholt created 35 separate categories that he eventually distilled into seven big buckets: Science & Technology, Culture, International Peace & Security, World Order, Planet & Climate, Prosperity & Equality, and Health & Wellbeing.

The data came from sources like the United Nations and the World Bank, the Local reports.

Sweden's dominance in the equality and wellbeing categories stems from its insistence on human rights for all, both stateside and abroad. Sweden's parental leave policy, for instance, is one of the most generous in the world — new moms and dads take 480 days, 90 of which are reserved for fathers only as a way to promote bonding. It also frequently sends its own doctors to help with health crises in other countries and provide aid during pandemics.

Maybe it's finally time to pack our bags and become do-gooder Swedes.
  
 

Source: www.businessinsider.com
Photo: absfreepic.com