Canada ranks fourth in overall quality of life among 182 of the world’s countries, according to the United Nations Development Programme’s 2009 Human Development Report (HDR).

Only Norway, Australia, and Iceland ranked higher on the quality of life index.

The UN report considered life expectancy, school enrollment and literacy, and each country’s gross domestic product.

Life expectancy for babies born in Canada now tops 80 years. (Estimate your own life expectancy using Canadian Business magazine’s “When will I die?”  life expectancy calculator.)

The top 10 countries are:

1. Norway
2. Australia
3. Iceland
4. Canada
5. Ireland
6. Netherlands
7. Sweden
8. France
9. Switzerland
10. Japan

The U.S. ranked #13.

The study also found that, although the number of immigrants living in Canada pales in contrast to the number of immigrants in the U.S. — over 6 million immigrants in Canada compared to nearly 40 million in the U.S. — Canada’s population actually has a higher percentage of immigrants. Roughly 20 percent of Canadians were born outside the country, while immigrants make up approximately 13 percent of the U.S. population.

And the worst-ranking countries? Mali, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and Niger.

Photo ©Alan Albert