“Kung ikaw ay ipinanganak ngayon, Aling bansa ang magbibigay sa iyo ng pinakamahusay na pagkakataon upang mabuhay ng isang malusog, ligtas, makatuwirang maunlad, at buhay upwardly mobile?”

Iyon ang tanong na Newsweek magazine set out to answer in a new survey of “national well-being,” kung saan ranggo 100 countries around the world on factors that included education, kalusugan, ekonomiya competitiveness, political environment, and overall quality of life.

While Canada didn’t come out at the top of the list — that honor went to Finland — Canada did rank a respectable #7. And only two points separated Canada from the highest score.

Nakaraang taon, sa isang HSBC survey on the expat experience, Canada topped ang listahan ng pinakamahusay na mga lugar sa mundo para sa mga expat sa mabuhay.

Sa Newsweek ulat, Canada scored highest in education, ranggo #2 sa mundo, with a 99% literacy rate and with the population averaging 16.9 taon ng pag-aaral.

That’s consistent with a recent College Board ulat kung saan natagpuan na Canadians rank among world’s most educated people.

Ang Globo & Koreo also reported on yet another education survey — this one from the Council of Education Ministers — which found that “Canadians are better educated than they were a decade ago and have some of the highest rates of post-secondary attendance in the developed world.”

Sa US, Sa kaibahan, -ranggo-26 sa Newsweek‘s education scale.

Pangkalahatang, ang U.S. dumating sa sa #11, kung saan Newsweek bemoaned in an accompanying article entitled, “Paano Unawain ang Amerikano Tanggihan,” which noted that “on any number of indicators…, the United States is not the worldbeater it was a decade ago.”

Ang complete Newsweek list of the world’s “best” bansa includes the following top 10:

1. Pinlandiya
2. Switzerland
3. Sweden
4. Australya
5. Luksemburgo
6. Norwega
7. Kanada
8. Olanda
9. Hapon
10. Denmark

Vancouver skyline larawan © Carolyn B. Heller