This Country Was Just Rated Best in the World for Quality of Life

Sweden's residents live longer and have free health care and education.

There's more to Sweden than Ikea, fika, and Abba. The country regularly ranks among the top 10 happiest in the world and is known as a champion of sustainability and green living.

In a recent U.S. News report, Sweden was rated the best country in the world for quality of life, ahead of Norway and Canada, which were second and third, respectively.

The website considered factors such as economic stability, safety, the quality of its public education system, health care, and family friendliness — and Sweden scored a perfect 100. Quality of life was one of 10 categories U.S. News assessed to rank the best countries in the world, where Sweden was third. It was also among the top 10 countries for social purpose, business, entrepreneurship, and agility.

"Sweden operates under a model similar to those of other Nordic nations: heavily capitalistic with a large percent of spending going toward public service," U.S. News notes, adding that Swedes benefit from free universal health care and higher education.

The report also states that Swedish people are among the most generous in the world, donating about one percent of the gross domestic product to humanitarian aid programs each year.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which releases its Better Life Index comparing well-being across nations, reported that Sweden currently "outperforms the average in income, jobs, education, health, environmental quality, social connections, civic engagement, safety, and life satisfaction."

The country's life expectancy is 83, two years higher than the OECD average. The population also has a high level of literacy and education.

Earlier this year, the European Union announced the results of a survey that evaluated the quality of life in European cities and Stockholm, Sweden's capital, ranked among the top 10 to live for LGBTIQ people, ease of finding a job, and had the lowest score for people using their cars to commute daily with about 60 percent of the city's residents using public transportation instead.

The United States ranked 23rd for quality of life and fifth in the general list of best countries.

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