The United Kingdom seems to be on a sliding trajectory, falling for the second year in a row on the world’s list of the ‘good-est’ countries. The UK is now in eighth place, down from its fourth-place ranking last year.
The Good Country Index, created in 2014, uses 35 separate indicators – sourced from the United Nations, World Bank and other international organizations – to examine what benefits countries have on humanity, as well as what countries take away.
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In 2016, Britain topped the charts in the Science and Technology category. Ukraine now sits in the top spot, with the UK having fallen to a measly number five.
Ireland now sits above the UK in the index’s overall ranking, coming in at number one for Prosperity and Equality, and at number two for the Health and Well-being category.
The Netherlands took the laurels, with Yemen, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan awarded the bottom four spots on the list of 163-countries.
The UK came in at number 11 for Culture, 48th for International Peace and Security, 12th for World Order, 11th for Planet and Climate, 35th for Prosperity and Equality, and fourth for Health and Well-being.
International policy adviser Simon Anholt, who created the index, said “a good country is one that successfully contributes to the good of humanity.
“Of course, it must serve the interests of its own people, but never at the expense of other populations or our shared resources: this is the new law of human survival,” Mr Anholt concluded.
