Inequality dents U.S. rank in U.N. development index

[Lars77]

Source: Reuters

The United States remains the fourth best country in the world to live in, but adjustment for inequality drops it into 23rd place, according to an annual U.N. ranking of nations' development released on Wednesday.

The ranking came in a human development index, a gauge of well-being published by the U.N. Development Program for the past 21 years that combines economic prosperity with education levels and life expectancy.

The UNDP published the inequality-adjusted index for the second time this year after introducing it last year, and aims to make it a standard component of its annual Human Development Report alongside its main, unadjusted index.

A number of other rich countries also scored considerably lower when adjusted for equality.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/02/us-un-development-index-idUSTRE7A12BT20111102?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=71

[kestrel91316]

1. The US is the largest, richest, most industrialized THIRD WORLD COUNTRY on earth.

Single payer NOW.

End corporate personhood NOW.

Return the Fairness Doctrine NOW.

Prosecute the Wall Street crime family NOW.

[Maven]

2. Correct.

I don't know how you can reach any other conclusion given the number of people we have without access to basic fundamentals of life, let alone schools, health care, etc.

[City Lights]

3. So we're #4 if you're in the top 1%, but #23 if you're in the bottom 99%?

Seems about right.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. That's the takeaway.

And we're falling like a rock.

[LongTomH]

4. Here's a link to the actual UN Index

Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index

[Lars77]

8. Check out the environmental statistics

Mostly the only countries worse than the US are small oil producers.

[jakeXT]

5. Libya's shares going down

http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/LBY.html

[Quantess]

7. Sad.