The United States Is Classified a ‘Second Tier’ Nation in Scathing Report

New Social Progress Index report hits U.S. on environment, press freedom and health.

June 21, 2017 2:12 pm
America Is a Second-Tier Country
The U.S. isn't doing so well when it comes to health, environmental protection, and fighting discrimination, compared to other nations with a similar GDP. (David McNew/Getty Images)

America isn’t making much progress when it comes global rankings.

The United States earned a spot in the second-best tier for national well-being when compared to the rest of the world, according to rankings in the Social Progress Index released Wednesday.

For a well-developed country, America underperforms when it comes to environmental protection, press freedom, tolerance, or health and safety.

The annual report grades countries on 50 metrics that determine how well a country meets basic human needs, creates a foundation of well-being, and provides opportunity. It’s produced by the Social Progress Imperative, a non-profit organization based in the U.S.

Out of 128 nations in the rankings, America ranks 18th overall. Scandinavia earned the top four spots, with Denmark placing the first.

Despite the second-tier status, the United States is on par with other rich nations that have flatlined in the rankings for the last four years according to Bloomberg. These nations could be doing more with their wealth, the report claims.

The Social Progress Index echoes similar results from the World Happiness Report released in March and last year’s Lancet study on sustainable development. Both reports ranked the U.S. among most Western European countries, but not at the top.

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