Ireland Rated As World’s Best Place To Live
by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London
23 November 2004

Ireland has emerged as the best country in the world in which to live according to the latest quality of life index published by Economist magazine, with the Emerald Isle beating Switzerland into second place.

The World in 2005 survey, produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit, judged 111 countries according to a variety of criteria, using the usual factors such as income, growth, political stability, health, job security and climate, whilst also taking into account other quality of life factors it called "freedom, family and community life.”

Translated to the EIU’s one-to-ten rating system, Ireland scores 8.33, ahead of Switzerland on 8.07. With the exception of Australia in sixth place, the rest of the top ten constituted countries from Europe.

Meanwhile, the US achieved a ranking of 13th, and the UK just managed to scrape into the top 30, achieving a ranking of 29th. Unsurprisingly, Zimbabwe propped up the list with a score of just 3.89.

"Although rising incomes and expanded individual choices are highly valued, some of the factors associated with modernisation - such as the breakdown of traditional institutions and the erosion of family values - in part offset its positive impact,” observed the report.

"Ireland wins because it successfully combines the most desirable elements of the new with the preservation of certain cosy elements of the old, such as stable family and community life," it added.

These non-economic factors also helped to propel Switzerland into second spot in the index.

“Switzerland is known for its civic virtues and strong sense of community, as well as [high] life expectancy,” The Economist’s Daniel Franklin told Swissinfo.

However, he added: “But clearly what will matter in future is continued economic growth.”

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