Country rankings

Where-to-Be-Born Index by Country

Switzerland has the highest Where To Be Born Index Score in 2013 (8.22), followed by Australia (8.12) and Norway (8.09). Nigeria has the lowest (4.74).

EconomicsPolitics & GovernmentPopulation97 countries · 3 metricsUpdated Jul 17, 2025Original page
3 sources
Year 201380 of 235 countries
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Where To Be Born Index Score, 2013

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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Ranking

Highest first: the first 15 and last 5 of 80 countries.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
6.39
Middle half 5.75 – 7.22
Average
6.49
80 countries
Highest
8.22
Switzerland
Lowest
4.74
Nigeria

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

97 countries · # = rank by Where To Be Born Index Score
#
1Switzerland8.22100.096.5
2Australia8.1292.988.1
3Norway8.0983.694.3
4Sweden8.0291.799.9
5Denmark8.0185.2100.0
6Singapore881.753.1
7New Zealand7.9586.081.5
8Netherlands7.9482.385.6
9Canada7.8194.194.2
10Hong Kong7.8——
11Finland7.7677.090.0
12Ireland7.7463.869.8
13Austria7.7367.378.8
14Taiwan7.67——
15Belgium7.5165.076.4
16United States7.3894.255.4
16Germany7.3890.688.7
18United Arab Emirates7.3379.146.9
19South Korea7.2578.150.3
20Israel7.2324.212.7
21Italy7.2181.155.4
22Kuwait7.1819.215.9
23Chile7.120.714.7
23Cyprus7.122.414.5
25Japan7.0896.673.1
26France7.0482.961.8
27United Kingdom7.0187.980.5
28Spain6.9677.859.8
28Czechia6.9621.031.4
30Portugal6.9256.757.8
30Costa Rica6.9228.914.1
32Slovenia6.7711.815.0
33Poland6.6637.351.7
34Greece6.6560.434.5
35Slovakia6.648.714.6
36Malaysia6.6235.830.1
37Brazil6.5255.720.3
38Saudi Arabia6.4948.230.8
39Mexico6.4145.623.3
40Argentina6.3930.316.4
40Cuba6.39——
42Colombia6.2715.59.3
43Peru6.2421.312.1
44Venezuela6.07——
44Estonia6.0712.014.9
46Hungary6.0618.230.7
46Croatia6.0623.625.0
48Latvia6.0110.414.9
49China5.9980.049.4
50Thailand5.9657.127.3
51Turkey5.9553.928.4
52Dominican Republic5.9320.811.2
53South Africa5.8931.713.8
54Algeria5.863.55.3
54Serbia5.861.55.6
56Romania5.8514.918.3
57Lithuania5.8211.916.2
58Iran5.785.12.0
59Tunisia5.7712.58.3
60Egypt5.7643.513.4
61Bulgaria5.7311.818.3
62El Salvador5.725.72.9
63Philippines5.7125.020.2
63Sri Lanka5.7116.08.3
65Ecuador5.77.57.5
66India5.6746.420.9
66Morocco5.6731.917.8
68Vietnam5.6426.621.8
69Jordan5.638.07.1
70Azerbaijan5.65.64.2
71Indonesia5.5430.521.5
72Russia5.3137.917.7
73Syria5.29——
74Kazakhstan5.24.14.0
75Pakistan5.17——
76Angola5.09——
77Bangladesh5.078.210.8
78Ukraine4.985.7—
79Kenya4.9112.76.3
80Nigeria4.74——
—Myanmar—7.56.1
—Uzbekistan—7.52.6
—Ghana—5.86.1
—Cameroon—3.83.6
—Guatemala—5.84.0
—Cambodia—10.09.5
—Zimbabwe—6.84.4
—Honduras—4.14.0
—Belarus——1.0
—Lebanon—2.01.8
—Oman—12.38.8
—Panama—15.37.2
—Uruguay—10.611.5
—Qatar—60.836.2
—Bahrain—9.812.4
—Luxembourg—59.561.7
—Iceland—65.258.0

What correlates with Where To Be Born Index Score (2013)?

Pearson r against 1,815 other country metrics sharing at least 48 countries. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Where To Be Born Index Score tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. HDI RankMajor CountriesA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 53
    Plot
  2. Mean IncomeMedian Income by Country
    r = +0.91 · very strong · n = 74
    Plot
  3. GNI per Capita AtlasGNI per Capita by Country
    r = +0.90 · very strong · n = 66
    Plot
  4. Median IncomeMedian Income by Country
    r = +0.89 · very strong · n = 71
    Plot
  5. Price Level (US = 100)Economic Indicators by Country (World Bank)
    r = +0.88 · very strong · n = 75
    Plot
  6. GDP per Capita - UNGDP per Capita by Country
    r = +0.87 · very strong · n = 79
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Where To Be Born Index Score tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Failed States IndexFailed States
    r = −0.88 · very strong · n = 78
    Plot
  2. Fragile States Index
    r = −0.87 · very strong · n = 78
    Plot
  3. Brain DrainFailed States
    r = −0.86 · very strong · n = 78
    Plot
  4. Brain Drain IndexBrain Drain Countries
    r = −0.86 · very strong · n = 78
    Plot
  5. % of Men With Vision LossBlind Population by Country
    r = −0.81 · very strong · n = 78
    Plot
  6. Public ServicesFailed States
    r = −0.80 · very strong · n = 78
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Where To Be Born Index Score?
Switzerland has the highest Where To Be Born Index Score in 2013, at 8.22, followed by Australia (8.12) and Norway (8.09).
Which country has the lowest Where To Be Born Index Score?
Nigeria has the lowest Where To Be Born Index Score in 2013, at 4.74.
What is the median Where To Be Born Index Score across countries?
The median is 6.39 across the 80 countries with data in 2013.
Where does this where-to-be-born index by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: The Lottery of Life - The Economist; Where-to-be-born Index - Wiki; The Lottery of Life - The Economist.

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