Holland has been ranked third on a United Nations list of the best countries to live in. The UN Human Development Index put Norway and Australia ahead of the Dutch on the 187-country list which assesses long-term progress in healthcare, education, child welfare, literacy, annual income and life expectancy.

The Democratic Republic of Congo was last on the list, while Zimbabwe – last year’s worst country to live in – moved up to 173rd place.

The UN development programme (UNDP) criticised wealthier nations for backtracking on their commitment to alleviate poverty in developing countries. The problems arising from environmental issues worldwide need acute attention, the UNDP added.

The economic boom generated by emerging powers China and India did not reflect in their rankings – they ranked 101st and 134th respectively.

The UNDP report also released its so-called ‘inequality-adjusted’ list, a "measure of the average level of human development of people in a society once inequality is taken into account”. On the amended list, the Netherlands moved down a rank to fourth place, followed by Iceland and Ireland. Sweden is third on this list.

(jn/hs)

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