Norway Is Still the Best Country in the World, Says the U.N.

For the 12th year in a row. What do they have that we don't have?
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As someone with Norwegian heritage, I grew up hearing about the country's greatness like it was a fabled realm: the fjords, the farming, the lutefisk and lefse. But it turns out it isn't just my crazy relatives: Norway actually is awesome—and the United Nations says so.

For the 12th year in a row, Norway has claimed the United Nations' coveted spot in the Human Development Report, which evaluated 188 countries and territories in three primary areas: life expectancy, education, and income/standard of living. With a life expectancy of 81.6 years and a gross national income per capita of $64,992, Norway received the highest composite score of 0.944. In second and third place were Australia (0.935) and Switzerland (0.930), with Denmark (0.923) and the Netherlands (0.922) rounding out the top five. Niger, with a score of 0.348, ranked the lowest.

Norway also topped the November 2015 Prosperity Index for the seventh year in a row, which evaluated 142 qualifying countries on criteria including economy, education, personal freedom, and health. And while it's one of Europe's priciest countries, it's also one of its most beautiful: whether you're visiting its isolated islands, taking 3,000-mile road trips along the country's western coast, or witness to views so beautiful they inspired the artists of Frozen. Well played, Norway.