India ranks 70 on the Good Country list
The 'Good Country 2015 Index' has been released, and India took the 70th spot overall out of 163 countries. India was three places below its neighbor-China, which ranked 67. India ranked 62nd in Science & Technology, 119th in Culture, 27th in International Peace and Security, 100th in World Order, 106th in Planet & Climate, 124th in Prosperity and Equality, 37th in Health and Wellbeing.
What is the Good Country Index?
The Good Country Index is a biennial index founded by a British government advisor– Simon Anholt. The index ranks several countries and their contributions to the world/humankind along with its population through various policies without harming the interests of other nations. The concept and the index were developed by Anholt, while Dr. Robert Govers built the index with support from many other international organizations.
Encouraging populations and governments
According to the Good Country's website, the index "is all about encouraging populations and their governments to be more outward looking, and to consider the international consequences of their national behavior."
Evaluation criteria for the index
Good Country organization analyzes each country and ranks them in seven categories. The categories include– Science & Technology, Culture, International Peace & Security, Planet & Climate, World Order, Prosperity & Equality, and Health & Wellbeing. The above-stated categories are in turn based on five indicators, which include information selected from 35 datasets from the UN system, NGOs, as well as other international agencies.
To 'measure a country's contribution to humanity'
A report by the Good Country organization states, "The Good Country Index is pretty simple: to measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size."
Ireland tops the first list; India ranks 81
The inaugural edition of the 'Good Country Index' was released in 2014; Ireland topped the first ever list while Finland and Switzerland followed Ireland to occupy second and third places respectively. India took the 81st place, while Japan ranked 25th, Sri Lanka 78th, Bangladesh 91st, Pakistan 106th, and China 107th. Libya ranked the least out of the 125 nations succeeding Iraq and Vietnam respectively.
Sweden tagged the best, Libya the 'least good'
Sweden was named the best on the list followed by Denmark and Netherlands. Sweden ranked 8th in Science & Technology; 3rd in Culture; 52nd in International Peace & Security; 11th in World Order; 7th in Planet & Climate; 1st in Prosperity & Equality; 1st in Health & Wellbeing. Libya, for the second time, was ranked the least good country, succeeding Mauritania and Equatorial Guinea.
Top ten 'good' countries for 2015
The top 10 best nations according to the latest Good Country release are (ranked 1 to 10): Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, Finland, Canada, France, Austria, and New Zealand.
