For almost a century, experts have mostly used financial data to measure countries’ progress. But about 10 years ago, an international group of
The idea was pretty simple, explains Michael Green, who leads the project. “Let’s measure people’s real lived experience, based on the real things that matter to real people,” Green says. “Am I living in a good society where everyone has enough to eat, everyone is safe, everyone gets a decent education?”
The index is put together by the Social Progress Imperative, a
In 2020, Norway scored the highest overall, with 92.73 points out of a possible 100. South Sudan ranked lowest, with 31.06 points. The U.S. came in 28th, with 85.71 points—still toward the top of the 163-country list, but behind some much poorer nations.
Economists say the U.S. can improve its standing in the future—155 countries have raised their scores in the past decade. Here’s a look at how nations stacked up in 2020 overall (see map, above) and in individual categories (below).