The 10 best countries to live in around the world

Copenhagen, Denmark.

The United Nations just published its annual Human Development Report, which ranks where people live long, healthy lives — the countries, in other words, that are best to live in.

The UN looked at nearly 200 countries across a number of categories, including life expectancy, education, and financial wealth.

Here are the countries that scored the highest.

10. New Zealand — People in New Zealand have a high life expectancy, living an average of 82 years.

Flickr / paul bica

9. Canada — Tying with New Zealand, Canada ranks high in education level. More than half of its residents graduate from college.

Ontario Library Association/Flickr

Students in Ontario.

8. The United States — The U.S. ranks high in financial wealth. Americans earn an average of $52,947 per year.

Henny Ray Abrams/AP

7. Ireland — Crime is low in Ireland. The homicide rate stands at only 1.2 per 1,000 people, according to the most recent data available.

Reuters/Darren Staples

6. Germany — This country ranks high in overall health. People live to age 81 on average and have a relatively low risk for diseases like malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis.

REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and lab technicians at the Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin.

5. The Netherlands — This country has one of the lowest rates of income inequality in the world, and it's been continually decreasing since the mid-1990s.

Roman Boed

4. Denmark — The gender wage gap is now at only 15%, a percentage that is declining due to mounting protests by workers. For comparison, the gap hovers at 64% in the US.

Flickr/Moyan Brenn

3. Switzerland — People in Switzerland enjoy low-cost tuition; students can go to college for less than $1,000 per semester.

Wikipedia Commons

Webster University in Switzerland.

2. Australia — In the past 10 years, the Australian government increased its investment in education by more than 25%. The UN found that most students go to school for around 20 years.

Getty Images/Darrian Traynor

1. Norway — For the 12th consecutive year, Norway ranked highest in life expectancy, education, and standard of living. Thanks to the country's robust healthcare system, the average life expectancy is 82 years.

virtualwayfarer/Flickr

Overall, the UN's report indicates that world is becoming a better place to live. Although 830 million people in the world still earn under $2 a day, some two billion people have risen out of poverty in the past 25 years.

The United Nations/Screenshot

Rates of development by country.