On July 1, Canada celebrates 152 years as a country, after the Dominion of Canada was created in 1867 with four provinces.
Canada, a country of only 37 million people spread over half of a continent, most of which is too barren and remote to support a large population has in just 152 years managed to build a society in which millions of people want to live.
Canada was ranked third best country in the world, behind Japan and Switzerland in a 2019 poll by U.S. News and World Report. It was in the second spot in 2016-2018.
The rankings take into account such measures as quality of life, economic strength, education systems, business transparency, gender equality, respect for human rights and cultural accessibility.
“Canadians pride themselves in encouraging all of their citizens to honor their own cultures. In 1971, Canada adopted a national policy of multiculturalism, which celebrates the country’s diversity,” said part of the report’s overview on Canada.
The United Nations Human Development Index (HDI) put Canada at #12 in 2018, with Norway, Switzerland and Australia ranking in the top three.
The HDI analyzes countries more intensively than the U.S. News and World Report.
Canada was in the #1 spot from 1992-1998, and since then Norway has stayed at the top of the ranking, with Iceland coming in first in 2005 and 2006.
While the country has fallen 12 spots since the 1990s, Canada is still in the HDI’s “very high human development” category, out of 195 countries.
The Great White North fell out of the top 10 ranking in 2013, even though by some estimates it ranked higher than previous years, other countries like Japan and Australia improved faster.
Blair McBride
Multimedia reporter
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