America: We’re (Not) #1!

Posted on April 20, 2010 in Images

And, sources for those of you interested:

Life expectancy: Study: U.S. Slipping Down Life Expectancy Rankings, Life Expectancy Wiki

Democracy index

Freedom of the Press index as reported by Reporters Sans Frontières

Internet Speed: US ranks 28th in Internet connection speed and World Results by Speedtest.net

Prison Population

Corruption Perception Index, Also reported by Transparency International

Quality / efficiency of education

Cell Phones Per Capita: Nation Master

Child Mortality Rates: Reported by the UN

Health Care Rankings done by the World Health Organization (WHO)

[tags]how does america compare to the rest of the world, global rankings, america versus other countries, health care, health insurance, life expectancy, infant mortality, education, math, science, corruption, democracy, health indices, index, technology, internet speed, graph, comic, infograph, sources, information, statistics, rankings, country rankings, united states, america fuck nooooooooo[/tags]

halffull

I see glass as being half full: Rating USA @ 30 in Life Expectancy means that it has better expectancy than in 137 other countries in the world. Eat that!
- Schulze
  
  Well, it’s just about USA not being #1, so your argument is invalid. ^^
GBAAEWE

It’s not about affordability or availability, it’s about quality.
http://jennahasnoidea.blogspot.com jenna

All that made me think was GO ICELAND!
andrew

This looks like propaganda to me.
- Molly
  
  It’s probably a natural reaction to think things containing facts we don’t like look like propaganda.
miyu

Sweden #1 in democracy? Saying that we’re #1 in democracy is almost like saying China is #1 in democracy.
- Dennis
  
  What did you attempt to convey? Are you a Swede? Are you feeling that you are oppressed. Do you have ALL of your electronic communications scanned? Tell me about it.
Jason

Hmmm. What about naval military and Air force? We’ve got the biggest stick…
- fuusa
  
  and yet you still can’t win any wars against “inferior” countries, GTFO !!!
  
  might DOES NOT equal right………idiot
http://www.freecreditreportsinstantly.org/ Jeri

Pssshh. Here’s some things we are number 1 in:

1. Military spending.
2. # of McDonalds
3. Nobel Prize winners
4. Gross National Debt
5. Tornadoes
6. # of billionaires
7. Corn production
8. Oil Importation
9. Olympic Medals
10. Country music stars
- schande
  
  And let’s not forget energy spending and pollution [per capita if you like].
  Or production and stock of weapons of mass destruction seems like a nice one.
- Anonymous
  
  11. married brothers and sisters, YYYYEEEEEE HHHHHAAAAAWWWWW
Cousin Finny

Wow, according to this we should all move to Finland!
Bonjour

Well, I have decided that I´m moving to Iceland.
Robert

Mmmmmm The United States of Arrogance.
BAM

Or Japan. Although living in Japan is more expensive.
http://www.oneworldtosee.com/ Tbull

I am a proud member of the Tea Party moovement and I don’t beleive you! This is just more mainstreem media socialist communism and it’s not true. We are #1. Sarah said so. This is the best countrie in the world and I don’t need no dam facts to know it.
http://www.hghtruth.org/ Jack

I read an article recently that said Australians were 26% overweight compared to America’s 25% according to average BMI.
justsayin

So the ones with least racial diversity score the best?
- fuusa
  
  who said racial diversity is a good thing ???
http://toddklassy.com Todd Klassy

How is a survey objective when ranking things like Democracy, Freedom of the Press, Corruption, and Quality of Health Care? Also, having fewer mobile phones is a bad thing? I say it is a good thing. This post is quite attention grabbing, but other than that it is poor.
Pingback: INFOGRAPHIC: America is not #1. « Save America's Soul
Pingback: That’s depressing… | theGuiGuru.com
Pingback: Beer 158/365 – Troegs Sunshine Pils « 365 days… 365 beers
shankarooni

Still America got most of the green babe!!
matt

the USA actually has the fastest internet connection. the FASTEST is in Berkley CA. its faster then Korea and Japan. the USA has very fast internet, but its mostly in university towns like Berkley and State College PA and other places like that
- http://ruby-omnibus.xanga.com/ OmniBus
  
  Affordable 1G Internet connection to home is available in Hong Kong now. I’m not sure it is the fastest for general use.
Ayn Rands Ghost

I would question every single one of these Statistics. Each country reports their own statistics. If each country does not use the same criteria then the statistics are flawed.
Pingback: Sitez » links for 2010-04-21
whome

aaaa, sicko a documentary? you have got to be kidding! if that is a documentary, i guess “this is spinal tap” is a great documentary. if you get your info from mike moore, than you are as dumb as a brick!
as for this, it is good. but, do not be an absolute fool to read this and think the US is as bad as it reads. one has to look at the criteria and determine if the countries filling in the said criteria is doing it 100% truthfully! so you believe that russia infant survival rate is above ours, you are think in the head! please, do your own research before you believe anything you read!
also, mobile phones is a criteria? that makes me laugh so hard that i cant even sit straight in my chair!
http://poposix@bellsouth.net auntiecripes

Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what’s for dinner.
I’ts majority rules. Just like a lynch mob.
cgray

Maybe if you didn’t count black people we would rank higher. Hell, of course we would.
- Coon
  
  Now someone has the right idea!
Scott Hedrick

When it comes to infant mortality rates, the data is suspect because it is not measured the same way in every country. The US measures *every* birth, while France only counts births where the infant was at least 400 grams. This alone would cause a difference in mortality rates. We’ve got to see the methodology of the studies and the data collection methods in order to fully validate the chart. But I still think it’s a good chart.
Dr Joe

I’m not sure why anyone is surprised? What’s the big debate about?

In Europe, the US is seen as a Christian fundamentalist bully that is run by the rich to the detriment of its citizens.
- glennbob
  
  who gives a fuck how the US is viewed in Europe
  - Dennis
    
    Since we are so eager for them to join us in our military adventurism, I thought YOU might think it was important.
- http://prosebeforehos.com/alec/ alec
  
  Largely accurate.
VariableTruth

The WHO recently found that the US has the best quality of health care in the world – the problem in the US is affordability. People go to other countries because it is cheaper, not better.

The US has a high infant mortality rate because we consider all babies born live to be a person. In many other countries a baby that does shortly after birth because of complications is considered “stillborn” and this artificially drives down its infant mortality rate making the US look worse by comparison.

The US has a lower life expectancy rate comparied to other countries because we have a higher “instant death” rate. Far more people die in the US from murder and accidents. Once you factor out those types of death, we are second only to France in life expectancy.. which makes me wonder where they came up with Andorra, Japan and San Marino as numbers one, two and three.

By “democracy” they would most likely mean “liberty”. And yes, liberty in the Land of Liberty has been on the decline for years… which is what is getting us our high prison population. Our lives in the US are being regulated to the point where nearly every citizen commits crimes daily and never even realizes it. There have been organizations forming lately with the goal of decriminalizing Americans.

They’re pretty spot on about our horrible education, and as a direct consequence our abyssmal scientific literacy. This will continue as long as the Unions and Government stay in control of education in the US. Their only ideas seem to be to throw more money at the problem… while at the same time not requireing school children to perform better.

And yes, the US is full of corruption… as anyone who has read the most recently passed piece of major legislation can tell you.
Rodriguez

It’s all about the growing economic gap between the haves and have nots in America and the haves have convinced the have nots that it’s the right thing to do. Go Fox news.
- Orion
  
  The thing is in America the have-nots of today can be the haves of tomorrow, and vice versa. There is a great gap between the two groups but what most people don’t realize is that the people who make up these groups changes all the time.
  
  If you look around you can see it happening every day. A poor or middle-class person gets an idea, starts a business, starts taking in some big bucks and then either he manages the business well and it continues to sustain him throughout his life or he mismanages it and he’s back to being poor.
  
  America really is the land of opportunity. Or at least it was. It is being fundamentally changed. It is much harder now for a poor person to sieze on an opportunity and make something of themselves. New taxes and laws, unfortunately, punish people for attempting to better themselves.
http://drudgereport.com/ Obama

When there is a standard definition for *any* of the above then get back to us. For now it’s just another FAIL.
Pingback: Number One | JoelsBlog.net
dude

The QUALITY of our health care is THE best in the world. Insurance companies are a leviathan and if that’s the basis for that “ranking” then you are misleading. Go to costa rica and get your heart replaced and come back and tell me WHICH COUNTRY has BETTER health care.

Ignorant ass hat
http://www.happenchance.net Seth

Great post. I thought I had so-so internet in the U.S., but when I moved to South Korea I realized just how slow the US internet actually is.

Supporting your country is one thing, but to ignore statistics like these is ignorant at best and dangerous at worst.
- fuusa
  
  ignorance is what americans do best, I guess they are number 1 at something….. good for them.
patrick

This web page is a bunch of bogus. I don’t expect America to be the best overall on a lot of these things. And how do you rank countries in terms of democracy? It seems quite arbitrary.

I love America for what is it. I am sure many other people love their countries as well. In the end, the socialists in Europe will always complain that America is too big and too powerful. This is changing folks, but we will always be the better country.
- fuusa
  
  ummm, no, you never have been, nor will you ever be, “the better country”
Anonymous

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Iceland second in lack of corruption well that’s how the corruption in Iceland works
Vector

Your posting is irrelvant. You list your sources but your sources are hogwash. For example, your “freedom of the press” index just list the same info you have. Who made it, how was it made, what was it based on?
RogerPredactor

<—– These avatars are awesome. I wish all forums used them.
Not Black

Democracy is like two black people and a bucket of chicken deciding who’s greasier
- Dennis
  
  “while at the same time not requireing (sic) school children to perform better.” The real issue is that people such as you are willing to blame everyone but the freaking parents.
  By the way use the spell check, it works.
Johann

Sorry, I’m from Iceland and the idea that Iceland has the freest press or a lack of corruption is pure fantasy. The United States has a much freer, much more diverse media than Iceland. Corruption is rampant, it’s pretty much a banana republic. So I’m going to have to call BS on this entire list.
denmadrid

Sorry to be realistic here, but….

The US, as some properly call it,
is not even
“America”, an entire continent.

When will we get that through our thick heads???
- http://prosebeforehos.com Kit
  
  In US English, we don’t have a single continent named America, we have two continents: North America, and South America. Saying America doesn’t refer to a continent, because there is no continent called America. Instead, similar to the way we refer to the United States of Mexico as Mexico, we refer to the United States of America as America.
Pingback: America: Were Not #1! [comic] | Prose Before Hos « The Chocolate Savant
Pingback: It’s good for Americans (I’m o… – Tanner Helland (dot) Com
http://pdsolger@gmail.com Revolutionarybum

Just another reminder to all the fake patriots and the misguided sheeple. By comparison we as a country are still crawling, the vast majority of the others listed have hundreds if not thousands of years in witch they’ve been able to work out the kinks, so to speak. And last but not least, The BS mantra of “Big Government Bad, free Enterprise Good” has been nothing short of a bloodless coup. A more justified name for the country would be… “The United Corporations of America”
Anonymous

How exactly are they coming up with this data? I find it funny they have a category for corruption; how is that officially measurable?
http://longroadmiscellanies.blogspot.com/ longroad

I think technology wise, the U.S. is still #1, right?
frank

This is all true if you take the United States as a whole, which is a huge place with enormous areas of sparse population. There are areas in the US with less than 1000 people that are geographically larger than most of the countries on the list. Similarly, Australia tends to do poorly on these rankings for the same reason. Comparing average internet speed, for example, is meaningless (the countries that rank high on this factor are minuscule, hence easier to wire).

On the contrary, when you review the top world CITIES on a variety of factors, many at the top are American cities. In Japan’s Global City index, New York is #1
http://google.com michael

iceland is highly ranked in alot of these, and their country just failed. rankings fail.
- tom
  
  Yeah their banks failed because they where sold bogus investments by american banks like many banks and govt.s in europe. The banking system you praise has ruined our reputation around the world and the future will seriously jepordize Americas ability to attract foriegn investments.
idontdomuch

Iceland kicks major a$$
jbreach

Yes but none of those countries are superpowers are they? We have a world to manage, they have a nation
- fuusa
  
  LOL, just LOL, ignorance at its finest. It’s what you do best, right?? right ??
Pingback: MyExWifeIsAWhore.com » Basically, America sucks
Rob

So, I’ma just move to Iceland.
Bill

So Iceland ranks the best for most of these and they’re broke. What does that tell you?

I think things are fine in the US how they are.
- fuusa
  
  yup, things are great in the good ol’ usa. VERY high unemployment, Cali can’t even pay it’s own gov’t employees ( paying them with IOU’s !!! LOLOLOLOLOLOL ) . Cities are becoming ghost towns ( Detroit ), corrupt gov’t officials ( Blagojevich ), very high reliance on foreign capital.
  
  Yup, the us is doing just fine. PPPFFFF
http://blog.kaushikbiswas.org/ Kaushik

what a compilation! great piece of infos put together. thanks.
FrozenSilver

What’s interesting about some of these comments is that people think only americans think their country is number one. Of course you would think your country is the best! In many national anthems of countries, have you ever heard one that says something that suggests a country is failing, metocre, or even second best? Most people don’t really like to think that someone has it WAY better than they do. Also, no one wants to live in the place that isn’t the best. Why would you WANT (keyword WANT) to live somewhere when in one country you could have it a lot better? That is why people want to have pride in their country, to have a sense that the place they grew up in was the best place there was, no matter what anyone says.
P.S to anyone who wants to burn me for this comment. I will not be checking back on this comment thread EVER so I don’t have to be insulted.
http://www.linuxnov.com/ chris

Good for you
Annonym.

I just wanted to mention that America is also at least 10 times the size of these countries population wise. It is a lot harder to govern and deal with things like the issues raised on this survey. So basically what I am trying to saying is because of the population aspect, this survey is bullshit.
- Schulze
  
  So America has 10 Billion people living in it?
  There is a country named INDIA on this list…
Anonymous

you forgot military strength.
http://hamiltoncanada fred w

It looks like the republicans have deteirated the intelegence under w. bush and chaney lower in thier evil ways. they downed the image of uncle sham. in the world fw
- http://www.facebook.com/lijlij.briggy Lij Lij Briggy
  
  GW Bush and Cheney, we will forever be in your debt.
Pingback: One Trip Bill | I Can Has Internets
Pingback: Bag of Randomness
Pingback: 5¢ For You Troubles | Top Cultured
Aidan

Damn, Scandinavia (and Iceland) get shit done!
Bluespark

Hello from Europe!

I live in one of the relatively poor European countries (Portugal)

We have good and free healthcare, and an even better private healthcare for about 30 USD month/person
We don’t have ATM fees whatsoever.
Everyone has at least 1 cell phone since very young (usually when turning 10 years old). (+- 20 cents per minute) superb voice quality. I have one dropped call every month or two.
3G internet for laptops, 30 USD unlimited traffic
Free school from kindergarten to college. Subsidized Toshiba, Asus, Dell or HP laptops for each high-school student (200 USD)
My communications supplier (Zon) provides me 120 digital channels with Tivo, 2 land lines, 50Mb unlimited fiber Internet, for 75 USD month
We don’t eat a lot of fast food, and we are “European” thin.
We are what Americans would call a “socialist” country.
PS: Even our most conservative representatives are in favor of free healthcare.
Bluespark

I forgot:

Low crime rates, and possession of small amounts of light drugs is not a crime.
Linda Tucker

And don’t forget that my great state of Texas is No. 1 in repeat teen pregnancies in the nation, as well as No.1 in high school dropout rates due to teen pregnancies. We have the highest rate of uninsured (health insurance). But we are also No. 1 in Wind Energy. So, come on people, now. Smile on your brother, everybody get together try to love one another right now!
TechnoToy

wow guys um i don’t have no fucking clue what you guys are talking about but all i heard is complain and smartass people.
TechnoToy is an awesome assfucker

btw im under 18 years old so don’t dis a kid <.< LOVE YA! BASTERDS….
Inez Deborah Emilia Altar

Given the very unhealthy diet and pollution of the USA how should there be the highest life expectancy?
Undisclosed state security measures can distort democracy rankings. All countries with major security apparatuses impinge on press freedom, if Finnish and other internet is faster, why are these systems not bought? Maybe vegetarianism reduces crime. Yet Hitler was one?! Where there is money and bureaucracy there is corruption. Dedication is required in study. Teenage promiscuity and loveless sexual activity is detrimental to the studies of girl students. Busy people sometimes do not have time to phone. Pollution and profits must be abandoned in favour of the environment. Scandinavians´relative licence and absence of inhibition among women frees them from mental and physical distraction which makes them head scientific literacy. When my father developed a major intracerebral problem, I was misinformed that the USA has the best healthcare, although taking overall factors into account I did not take this too seriously. Poverty in the inner cities of the USA will raise infant mortality. Infants have very low resistance. Swedish doctors thought they discovered that I had congenital hip dysplasia (my maternal great-grandmother had this) when I was a baby, and my mother still took me to an infant healthcare programme, which my father discontinued as he found the conditions indecent and unhygienic, I worry if the orthopaedic brace may have induced later pelvic stricture, but I am not so narrow backwards, but since suspecting violation, but not being certain not being an expert I have lost interest in eventually bearing children, and I am interested in a military career, and I had wanted to have children quickly and early in life for this reason, but my father was blind and I cared for me, and the Asian culture fashion combined with according to my father a Mongol descent, made me get me fixed on the idea to find my right match from Mongolia, my father suggested this could be done on the Internet, but they did not answer or the e-mails were sabotaged by Mongolian-haters, as my father was a distinguished person, I would not get it out of my head and even heart and kept trying for years. When finally I visited Mongolia, I found the people speak almost no English and no-one cared for me except that I made friends with a woman teacher, it felt constricted and not especially secure, with the almost haunted lingering of a great history which had made the world at times, and on my return I also realized I was past the age to enter the army of that country if I would become its citizen. In the meanwhile I may also have sustained more than damage to the entire system.
Pingback: America is not always number 1 - Politics and Other Controversies -Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Conservatives, Liberals, Third Parties, Left-Wing, Right-Wing, Congress, President - City-Data Forum
http://www.unyttig.info serrghi

What’s up with Iceland?
from Andrey with love

Very interesting and you souses check out, having said that… FUCK YOU, YOU ICELAND LOVING HIPPIE PIECE OF SHIT! Why don’t you go live in Iceland, Sweden, or Japan? Oh I’m sorry Is America not number 1 at letting you move to another country too? You should add national pride to your list, since we’re not number one there either because of people like you! Good citizens don’t just bitch and moan they either evoke change or get the fuck out.
- Liberal Hippie Piece of Shit…
  
  Man, you must really like how big corporate dick tastes there, Andrey. Maybe you can enlighten us as to how acknowledging that there are other countries that do things better than we do means we should “get the fuck out”. What change are you enacting exactly? Other than spitting out the corporate line (and swallowing the corporate everything else)?
- Michael Casanova
  
  yeah, Americans sure have done a good job at making those changes, haven’t we Andrey?
- Schulze
  
  Oh yeah, there goes free speach.
  Good citizens may bitch and moan as much as they like if they live in a goddamn democrazy!
  Also, if you want this “Iceland loving hippie piece of shit” (what is wrong about loving Iceland or being a hippie? The 60′s Peace Movement brought much positive change with it) to leave, why don’t you give them the money? I’m sure most here would take their families with them, either…
RD

Iceland’s looking pretty darn good right about now, even if I don’t know what they rank for health care (by viewing this chart alone).

As an American, I definitely don’t have the mindset that we’re number one, and I’m often embarrassed by the Americans that -do- have that mindset.
Anonymous

Iceland is #1!
Johnny Maxie

India, Thailand and Israel also have better healthcare systems
http://www.ticketmed.com
Pingback: Eisenhower and the War Machine | u4Ya.ca - Rational Reasons for Hope and Optimism
http://suckme asshole

your full of shit you fuckeen ediot
http://www.treadmillreviews.com Treadmill Traci

The quality of health care one is pretty funny to me. I lived in Europe for nearly 10 years. I have friends that come to the United States all the time for major surgery. I know of at least 6 times when someone from Europe that I know skipped their supposedly superior health care to come to the United States. We’re only ranked low because of liberal bias and people wanting to shift this country towards socialized medicine.
- http://prosebeforehos.com Kit
  
  Your anecdotal evidence is clearly superior to facts and figures. The people you know are obviously representative of the majority. Liberal bias is what is causing our infant mortality to be low, not the dead babies.
- Schulze
  
  It’s not about, one must repeat NOT ABOUT health care tourism. I’m sure the USA is pretty fucking good in caring for the rich people that can just choose were they get their health care.
  It’s about how the health care system cares for actual CITIZENS. Your common folk who do not have 50.000$ for a top notch laser sealing heart operation.
  That’s the point. Health care in the U.S. just sucks ass for the common Joe ( or Jane ).
Insanity Claus

I am an American.
And the quality of everything we have, we deserve,
because we have more rights and chances than any other country
to be able to change it,
and we don’t
because we care about other things more
- Schulze
  
  I am a German,
  and I don’t think you are right.
  You do not have more rights and chances than any other country (as the numbers above show)
  to be able to change it,
  and you don’t,
  because you are hindered by a bullshit conglomerate of corporations and government.
Joe Dirt

America…The Number 1 place people in other countries want to live
Pingback: We’re #1… « Veritas Aculeus

America: We’re (Not) #1!

From The PBH Network

Hot On The Web

Comments

America: We’re (Not) #1!

Other PBH Posts You'll Like

From The PBH Network

Hot On The Web

Comments