We're number three

List of countries by Human Development Index

Top 10:

1. Iceland

2. Norway

3. Canada

4. Australia

5. Ireland

6. Netherlands

7. Sweden

8. Japan

9. Luxembourg

10. Switzerland

As included in a United Nations Development Program's Human Development Statistical Update released on December 18, 2008. The list covers 177 UN member countries (out of 192). Fifteen UN member countries are not included due to lack of data. The average HDI of regions of the world and groups of countries are also included for comparison.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. The index was developed in 1990 by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq and Indian economist Amartya Sen.