Argentina Ranks 38th In New UN Human Development Report

A baby born in Argentina today can expect to live 74.8 years, according to a new 2007-2008 Human Development Report released Tuesday by the United Nations. That statistic, along with a host of other indicators, led the UN to rank Argentina 38th among countries in terms of economic, health and social development.

The report said 97.2% of Argentines are literate. In this category, Argentina ranks 27th. In others, such as cellphone and Internet usage, Argentina ranks 38th. About 570 out of every 1,000 Argentines have a cell phone. This figure more than doubles the number of fixed-line telephones in the country. Another 177 out of every 1,000 people use the Internet. These last two statistics are likely underestimates since they come from data collected in 2005. Two years of rapid economic growth since then likely boosted access to technological products.

Meanwhile, GDP per capita in Argentina is US $14,280, ranking the country 47th in the world.

In many categories Iceland takes the cake, making it the world’s most developed nation, according to the UN. Here is a breakdown of a few interesting categories, including data for the top 20 countries and Argentina.

NOTE: The UN lists countries in each category according to the country’s overall ranking. Where possible I included the category rank for Argentina. To see the data for yourself, click on the link at the bottom of this post.

OVERALL RANKING:

1 Iceland
2 Norway
3 Australia
4 Canada
5 Ireland
6 Sweden
7 Switzerland
8 Japan
9 Netherlands
10 France
11 Finland
12 United States
13 Spain
14 Denmark
15 Austria
16 United Kingdom
17 Belgium
18 Luxembourg
19 New Zealand
20 Italy
38 Argentina

LIFE EXPECTANCY:

1 Iceland 81.5
2 Norway 79.8
3 Australia 80.9
4 Canada 80.3
5 Ireland 78.4
6 Sweden 80.5
7 Switzerland 81.3
8 Japan 82.3
9 Netherlands 79.2
10 France 80.2
11 Finland 78.9
12 United States 77.9
13 Spain 80.5
14 Denmark 77.9
15 Austria 79.4
16 United Kingdom 79.0
17 Belgium 78.8
18 Luxembourg 78.4
19 New Zealand 79.8
20 Italy 80.3
50 Argentina 74.8

INTERNET USERS (per 1,000 people) *Data from 2005:

1 Iceland 869
2 Norway 735
3 Australia 698
4 Canada 520
5 Ireland 276
6 Sweden 764
7 Switzerland 498
8 Japan 668
9 Netherlands 739
10 France 430
11 Finland 534
12 United States 630
13 Spain 348
14 Denmark 527
15 Austria 486
16 United Kingdom 473
17 Belgium 458
18 Luxembourg 690
19 New Zealand 672
20 Italy 478
38 Argentina 177

ADULT LITERACY RATE:

1 Iceland 99
2 Norway 99
3 Australia 99
4 Canada 99
5 Ireland 99
6 Sweden 99
7 Switzerland 99
8 Japan 99
9 Netherlands 99
10 France 99
11 Finland 99
12 United States 99
13 Spain 99
14 Denmark 99
15 Austria 99
16 United Kingdom 99
17 Belgium 99
18 Luxembourg 99
19 New Zealand 99
20 Italy 98.4
27 Argentina 97.2

GDP PER CAPITA (purchasing power parity measured dollars)

1 Iceland 36,510
2 Norway 41,420
3 Australia 31,794
4 Canada 33,375
5 Ireland 38,505
6 Sweden 32,525
7 Switzerland 35,633
8 Japan 31,267
9 Netherlands 32,684
10 France 30,386
11 Finland 32,153
12 United States 41,890
13 Spain 27,169
14 Denmark 33,973
15 Austria 33,700
16 United Kingdom 33,238
17 Belgium 32,119
18 Luxembourg 60,228
19 New Zealand 24,996
20 Italy 28,529
47 Argentina 14,280

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