The UK has been named the 13th best place to live in the world - one behind the paradise islands of the Seychelles. Experts looked at 173 states and graded them on how well they fulfilled their residents' basic needs.
And despite soaring inflation, the crisis in the NHS and our failing railways, we still finished higher than 20th placed France. Singapore came out on top, followed by Australia and Denmark, with the Netherlands, Estonia, Luxembourg, Norway, Belgium, New Zealand and Germany making up the rest of the top ten.
The USA came 23rd with Taiwan, 43rd, beating China into 61st place. At 68th, North Korea was two above Russia in 70th, with Ukraine currently in 129th following the invasion.
The bottom three who were all classed as collapsed states were South Sudan, 171, Yemen, 172 and Libya 173. Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands off the coast of East Africa, pipped the UK in the rankings.
The Indian Ocean nation is famous for its glorious beaches, crystal clear waters and coral reefs, and welcomes tourists from around the world.
Dr Theresa Paola Stawski, from the Department of Comparative Politics and Systems at the Julius-Maximilians University in Wurzburg, Germany, compiled the list. She said: "We can see the state in everything that surrounds us, for example in the streets, the courts, the police or the schools.
"The fact that a patient who needs an X-ray examination receives a doctor's appointment promptly, that there are schools all over the country and that electricity flows day and night, all this constitutes a well-functioning state."
She added: "Whether a state functions well or not does not always have something to do with democracy. Singapore, for example, is not a democracy.”
Dr Stawski added: "We did not only measure the formal state, but we also looked at the informal side, such as corruption. In some countries, you have to reckon with the fact that the law enforcement agencies are bribed. There may be enough police officers. But when police officers act in a biased way, it is bad for citizens.”
Dr Stawski added: "Elsewhere there are famines, epidemics and serious diseases, and almost no medical care. Things we take for granted are not available at all or no longer available in many countries of the world."
Seychelles v UK
- Population Seychelles: 107,000 - UK: 67million.
- Annual sunshine hours Seychelles: 2500 - UK: 1403.
- Average Daily temperature Seychelles: 24 - 30C - UK: 6-13C.
- Favourite drink Seychelles: Rum - UK: Tea.
- Favourite food Seychelles: Grilled fish, fresh from the sea - UK: Battered fish, fresh from the fryer, with chips.
Top 10 places to live
- Singapore
- Australia
- Denmark
- Netherlands
- Estonia
- Luxembourg
- Norway
- Belgium
- New Zealand
- Germany
