It is often said that “America is the greatest nation on Earth,” but is it true? In an election year, this sentiment will be expressed even more frequently by the presidential candidates, but how well does the US stack up on key quality of life issues when compared to other nations? While complete objective comparison may not be possible, there are certain areas where quantitative analysis allows for direct comparison.

Join United Nations statistician and health economist Howard Friedman for an analysis of five key measures of quality of life—health, safety, education, democracy and equality. How well does the US compare to thirteen other countries around the world? There are valuable lessons to be learned from the experiences and solutions found in other leading countries.