What makes a "good" government?

From economic output to life expectancy, sustainable development to citizens' perceptions of their own happiness, success for countries and the governments that run them can be measured on various dimensions. However, certain countries seem to be leading the way when it comes to policies that allow their people to thrive.

Who are these high-performing countries and what are their governments getting right?

Superstar countries

Countries that appear again and again at the top of various rankings

Happy Planet Index

  1. Costa Rica
  2. Colombia
  3. Mexico
  4. Vanuatu
  5. Vietnam
  6. Panama
  7. Nicaragua
  8. Bangladesh
  9. Thailand
  10. Ecuador
  11. Jamaica
  12. Albania
  13. Norway
  14. Uruguay
  15. Spain
  16. Indonesia
  17. El Salvador
  18. Netherlands
  19. Argentina
  20. Philippines

World Happiness Report Score

  1. Finland
  2. Denmark
  3. Norway
  4. Iceland
  5. Switzerland
  6. Netherlands
  7. Israel
  8. New Zealand
  9. Austria
  10. Sweden
  11. Australia
  12. Costa Rica
  13. United Kingdom
  14. Germany
  15. Luxembourg
  16. Ireland
  17. United Arab Emirates
  18. United States
  19. Belgium
  20. Czech Republic

Human Development Index

  1. Norway
  2. Switzerland
  3. Australia
  4. Ireland
  5. Germany
  6. Iceland
  7. Sweden
  8. Singapore
  9. Netherlands
  10. Denmark
  11. Canada
  12. United States
  13. United Kingdom
  14. Finland
  15. New Zealand
  16. Belgium*
  17. Liechtenstein*
  18. Japan
  19. Austria
  20. Luxembourg

Sustainable Economic Development Assessment

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

* indicates tie

What do these high-performing countries have in common? What is the secret to their success?

Superstar countries invest a lot in their citizens...

Their spending ensures citizens are healthy and well-educated.

Countries that appear in the top 20 of multiple rankings

Higher health spending per person

Higher education spending per person

But they also create environments that allow their citizens' talents to flourish.

Superstar countries almost always rank at the top when it comes to various aspects of effective governance and economic freedom.

Superstar countries don't just excel at one thing, they score highly on all dimensions.

While some countries may rank just as highly as superstar countries on one or two metrics, they tend to be lacking in other areas.

How to read:

  1. Health expenditure
  2. Education expenditure
  3. Political stability
  4. Government effectiveness
  5. Regulatory quality
  6. Rule of law
  7. Control of corruption
  8. Judicial effectiveness
  9. Government integrity
  10. Property rights
  11. Overall economic freedom
  12. Financial freedom

Line length reflects what percentile the country scored for each metric. Longer lines are better.

Missing lines indicate there was no data for that country on that specific metric.