How We Make Progress To truly advance social progress, we must learn to measure it comprehensively and rigorously. When everyone uses the same vocabulary to describe challenges, it's that much easier to overcome them. 
 
 Our Best Yet The 2016 version of the Social Progress Index has improved upon the 2015 version through generous feedback from many observers. It covers an expanded number of countries with 53 indicators. ||||| Australia is very high up on the list. Craig Sillitoe / Getty Images The countries with the highest quality of life have been announced by the not-for-profit organisation Social Progress Imperative. 
 
 Scandinavian nations scored highly in the "Social Progress Index," but more surprising are the very large countries which came lower down the list — suggesting that a strong GDP per capita is not the only gauge for a high standard of living. 
 
 Despite this, all of the top 19 countries are developed nations — so having a strong economy clear has an impact. 
 
 The "Social Progress Index" collates the scores of three main indexes: 
 
 Basic Human Needs , which includes medical care, sanitation, and shelter. 
 
 , which includes medical care, sanitation, and shelter. Foundations of Wellbeing , which covers education, access to technology, and life expectancy. 
 
 , which covers education, access to technology, and life expectancy. Opportunity, which looks at personal rights, freedom of choice, and general tolerance. 
 
 The index then adds the three different factors together, before giving each nation a score out of 100. You can see the countries with the highest quality of life below.
– The US is in the top 20 countries with the highest standard of living—but don't let that go to your head. The Social Progress Index says that at No. 19, America is a "disappointment" given its huge economy, per Business Insider. The ranking is based on three categories: basic human needs (like shelter and health care), foundations of well-being (like life expectancy and education), and opportunity (rights, freedoms, and tolerance). Here are the top 10, each with a score out of 100: Finland: 90.1 Canada: 89.5 Denmark: 89.4 Australia: 89.1 Switzerland: 88.9 Sweden: 88.8 Norway: 88.7 Netherlands: 88.7 United Kingdom: 88.6 Iceland: 88.5 Click for the full list or the top 10 "good" countries.