Pakistan landed among the bottom five countries, ranking 75 among 80 countries, in the index on the best place to be born in 2013, compiled by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) – a sister company of The Economist. Pakistan landed between Kazakhstan (rank 74) and Angola (rank 76), while Bangladesh landed two slots below Pakistan on rank 77. Afghanistan failed to make it to the list. Switzerland landed on the first place on the index, followed by Australia and Norway. The United States of America was on 16th place, with Germany sharing the same slot. India and Morocco were on 66, while the worst place to be born in the next year was termed Nigeria. The index was compiled by taking 11 statistically significant indicators into account, including crime, trust in public institutions and health of family life, and some fixed factors such as geography. Some factors which change very slowly over time, such as demography, social and cultural characteristics, were also measured. The EIU’s economic forecasts for 2030 were also used, which is roughly when children born in 2013 will reach adulthood.
