China ranks number 90 out of 132 countries assessed in the 2014 Social Progress Imperative

China has ranked 90^th overall in the 2014 Social Progress Imperative.

Out of 132 countries assessed, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Iceland came in at the top three spots while China ranked 90^th, falling behind neighboring Mongolia at number 89.

The Imperative states that is measures social progress as “The capacity of a society to meet the basic human needs of its citizens, establish the building blocks that allow citizens and communities to enhance and sustain the quality of their lives, and create the conditions for all individuals to reach their full potential.”

The Imperative said also states that “From this definition we derive the three dimensions of the Social Progress Index Framework: Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity.”

China appears to have been hit hard under the Imperative’s definition due to measures the study outlined regarding civil governance models, personal freedom and choice, as well as tolerance and inclusion, causing it to fall under the Imperative’s “tier 4” category, nearing almost into the “tier-5 category” that starts off at spot 92 held by Uzbekistan.

The Imperative stressed throughout the 2014 report that “Economic development is not sufficient to explain a country’s social progress outcome” and that overall rankings went well beyond monetary measurements. The Imperative also took heavy consideration into the environment, stating that clean water and forestation was important. Equal rights, education and access to diverse media were also important in the Imperative.

Regarding the rest of China’s statistics, it ranked differently across the board. Aside from dollars, the statistics are formed on a 0-100 scale.

• GDP per capita-2005 constant $: $7,958
• Social Progress Index: 58.67
• Basic Human Needs: 73.02
• Foundation of Wellbeing: 63.78
• Opportunity: 39.21
• Nutrition and Basic Medical Care: 91.01
• Water and Sanitation: 70.99

Water and sanitation seemed to rank higher than expected while basic medical care seems to be pretty accurate considering the healthcare system is accessible and cheap to many. Quality of care though was probably not considered enough in depth.

The Imperative also gave China a staggering low 4.80 for the Personal Rights section while Health and Wellness was above average at 72.74. China ranked almost 95 on the Access to Basic Information part, which seems to come from the country’s efforts in expanding school systems throughout the nation.

New Zealand meanwhile scored high across the board in various areas. Out of a scale of 100 points, the nation got a 97.82 in nutrition and medical care, a 95.77 in water and sanitation, 95.10 in basic knowledge and nearly 88 in shelter. The country ranked a bit low in ecosystem sustainability at 53 plus points.

The Imperative said New Zealand has made great improvements in balancing quality of life, economic development, environment protection, education and healthcare within the nation. Corruption remains low in New Zealand while tolerance and biodiversity ranked high. The Imperative also ranked New Zealand high for its citizen participation.

Switzerland and Iceland scored high in similar categories as well, the study added. Both of those countries also rank high in various studies that measure happiness including the Happy Planet Index.

Burundi, Central African Republic and Chad were ranked lowest form at the 129-131 spots, respectively.