Korea 19th Best Country for Child to Be Born

Switzerland is the best country for a child to be born in 2013, while Korea ranked 19th, according to the weekly news publication The Economist.

Its affiliated Economist Intelligence Unit gave a measurement of the quality of life in 80 countries around the world based on health, wealth and trust in public institutions.

While Switzerland ranked number one, it is followed by Australia and three Scandinavian countries Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Among the Asian countries, Singapore scored the highest, taking sixth place. It is followed by Hong Kong (10th), Taiwan (14th), South Korea (19th), Japan (25th) and China (49th).

Geographical and environmental factors, social and cultural characteristics, life expectancy and divorce rates were among the 11 factors that were measured. The index determined the rank of each country according to its score on how well-off people born in 2013 would be in 2031, when they reach adulthood.

The index links the results of subjective life-satisfaction surveys - personal...