The first time I really clocked the USA chant in the wild was at a NASCAR race. Flags everywhere — not just flying, but as bandanas, t-shirts, full Stars-and-Stripes jeans, patches sewn onto things that did not previously have patches. (Aside: the U.S. Flag Code technically prohibits using the flag as clothing, bedding, or drapery. The most patriotically-dressed Americans on any given Sunday are also the ones most in violation of actual flag protocol. Nobody knows. Nobody cares.) The chant goes up before the green flag drops. USA. USA. USA. And these people mean it.
That’s the working hypothesis we all operate on — America is the greatest country in the world. We hear it constantly. Politicians say it. We chant it at sporting events. We believe it.
But what if we actually kept score? What if we ranked ourselves against other developed nations on the things that matter — not military spending or GDP, but whether you can afford to see a doctor, whether your kid will outlive you, whether you can take time off when you have a baby?
Here are the rankings.
The OECD — Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development — is a club of 38 wealthy democracies with market economies. Our peer group. Not the global average, not the cherry-picked comparison to Norway alone, but the full set of countries we should be measuring ourselves against. Data is from 2020–2023, most recent available, sources at the bottom. The point isn’t the third decimal. It’s the pattern.
Life Expectancy at Birth
| Rank | Country | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 84.5 |
| 2 | Switzerland | 84.0 |
| 3 | South Korea | 83.6 |
| 4 | Spain | 83.3 |
| 5 | Australia | 83.3 |
| 6 | Italy | 83.1 |
| 7 | Norway | 83.0 |
| 8 | Iceland | 82.8 |
| 9 | Israel | 82.7 |
| 10 | France | 82.5 |
| 11 | Sweden | 82.4 |
| 12 | Canada | 82.2 |
| 13 | Luxembourg | 82.1 |
| 14 | New Zealand | 82.0 |
| 15 | Netherlands | 81.7 |
| 16 | Austria | 81.6 |
| 17 | Ireland | 81.6 |
| 18 | Belgium | 81.5 |
| 19 | Finland | 81.5 |
| 20 | Greece | 81.3 |
| 21 | Portugal | 81.2 |
| 22 | United Kingdom | 81.0 |
| 23 | Denmark | 80.9 |
| 24 | Germany | 80.8 |
| 25 | Slovenia | 80.7 |
| 26 | Costa Rica | 80.0 |
| 27 | Chile | 79.9 |
| 28 | Czechia | 79.0 |
| 29 | Estonia | 78.8 |
| 30 | Poland | 77.6 |
| 31 | Türkiye | 77.6 |
| 32 | Slovak Republic | 77.0 |
| 33 | Hungary | 76.9 |
| 34 | Colombia | 76.7 |
| 35 | Lithuania | 76.5 |
| 36 | United States | 76.4 |
| 37 | Latvia | 75.9 |
| 38 | Mexico | 72.2 |
Thirty-sixth out of 38. Only Latvia and Mexico are doing worse.
Infant Mortality
Deaths per 1,000 live births. Lower is better.
| Rank | Country | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 1.5 |
| 2 | Japan | 1.8 |
| 3 | Finland | 1.9 |
| 4 | Norway | 2.1 |
| 5 | Estonia | 2.1 |
| 6 | Sweden | 2.1 |
| 7 | Slovenia | 2.2 |
| 8 | Czechia | 2.4 |
| 9 | South Korea | 2.5 |
| 10 | Denmark | 2.5 |
| 11 | Ireland | 2.7 |
| 12 | Spain | 2.7 |
| 13 | Luxembourg | 2.8 |
| 14 | Portugal | 2.8 |
| 15 | Israel | 2.9 |
| 16 | Belgium | 3.0 |
| 17 | Netherlands | 3.1 |
| 18 | Germany | 3.1 |
| 19 | Austria | 3.2 |
| 20 | France | 3.3 |
| 21 | Australia | 3.3 |
| 22 | Italy | 3.4 |
| 23 | Greece | 3.5 |
| 24 | Switzerland | 3.5 |
| 25 | United Kingdom | 3.8 |
| 26 | New Zealand | 4.0 |
| 27 | Hungary | 4.3 |
| 28 | Poland | 4.4 |
| 29 | Lithuania | 4.5 |
| 30 | Slovak Republic | 4.9 |
| 31 | Chile | 5.5 |
| 32 | United States | 5.6 |
| 33 | Latvia | 5.6 |
| 34 | Costa Rica | 7.2 |
| 35 | Türkiye | 7.4 |
| 36 | Colombia | 11.8 |
| 37 | Mexico | 12.6 |
Thirty-second. Six countries are worse.
Maternal Mortality
Deaths per 100,000 live births (WHO data).
| Rank | Country | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 2 |
| 2 | Denmark | 3 |
| 3 | Sweden | 4 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 4 |
| 5 | Switzerland | 4 |
| 6 | Poland | 4 |
| 7 | Israel | 5 |
| 8 | Japan | 5 |
| 9 | Australia | 5 |
| 10 | Spain | 6 |
| 11 | Italy | 6 |
| 12 | Germany | 7 |
| 13 | France | 7 |
| 14 | United Kingdom | 7 |
| 15 | Finland | 8 |
| 16 | Austria | 8 |
| 17 | Ireland | 8 |
| 18 | Belgium | 9 |
| 19 | Canada | 11 |
| 20 | New Zealand | 13 |
For context, here’s who we share a neighborhood with:
| Country | Rate |
|---|---|
| Serbia | 12 |
| Bosnia | 13 |
| Romania | 15 |
| Uruguay | 17 |
| Argentina | 20 |
| Iran | 22 |
| United States | 22.3 |
This one’s the standout. Most developed nations are between 2 and 15. We’re at 22.3, alongside Iran, Argentina, Serbia, Bosnia, and Romania. Not near them. Alongside them.
Child Poverty
Percentage of children living in poverty.
| Rank | Country | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark | 2.9% |
| 2 | Finland | 3.6% |
| 3 | Iceland | 4.7% |
| 4 | Slovenia | 5.6% |
| 5 | Norway | 7.1% |
| 6 | Czechia | 7.8% |
| 7 | Ireland | 8.1% |
| 8 | Germany | 8.6% |
| 9 | South Korea | 8.8% |
| 10 | Austria | 9.6% |
| 11 | Sweden | 9.6% |
| 12 | Poland | 9.8% |
| 13 | Switzerland | 9.9% |
| 14 | Netherlands | 10.3% |
| 15 | France | 11.3% |
| 16 | Belgium | 11.7% |
| 17 | Hungary | 11.9% |
| 18 | Portugal | 12.2% |
| 19 | Slovak Republic | 12.6% |
| 20 | Estonia | 12.7% |
| 21 | Latvia | 12.9% |
| 22 | United Kingdom | 13.8% |
| 23 | Australia | 13.9% |
| 24 | Luxembourg | 14.5% |
| 25 | New Zealand | 14.8% |
| 26 | Japan | 15.2% |
| 27 | Lithuania | 15.7% |
| 28 | Italy | 16.8% |
| 29 | Greece | 17.0% |
| 30 | Canada | 17.2% |
| 31 | Spain | 17.7% |
| 32 | Chile | 18.1% |
| 33 | United States | 20.9% |
| 34 | Türkiye | 24.0% |
| 35 | Mexico | 25.0% |
| 36 | Costa Rica | 26.2% |
| 37 | Colombia | 28.7% |
Thirty-third. One in five American kids.
Income Inequality
GINI coefficient. Lower number = more equal.
| Rank | Country | GINI |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slovenia | 23.3 |
| 2 | Slovak Republic | 23.7 |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 24.4 |
| 4 | Belgium | 25.1 |
| 5 | Finland | 26.3 |
| 6 | Norway | 26.7 |
| 7 | Denmark | 27.0 |
| 8 | Netherlands | 27.8 |
| 9 | Austria | 27.8 |
| 10 | Sweden | 28.1 |
| 11 | Poland | 28.3 |
| 12 | Hungary | 28.6 |
| 13 | Iceland | 28.7 |
| 14 | France | 29.2 |
| 15 | Germany | 29.7 |
| 16 | Luxembourg | 30.8 |
| 17 | Ireland | 30.8 |
| 18 | Switzerland | 31.1 |
| 19 | Estonia | 31.2 |
| 20 | South Korea | 31.4 |
| 21 | Italy | 31.7 |
| 22 | Australia | 32.3 |
| 23 | Canada | 32.7 |
| 24 | Japan | 33.4 |
| 25 | Greece | 33.5 |
| 26 | Spain | 33.6 |
| 27 | Latvia | 34.1 |
| 28 | United Kingdom | 35.3 |
| 29 | Lithuania | 35.5 |
| 30 | Portugal | 35.6 |
| 31 | Israel | 37.0 |
| 32 | United States | 39.8 |
| 33 | Türkiye | 41.9 |
| 34 | Chile | 44.9 |
| 35 | Mexico | 45.9 |
| 36 | Costa Rica | 46.4 |
| 37 | Colombia | 54.8 |
Thirty-second. Every European democracy, plus Canada, Australia, and Japan, distributes its wealth more evenly than we do.
Social Mobility
Can your kids do better than you did? World Economic Forum Social Mobility Index.
| Rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark | 85.2 |
| 2 | Norway | 83.6 |
| 3 | Finland | 83.6 |
| 4 | Sweden | 83.5 |
| 5 | Iceland | 82.7 |
| 6 | Netherlands | 82.4 |
| 7 | Switzerland | 82.1 |
| 8 | Austria | 80.1 |
| 9 | Belgium | 80.0 |
| 10 | Luxembourg | 79.8 |
| 11 | Germany | 78.8 |
| 12 | France | 76.7 |
| 13 | Slovenia | 76.4 |
| 14 | Canada | 76.1 |
| 15 | Japan | 76.1 |
| 16 | Australia | 75.1 |
| 17 | Ireland | 75.0 |
| 18 | United Kingdom | 74.4 |
| 19 | South Korea | 74.4 |
| 20 | New Zealand | 74.3 |
| 22 | Czech Republic | 74.0 |
| 24 | Estonia | 73.4 |
| 25 | Israel | 71.7 |
| 26 | Spain | 71.4 |
| 27 | United States | 70.4 |
| 28 | Italy | 70.4 |
| 29 | Greece | 69.4 |
| 30 | Portugal | 69.2 |
| 31 | Latvia | 69.0 |
| 32 | Poland | 68.7 |
| 33 | Lithuania | 68.6 |
| 34 | Slovak Republic | 68.3 |
| 35 | Hungary | 66.5 |
| 40 | Chile | 64.4 |
| 46 | Türkiye | 62.2 |
| 58 | Mexico | 56.8 |
| 74 | Colombia | 50.3 |
Twenty-seventh. The American Dream is more available in 26 other OECD nations. Worth letting that one sit for a second, because “anyone can make it here if they work hard” is the foundational story we tell about ourselves. The data says: mostly no.
Education — PISA Math Scores
How 15-year-olds perform in math.
| Rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 536 |
| 2 | South Korea | 527 |
| 3 | Estonia | 510 |
| 4 | Switzerland | 508 |
| 5 | Canada | 497 |
| 6 | Netherlands | 493 |
| 7 | Ireland | 492 |
| 8 | Belgium | 489 |
| 9 | Denmark | 489 |
| 10 | United Kingdom | 489 |
| 11 | Poland | 489 |
| 12 | Austria | 487 |
| 13 | Australia | 487 |
| 14 | Czech Republic | 487 |
| 15 | Slovenia | 485 |
| 16 | Finland | 484 |
| 17 | Latvia | 483 |
| 18 | New Zealand | 479 |
| 19 | Germany | 475 |
| 20 | Lithuania | 475 |
| 21 | France | 474 |
| 22 | Spain | 473 |
| 23 | Hungary | 473 |
| 24 | Portugal | 472 |
| 25 | Italy | 471 |
| 26 | United States | 465 |
| 27 | Luxembourg | 465 |
| 28 | Slovak Republic | 464 |
| 29 | Iceland | 459 |
| 30 | Israel | 458 |
| 31 | Türkiye | 453 |
| 32 | Greece | 430 |
| 33 | Chile | 412 |
| 34 | Mexico | 395 |
| 35 | Costa Rica | 385 |
| 36 | Colombia | 383 |
Twenty-sixth out of 36.
Work-Life Balance
Hours worked per year. Lower means better balance.
| Rank | Country | Hours/Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 1,349 |
| 2 | Netherlands | 1,427 |
| 3 | Norway | 1,427 |
| 4 | Denmark | 1,457 |
| 5 | Austria | 1,511 |
| 6 | France | 1,511 |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 1,532 |
| 8 | Belgium | 1,571 |
| 9 | Luxembourg | 1,574 |
| 10 | Japan | 1,607 |
| 11 | Sweden | 1,609 |
| 12 | Switzerland | 1,615 |
| 13 | Spain | 1,641 |
| 14 | Finland | 1,653 |
| 15 | Canada | 1,685 |
| 16 | Australia | 1,694 |
| 17 | Italy | 1,694 |
| 18 | Ireland | 1,695 |
| 19 | Slovenia | 1,706 |
| 20 | Iceland | 1,716 |
| 21 | New Zealand | 1,730 |
| 22 | Estonia | 1,745 |
| 23 | Portugal | 1,757 |
| 24 | Czech Republic | 1,758 |
| 25 | Hungary | 1,763 |
| 26 | Slovak Republic | 1,779 |
| 27 | Israel | 1,786 |
| 28 | Latvia | 1,803 |
| 29 | Lithuania | 1,809 |
| 30 | United States | 1,811 |
| 31 | Poland | 1,830 |
| 32 | Chile | 1,855 |
| 33 | Türkiye | 1,867 |
| 34 | Greece | 1,886 |
| 35 | South Korea | 1,901 |
| 36 | Costa Rica | 2,149 |
| 37 | Mexico | 2,226 |
| 38 | Colombia | 2,405 |
Thirtieth. Americans work 462 more hours a year than Germans — nearly twelve extra weeks of work. Bonus: most of us can’t afford to retire on those hours anyway, and the ones who manage it get 36th place in life expectancy as a parting gift.
Homicide Rate
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people.
| Rank | Country | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 0.2 |
| 2 | Luxembourg | 0.3 |
| 3 | Norway | 0.5 |
| 4 | Switzerland | 0.5 |
| 5 | Denmark | 0.5 |
| 6 | Slovenia | 0.6 |
| 7 | Austria | 0.7 |
| 8 | Iceland | 0.8 |
| 9 | Netherlands | 0.8 |
| 10 | Germany | 0.8 |
| 11 | Italy | 0.9 |
| 12 | Spain | 0.9 |
| 13 | Australia | 0.9 |
| 14 | Ireland | 0.9 |
| 15 | Sweden | 1.1 |
| 16 | United Kingdom | 1.1 |
| 17 | Belgium | 1.3 |
| 18 | Finland | 1.3 |
| 19 | France | 1.4 |
| 20 | Portugal | 1.4 |
| 21 | Greece | 1.4 |
| 22 | Poland | 1.5 |
| 23 | New Zealand | 1.5 |
| 24 | Canada | 2.0 |
| 25 | Israel | 2.0 |
| 26 | Czech Republic | 2.1 |
| 27 | South Korea | 2.3 |
| 28 | Estonia | 2.4 |
| 29 | Hungary | 2.6 |
| 30 | Türkiye | 2.6 |
| 31 | Lithuania | 3.5 |
| 32 | Latvia | 3.8 |
| 33 | Chile | 4.3 |
| 34 | United States | 6.4 |
| 35 | Costa Rica | 11.3 |
| 36 | Colombia | 26.8 |
| 37 | Mexico | 28.4 |
Note: Türkiye’s reported homicide rate varies meaningfully depending on the source and year cited.
Thirty-fourth. Our homicide rate is 32x Japan’s, 7x Australia’s, and 3x Canada’s.
Now For Where We Rank #1
We win some categories. They’re worth a look.
Healthcare Spending Per Capita (2022)
| Rank | Country | Spending |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $12,555 |
| 2 | Switzerland | $8,049 |
| 3 | Germany | $7,383 |
| 4 | Norway | $7,065 |
| 5 | Netherlands | $6,753 |
| 6 | Austria | $6,693 |
| 7 | Sweden | $6,262 |
| 8 | Denmark | $6,192 |
| 9 | Belgium | $6,047 |
| 10 | Luxembourg | $5,891 |
| 11 | Canada | $5,738 |
| 12 | France | $5,700 |
| 13 | Australia | $5,627 |
| 14 | United Kingdom | $5,387 |
| 15 | Japan | $5,086 |
| 16 | Iceland | $5,055 |
| 17 | Ireland | $4,915 |
| 18 | New Zealand | $4,903 |
| 19 | Finland | $4,876 |
| 20 | Italy | $4,038 |
| — | OECD Average | $4,715 |
$12,555 per person, almost three times the OECD average. The return on that investment is everything in the section above this one.
Incarceration Rate
Prisoners per 100,000 population.
| Rank | Country | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 531 |
| 2 | Türkiye | 357 |
| 3 | Costa Rica | 374 |
| 4 | Israel | 234 |
| 5 | Chile | 229 |
| 6 | Colombia | 234 |
| 7 | Poland | 196 |
| 8 | New Zealand | 192 |
| 9 | Czech Republic | 187 |
| 10 | Luxembourg | 174 |
| 11 | Mexico | 169 |
| 12 | Australia | 160 |
| 13 | United Kingdom | 130 |
| 14 | Portugal | 127 |
| 15 | Spain | 124 |
| 16 | South Korea | 105 |
| 17 | Canada | 104 |
| 18 | France | 103 |
| 19 | Greece | 103 |
| 20 | Belgium | 93 |
| 21 | Austria | 91 |
| 22 | Italy | 89 |
| 23 | Ireland | 79 |
| 24 | Switzerland | 76 |
| 25 | Netherlands | 63 |
| 26 | Denmark | 63 |
| 27 | Germany | 69 |
| 28 | Sweden | 59 |
| 29 | Finland | 50 |
| 30 | Norway | 49 |
| 31 | Japan | 37 |
| 32 | Iceland | 36 |
Four percent of the world’s population. Twenty-five percent of its prisoners. We incarcerate at 5–15x the rate of other developed democracies. And our homicide rate is still 34th, so it isn’t even working at the thing it’s supposed to do.
Civilian Gun Ownership (2017)
Firearms per 100 people. This one isn’t OECD-only — the OECD didn’t have enough competition.
| Rank | Country | Guns per 100 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 120.5 |
| 2 | Yemen | 52.8 |
| 3 | New Caledonia | 42.5 |
| 4 | Serbia | 39.1 |
| 4 | Montenegro | 39.1 |
| 6 | Canada | 34.7 |
| 6 | Uruguay | 34.7 |
| 8 | Cyprus | 34.0 |
| 9 | Finland | 32.4 |
| 10 | Lebanon | 31.9 |
We have more than double the gun rate of Yemen, which has been in active civil war for seven years. Canada — the country we share an unguarded border with — is at 34.7. We’re at 120.5: more guns than people. Less than 5% of the world’s population, 46% of the world’s civilian-owned firearms.
Military Spending (2024, billions USD)
| Rank | Country | Spending |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $968.4 |
| 2 | China | $317.6 |
| 3 | Russia | $150.5 |
| 4 | India | $86.3 |
| 5 | United Kingdom | $83.6 |
| 6 | Saudi Arabia | $75.8 |
| 7 | Germany | $66.8 |
| 8 | France | $61.3 |
| 9 | Ukraine | $60.0 |
| 10 | South Korea | $47.6 |
| 11 | Japan | $46.0 |
| 12 | Italy | $35.5 |
More than the next ten countries combined. Over 3x what China spends, almost 6.5x what Russia spends. The US is 37% of all global military spending by itself.
Billionaires (2024)
| Rank | Country | Billionaires |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 813 |
| 2 | China | 406 |
| 3 | India | 200 |
| 4 | Germany | 132 |
| 5 | Russia | 120 |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 84 |
| 7 | Italy | 73 |
| 8 | Hong Kong | 67 |
| 9 | France | 51 |
| 10 | Canada | 50 |
Exactly twice as many billionaires as China, which has four times our population. More billionaires than China, India, Germany, and Russia combined.
Student Loan Debt
| Country | Avg Debt at Graduation | Total National Debt |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $37,000–38,000 | $1.77 trillion |
| United Kingdom | ~$54,000 (England) | £205B (~$236B) |
| Sweden | ~$19,000 | limited data |
| Germany | ~$2,400 | minimal |
| Finland, Denmark, Norway | minimal or none | minimal |
$1.77 trillion total. The UK has higher individual debt at graduation but a fraction of the total burden. In Germany, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, tuition is free or essentially free. We’re one of two developed countries where college can financially ruin you.
Medical Bankruptcies
| Country | % of Bankruptcies from Medical Bills |
|---|---|
| United States | 66.5% |
| Canada | ~15% (seniors only) |
| Australia | ~7.25% |
| United Kingdom | <1% |
| France | 0% |
| Germany | effectively 0% |
| Netherlands | effectively 0% |
| Other OECD | effectively 0% |
Sixty-six and a half percent. About 530,000 Americans file medical bankruptcy every year. France had zero in 2008. In most of the developed world, this category does not exist.
The Pattern
Two columns. On one side, the things we’re #1 at: healthcare spending, incarceration, guns, military, billionaires, student debt, medical bankruptcies. On the other, the things we’re near the bottom at: life expectancy, infant mortality, maternal mortality, child poverty, inequality, social mobility, education, homicide, work-life balance.
Three things to notice.
One. Where we spend the most money, we get the worst results. We’re #1 in healthcare spending and 36th in life expectancy. We’re #1 in incarceration and 34th in homicide — meaning the locking-up isn’t working.
Two. Where we accumulate the most of something, regular people suffer the most. #1 in guns, 34th in homicide. #1 in billionaires, 32nd in equality, 33rd in child poverty. #1 in military spending, with one in five American kids in poverty.
Three. The things we do that no other developed country does — no mandatory paid parental leave, no mandatory paid vacation, common medical bankruptcies — are all things that hurt us.
The Question
These aren’t opinions. They’re measurements.
When someone tells you America is the greatest country on Earth, the obvious follow-up is: by what measurement?
We’re #1 in spending money and #1 in the things that hurt regular people. We’re near the bottom in the things that actually help them. So the questions worth asking are: Why are we losing? What stops us from copying what works? Who benefits from us staying this way?
That’s the series.
This is Part 1 of BrokeCon by Design. Over the next two dozen posts, we’ll go system by system — healthcare, housing, education, work, taxes, media. Each one gets the same treatment: who profits, how much they extract, which politicians in both parties enable it, and what the actual fix looks like. None of this is accidental. It’s the predictable output of systems built to extract upward, all documented and public record.
Next up: healthcare. The most expensive broken system, where we pay double and die younger.
Sources
- Life Expectancy: OECD Health Statistics 2023
- Infant / Maternal Mortality: WHO, CDC, OECD Health Data
- Child Poverty: OECD Social Policy Division
- Income Inequality: OECD Income Distribution Database
- Social Mobility: World Economic Forum Social Mobility Index 2020
- PISA Scores: OECD PISA 2022 Results
- Work Hours: OECD Employment Database 2023
- Homicide: UNODC Global Study on Homicide
- Healthcare Spending: OECD Health Statistics 2023
- Incarceration: World Prison Brief / Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research
Minor discrepancies may exist between sources depending on year and methodology. Rankings and overall patterns are consistent.
Even that's Odd 
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