According to online reports, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) concluded that Canada is among the countries that produce individuals who are of great well-being.
This was measured based on the housing, income, health, and safety of the residents. The study included 36 countries, including 34 OECD members, Russia, and Brazil.
The study revealed that Canada usually ranks better than the OECD average set on several categories, making it a country that promotes wellness and safety. These categories include:
1) Income. In Canada, an average household earns approximately US$28,194.00 annually after taxes, which is more than US$5,000.00 above the OECD average. The top 20% earns approximately US$55,718, while the bottom 20% earns around US$10,526. This puts Canada 9th place in the income category, but 7th in the household category.
2) Community. Volunteering two minutes a day is a common practice among Canadians. This is about half of the OECD average. Approximately 64% of the individuals claim that they have helped a stranger in the last few months, making Canada the seventh in the support network category.
3) Housing. At an average, the homes in this country provide at least 2.6 rooms per occupant. 99.8% of the Canadians live in a home that has a private washroom with a toilet that is indoor and flushing. This exceeds the OECD average, which is 97.8%. In every 10 Canadians, 9 of them are satisfied with their housing. This puts Canada 24th on the housing cost to income ratio, 8th on home facilities, and first on the ratio of rooms per person.
4) Environment. When it comes to water quality measures, Canada ranks 12th. Moreover, it is also 14th among the least air polluted countries.
5) Health. The life expectancy among Canadians at birth is 81. This is about a full year above that of the OECD average. Moreover, approximately 11.4% of the gross domestic product is spent on health and roughly 88% of the Canadians claim to be in good health. This puts Canada in 3rd place on health category and 17th in life expectancy.
6) Safety. The crime rate, specifically assault, is at a 1.3%, covering a one year period. This is way below the 4% OECD average for assault. On the other hand, the homicide rate is at 1.6%, which is below the 2.2% OECD average. This rank Canada 1st on the assault rate, but 23rd on the homicide rate.
7) Work and life balance. The annual collective hours Canadians work is 1,702 hours. This is approximately 74 hours lower than the OECD average. When asked, only 4% of the Canadians work 50 hours per week. This ranks Canada 9th in the long working hours category.
