Human Development Index

Based on 2005 PPP GDP. The US is fourth. What is going on with Occupy Wall St and the Tea Party if things are so rosy?

@peter

Thanks. But the question is still valid.

I assume that Professor Walsh had his tongue in cheek when he said: ” I hope we shall all be cheered up…”. More likely that these figures will be the source of tremendous grief and disappointment for many people.

It looks as if improved health was one of the main contributors to Ireland’s improved ranking. On a very quick perusal of the UN figures, Ireland recorded the largest increase in life expectancy (7 years) of any European country (inside or outside the EU) between 1990 and 2011. In 1990 Ireland’s life expectancy was 1 year lower than in the UK, but by 2011 0.4 years higher; in 1990 Ireland’s life expectancy was 0.9 years lower than in Denmark, but by 2011 1.8 years higher; in 1990 Ireland’s life expectancy was 1 year lower than in Finland, but by 2011 0.6 years higher. Yet, we were told ad nauseum by the Dublin 4 media during this time that Ireland’s health service was third-world and on a par with Uganda, that the health of the country was going to hell in a handcart, while every Minister for Health in that time was demonised and vilified by the media. Shows that you can not believe a single word that the Dublin 4 media come up with.

@Ludwig

I don’t think so.

But, I will defer to Professor Walsh if he says differently.

As I understand the methodology, the calculation of life expectancy is based on age-standardised mortality rates, so is independent of the age structure of the population.

In theory, Ireland’s calculated life expectancy could be artificially increased by the influx of people from Eastern Europe, if these were healthier and had lower mortality rates than beople born in Ireland. But, in practice, it is more likely to be the other way round, as the Eastern European countries all have have very low life expectancy and high mortality rates in comparison with Ireland, so, if anything, are likely to be making Ireland’s calculated life expectancy lower (just a little bit lower) than it would otherwise have been.

We were 5th last year, and 4th at the end of the boom. While it’s a little dissapointing that we’ve slipped a few places, it’s heartening that the decline is modest considering the economic collapse we have experienced since 2007. This suggests that Ireland has made real progress during its boom years which puts us in the very first rank of developed nations. Hopefully we will reclaim our 4th spot in the next few years as our economic growth picks up.

JtO
No idea what the health system in Uganda is but given the choice most people would prefer to have a bed in a hospital rather than a trolley

Given the dysfunctionalaity of the Irish Health system, it appears that life expectancy is only partially dependent of the health system – diet & physical environment (quality of housing) are factors that have improved over the past two decades. Not so sure about others like exercise & social structures which took a hammering.