-
Finland is rated safest country in the world in two studies
(World Economic Forum and International Institute of Management
and Development).
-
Finland is rated least corrupt country in world for 4th consecutive
year. (Transparency International Corruption Perceptions
Index).
-
Finland is ranked 1st in world in goal competitiveness (US
is 2nd) (World Economic Forum)
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Finland is ranked 3rd in world in national creativity (after
Sweden and US) based on 3 interlinked factors: talent,
technology and tolerance. (Demos, a London-based think tank)
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Finland is ranked 5th in the world in quality of life (after
Canada, France, USA and Iceland); United Nations assessment
is based on 4 criteria: general health, standard of education,
life expectancy and income.
-
Finland is ranked 1st in world in international freedom of
press index (US is 31st) (Reports Sans Frontieres)
-
Finland is ranked 1st in world in the efficiency of its public
services and administration (European Union Central Bank).
-
Finland is ranked 1st in world in sustainable environmental
development (US is 45th) (World Economic Forum, Yale and
Columbia Universities environmental sustainability index)
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Finland is ranked 1st in world in clean drinking water (UN
World Water Development Record).
-
Finland is ranked 1st in world in favorable attitude to business
(US is 2nd) (Graser Institute of Canada)
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Finland is ranked 1st in literacy among all 43 OECD countries
(UNESCO).
-
Finland is ranked 1st in reading and math proficiency among
41 countries surveyed (Programme for International Student
Assessment).
-
Finland is ranked 3rd in the world in the ability to benefit
from information and communications technology (US is 5th)
(World Economic Forum, Global Information Technology Report).
-
Finland invests more per capita in education than any industrialized
country (7.2% of GNP).
-
Finland is ranked 1st in world in providing financial aid
to education.
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Teaching is the most popular profession according to a 2003
survey of Finnish 18-year olds.
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Finland has worldís highest per capita rate of public
funding of arts and museums ($100 per person).
-
Finland has the highest per capita coffee consumption in the
world (31 pounds per person annually).
-
Finland has lowest prison population in Europe (52 per 100,000
population) (US is 702 per 100,000).
-
Finland has second lowest rate of children living in poverty
among all industrialized countries (US is 21st) (UNICEF)
-
Finland is ranked 3rd best in the world for health and welfare
for mothers (Save the Children)
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Finland has worldís lowest infant mortality rate (4 per
1000 births) (UNICEF statistics published in 1997).
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Finland has lowest per capita consumption of tobacco in 48
countries surveyed by the World Health Organization inside
and outside Europe.
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Finland has more saunas (average 1.2 per family) than automobiles.
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Finland has more mobile phones than fixed network subscriptions
(73 per 100 persons).
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Finlandís southwest archipelago is worldís largest
(20,000 islands).
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Finlandís percentage of forests to land area is worldís
highest (70%).
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Linux, the second largest (to Microsoft) "open source
code" operating system, was invented by a Finn, Linus
Torvalds, while he was a 22-year old student at the University
of Helsinki.
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Over the last 30 years, North Karelia has slashed heart attacks,
deaths from heart disease and lung cancer by 70%, and cholesterol
levels by 17%, and increased life expectancy for men from
65 to 73. By getting entire communities involved, lifestyle changes
were made:. Farmers were persuaded to move from dairy farming
to growing apples and berries; sausage manufacturers substituted
mushrooms for pork; bakeries lowered salt content and substituted
vegetable oil for animal fact; schools organized one-year
smoke-free
pledge drives; communities competed for cholesterol-lowering
awards. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels were entered
on a yellow card kept by each person every time they visited
a doctor, hospital or clinic; people could track their
health improvement. This project has led to pilot projects in
China,
Chile, Iran and Oman. The Mayo Clinic has adopted CardioVision
2020, closely modeled on the Finnish project.
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Lord of the Rings by J. R. Tolkien was inspired by the Kalevala (Finlandís
national epic of mythological songs, poems and stories). The
Finnish folk signing group V"rtinn" has been commissioned
to compose the music of The Lord of the Rings-The Music,
the most
expensive musical ever produced in London.
