When studying a language I feel it is important to understand not only the language but also the economy and culture. So while learning Norwegian I am also trying to learn and understand the economy as well.
The Human Development Report is an annual ranking based largely on average levels of education and income. In 2013, Norway was ranked number one on the Human Development Index. This ranking also includes factors such as life expectancy, human rights, and cultural freedom. Norway is weighed high for its literacy rate in addition to educational levels and material wealth.
Here are some statistics from the report concerning Norway. The life expectancy at birth is 81.3, mean (average) years of education is 12.6, and the GNI (Gross National Income) per capita is $48,688.
Comparatively, the United States ranks third in the world under the Human Development Index. The life expectancy at birth is 78.7, mean (average) years of education is 13.3, and the GNI (Gross National Income) per capita is $43,480.
From looking at the Human Development Report, Norway and the United States have very similar standards of living.
How peaceful a country is inevitably falls into the standard of living of a country, but this is not included in the HDI study. The Global Peace Index uses 23 indicators to determine the most peaceful country as defined by the study, where internal peace is weighted higher at 60%, and external peace is only worth 40%. Some variables include the amount of imported and exported weapons, number of military personnel per 100,000 people, as well as some internal peace factors such as number of homicides and number of police officers per 100,000 people. In this study, the United States sits at 99 out of 162 countries studied while Norway ranks 11. Although the study is somewhat subjective and peace is a difficult variable to define, it does provide at least a view of how "peaceful" a country is.
There are other variables I am still interested in learning so keep a look out for part two?
If you studied any of this while studying a language, what did you find interesting about your countries economics and culture?