The United Nations flag. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Israel ranks 19th in the world in the United Nations’ Human Development Index for 2014, according to the U.N.’s 2014 Human Development Report, released Thursday.

Israel is among 49 nations the report ranks as having “very high human development.” The report, titled “Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience,” states that the Human Development Index is a measure of achievements in key dimensions such as a long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living.

The report ranks some 187 countries as having “very high, “high,” “medium” or “low” human development. The top 10 countries, in order, are: Norway, Australia, Switzerland, Netherlands, United States, Germany, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, and Denmark. Israel, in the 19th position, is preceded by Liechtenstein and followed by France.

Among Israel’s neighbors, Saudi Arabia was placed 34th, Lebanon 65th, Turkey 69th, Iran 75th, Jordan 77th, Egypt 110th, and Syria 118th.