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Norway has been ranked as the best country by the UN Development Program.Shutterstock
Christmastime in Bergen, Norway.Shutterstock
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Norwegians have good reason to smile.

For the 12th straight year, Norway was ranked the top country to live in by the UN Development Program — while several African countries were deemed the worst.

“Norway has over time managed to increase its income, and at the same time, ensured that incomes are relatively evenly distributed,” Jens Wandel, who runs the program’s administrative department, told The Local.

The program uses the Human Development Index — a statistic factoring education, per-capita income and life expectancy — to determine a country’s rank.

Australia, Switzerland and Denmark all made it into the top five, and the US came in 8th — right before Canada and after Ireland.

Worst on the list was Niger, followed closely by the Central African Republic and Eritrea.

Countries with the steepest HDI drops included Syria, which slipped 15 places, and Libya, which dropped 27 places.

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