Finland makes frequently headlines for its good rankings in international comparisons. Three recent notable rankings were the 2006 OECD PISA study, the yearly Corruption Perception Index and Newsweek's best-country-to-live-in study. When Finland doesn't fare that well in international comparisons, there is not that much to report. Here are some of the statistics that I have missed:
- Finland's competitiveness dropped dramatically from rank 9 to 19 in the 2010 World Competitiveness Scoreboard.
- Despite of its traffic density being vastly below most other countries, Finland has its fair share in deadly road accidents. According to the 2009 WHO report on road safety Sweden and Norway beat it hands-down. So do the densely populated Netherlands. Also speedlimitless Germany (where you are allowed to drive 200 mph on the highway) has less traffic victims per capita. To be fair: E.g. Italian, Portuguese and US roads are less safe.
- It's one of the worst places to die.
- I have not seen any statistics, but two incidents in the recent years have probably catapulted Finland due to its small population size to the top (or second after the US) in the international rankings for school shootings.