<i>Where to be born in 2013</i>

Switzerland landed on the first place in the index on the best place to be born in 2013, says a recent study compiled by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The worst place to be born next year is Nigeria.
The European country is followed by Australia and Norway while Canada ranked 9th among the 80 countries surveyed, says EIU -- a unit of The Economist.
Among the South-Asian countries, Bangladesh ranked 77th position, while Sri Lanka 63rd, India 66th and Pakistan 75th.
Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan failed to make it to the list.
Angola (76th), Ukraine (78th) and Kenya (79th) are among the bottom five countries.
The other Top-10 countries are Sweden (4th), Denmark (5th), Singapore (6th), New Zealand (7th), Netherlands (8th) and Hong Kong (10th).
Russia landed on the 72nd position, while Egypt 60th, Iran 58th, China 49th, Mexico 39th, Saudi Arabia 38th, Malaysia 36th, Spain 28th, France 26th, Japan 25th, Italy 21st, Israel 20th and Finland 11th. The USA was on 16th place, with Germany sharing the same slot.
The index was prepared over 11 indicators including crime, trust in public institutions and health of family life, and some fixed factors such as geography. Some factors which change very slowly over time, such as demography, social and cultural characteristics, were also measured.
The EIU's economic forecasts for 2030 were also used since the children born in 2013 will reach adulthood by then.
Despite the global economic crisis, times have in certain respects never been so good. Output growth rates have been declining across the world, but income levels are at or near historic highs, observes Laza Kekic, director of country forecasting services at the EIU.
Life expectancy continues to increase steadily and political freedoms have spread across the globe, most recently in North Africa and the Middle East. In other ways, however, the crisis has left a deep imprint -- in the euro zone, but also elsewhere -- particularly on unemployment and personal security. In doing so, it has eroded both family and community life, adds Kekic.