Speaking as an Australian, I’m happy to see my country do so well on this list - but it has to be said, in terms of standards of living, there’s very little difference between any of the top 20 or so countries on the list. You’re talking first world democracies with decent human rights and the differences between them are fairly minor. Change the weighting you give to one minor criteria, and you’ll change the results within those nations - change another one, and you’ll do it again.
The overall message here is that reasonably free economies and reasonable adherence to human rights pay dividends. It’s the free world. That’s the point.
All true, but I will never forgive you folks for giving us Peter Allen and Olivia Newton John.