The “World State of Quality” study came as a follow-up to a pilot project developed over three years in the 28 countries of the European Union as a tool to identify areas for improvement, helping governments and organizations to define policies and strategies capable of raising the quality of the countries and, consequently, the well-being of the people.

In this ranking, Portugal ranks number 24 in a total of 110 countries evaluated in various fields, including education, innovation, unemployment, happiness and child mortality.

This list is led by Switzerland, which stands out in the indicators of competitiveness and innovation. In this group of leaders of quality are also Norway, ranked as the happiest country in the world, Sweden, with the largest number of universities in Shanghai per inhabitant, and Denmark, where it is easier to create and develop a company. It follows the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Finland, Ireland and Australia.

African countries have the worst results, with Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Lesotho, Guinea and Mozambique at the top of the list. Portugal is part of the group of countries called “followers”, which are behind the “leaders”. “We have achieved a good overall performance, with very positive results at universities, research and average life expectancy. But there is always room for improvement, especially in education, in stimulating employment and in quality of life in cities, and it is necessary to continue the work being done in these areas, “said Paulo Sampaio, one of the coordinators of the study.