Korea Slides 10 Notches in Quality of Life Survey

Korea ranked 42nd among 194 countries in terms of quality of life this year in rankings by U.S. magazine International Living. That is a slide of 10 notches from 32nd last year.

France topped the list in the magazine's annual quality of life index for 2010, followed by Australia, Switzerland, Germany, and New Zealand. Somalia ranked lowest at 194th, with Yemen and Sudan tied for 192nd.

The magazine gave a total score to each country based on points in nine categories: cost of living, culture and leisure, the economy, environment, freedom, safety and risk, health, infrastructure, and climate.

The magazine said it evaluated each country based on the UNESCO annual report, WHO reports, data from the U.S. State Department, and research and survey results from Freedom House.

In terms of cost of living, Korea ranked on a par with Nordic countries like Norway and Finland, which are notorious for their keen consumer prices.