Growing up in a time where the different methods of media are at an all-time high, it can be difficult to get an accurate view on the United States of America and everything that also goes on in the countries surrounding it. Because of the media’s bias, anyone living in the United States might easily think that America is superior to every other country in any possible category, including education, employment, and wealth. In reality, the United States isn’t at the top of its game. Many other countries are defeating the United States by a very large amount. This however, doesn’t mean that the United States isn’t above a large amount of other countries. Although the United states has an outstanding literacy rate of 99% over the past 8 years for both males and females, it also has a not so great unemployment rate that has only been getting worse of the course of 8 years, going from only 4% to 9%. Although America pushes for a high education, there aren’t enough jobs to provide for all of the fields people are going to school for. The money that is being spent on education is slowly going to waste.
The United States has a GDP of $15.09 Trillion. Contrary to popular belief, a country’s GDP does not reflect its wealth. The GDP represents how much a country has produced in goods. A better way to find the wealth of people in a country would be finding the GDP per capita. The United States currently has a GDP per capita of $49,000 (recorded in 2011).
In 2003, the United States had a GDP per capita of $34,000. The GDP per capita measures the average income per person in a country. On terms of health, the United States is functioning highly. The average life expectancy in 2003 was 77 years old. In 2011 the average life expectancy of a male was 76.05 years old and females had an expectancy of 81.05 years. Infant mortality isn’t an issue in the United States. In 2003 the infant mortality rate was 7 deaths for every 1000 live births.
In 2011 the infant mortality rate improved to 5.98 deaths for every 1000 live births. Although it hasn’t improved, the doctor per patient ratio is still highly functioning. In 2003 there was 1 doctor for every 307 patients. In 2011, there was 1 doctor for every 374. The United States is highly functioning enough to the point where other countries don’t need to donate to it, but instead, it donates to them. The United States donates about $9.96 billion in foreign aid. Not everyone in the United States is thriving like the majority of its population is. 15.1% of the United States is below the poverty line. A country similar to the United States based on functionality is Austria. Austria is actually excelling above the United States in some areas. Austria doesn’t export as many goods as the United States does, but they have an exceptional GDP of $356.5 billion. As stated earlier in this writing, GDP doesn’t reflect how wealthy a country is, unlike the GDP per capita. Austria’s GDP per capita in 2003 was $25,220, which is somewhat close to what the United States’ was at the time ($34,100).
Just like the United states, Austria’s GDP per capita increased by 2011. Austria’s GDP per capita was $42,400 in 2011. Although the numbers between the two countries are close, the United States has more money and exports more goods. 6% of Austria’s population is below the poverty line, which is 9% better than the United States. Austria does however have a higher unemployment rate than the United States. Austria’s unemployment rate was 6% in 2003 and is now even worse at 10%. Just because Austria doesn’t defeat the United States in that category, doesn’t mean they don’t have a wealthy enough country to donate. Austria donates $423.3 million in foreign aid. Austria’s over-all health is better than the United States’. Austria’s life expectancy was 78 years old in 2003. In 2011 it was 77 years old for males and 82.97 years old for females.
Austrian males and American males on average will live for about the same amount of time. Austrian females on average will live about 1 year longer than American females. The infant mortality rate is also better than America’s. The infant mortality rate for Austria in 2003 was 5 deaths for every 1,000 live births. In 2011 it was 4.26 deaths for every 1,000 live births. Each of these are lower, yet very close to the United States’ results. In 2003 Austria had a doctor per patient ratio of 1 doctor to 333 patients. In 2011 they had a ratio of 1 doctor to 210 patients. Both significantly lower than America’s. Austria’s literacy rate was at 99% in 2003 but dropped 1% in 2011. The United States has had a literacy rate of 99% consistently since 2003.
Brazil and the United States are extremely different in all aspects. Brazil has a GDP of $2.324 trillion which is very high, but not as high as the United States. Although Brazil’s GDP per capita is in the trillions, they had an extremely low GDP per capita in 2003 at $3,580. It has increased to $11,900, which is still a very low number compared to the United States’ GDP per capita of $49,000. Because of the somewhat small amount of money, Brazil doesn’t donate to other countries, but instead receives $332 million in foreign aid. 21.4% of Brazil’s population is below the poverty line which is about 6% more than the United States.
The United States has a higher unemployment rate than Brazil does. In 2003, Brazil had an unemployment rate of 7% and now has an unemployment rate of 6%. The United States had a better unemployment rate in 2003, but now is doing worse than Brazil. Brazil however, has a much lower literacy rate than the United States. In 2003, Brazil had a literacy rate of 85% in comparison to the United States which had a literacy rate of 99%. In 2011, Brazilian males had a literacy rate of 88.4%. Brazilian females had a literacy rate of 88.8%. In 2011 the United States had a 99% literacy rate for both males and females. Brazil and the United States both have very different over-all health.
In 2003, Brazilians had a life expectancy of 68 years old. In 2011, Males had a life expectancy of 69 years old and females had a life expectancy of 76 years old. The infant mortality rate in Brazil was at 32 deaths for every 1,000 live births in 2003. In 2011, there were 20.5 deaths for every 1,000 live births. Both of these are drastically higher than the United States’ infant mortality rate. The doctor per patient ratio in Brazil was at 1 doctor for every 769 patients in 2003. In 2011, it improved to one doctor for every 581 patients. Even though it improved, the United States is still doing better with 1 doctor for every 374 patients.
Lybia and the United States have many contrasting statistics. For starters, Lybia has a GDP of $37.97 billion. The United States has a much higher GDP at $15.09 trillion. Lybia’s GDP per capita was at $5,220 in 2003, which is an extremely low number. In 2003, the United States had a GDP per capita of $34,100, which is about a $30,000 difference. In 2011, Lybia had a GDP per capita of $14,100, which is a great improvement from what it was in 2003, but still lower than the United States, which is at $49,000 in 2011. Lybia, unlike the United States, does not donate to other countries. Lybia receives $15 million in foreign aid. Lybia has a much higher unemployment rate than the United States. Lybia, in both 2003 and 2011, had an unemployment rate of 30%. The United States had an unemployment rate of 4% in 2003 and 9% in 2011.
Lybia has an exceptional literacy rate, but it is still under the United States’ literacy rate. In 2003, Lybia had a literacy rate of 80% in comparison to the United States which had a literacy rate of 99%. In 2011, males had a literacy rate of 95.6% and females had a literacy rate of 82.7%. The United States, again, had a literacy rate of 99%. Lybia’s over-all health is just a bit different from the United States. In 2003, Lybia’s average life expectancy was 71 years old. The United States was at 76 years old. In 2011, Lybia’s life expectancy for males was 75.5 years old. Female’s life expectancy was 80.27 years old.
In 2003, Lybia’s infant mortality rate was at 26 deaths for every 1,000 live births. The United States only had 7 deaths for every 1,000 live births at this time. In 2011, Lybia’s infant mortality rate improved to only 19 deaths for every 1,000 live births. The United States had only 5.98 deaths for every 1,000 live births at this time. The doctors per patient ratio in both countries are somewhat different. In 2003, Lybia’s doctor per patient ratio was at 1 doctor for every 769 patients. In 2011, the doctor per patient ratio was at 1 doctor for every 526 patients. The United States is currently at 1 doctor for every 374 patients.
Although all of the countries shown in this writing aren’t drastically better or worse than the United States, there are many other countries that excel far beyond the United States, and some that fall very far below it. Looking at different statistics and comparing and contrasting them, one may see how countries are drastically different from one another in different categories.