(Read the full article on Astanatimes.com)

Kazakhstan scored 72.66 points out of a possible 100 surpassing its neighboring countries – Russia (69th with 72.56 points), Kyrgyzstan (89th with 68.65 points), and Uzbekistan (102nd with 64.98 points), The Astana Times reported.

The index has been published since 2014 by Social Progress Imperative, a Washington-based nonprofit organization.

It uses 12 components and 50 indicators to assess the countries’ performance in delivering improvements to the lives of its citizens. Among the main components are nutrition & basic medical care, personal safety, access to knowledge, environmental quality, personal rights, and inclusiveness, among others.

According to The Astana Times, countries need a new measure that assesses and quantifies the things that really matter to real people: Do I have enough to eat? Do I have shelter? Can I get an education? The Social Progress Index was created to meet that need,” said Social Progress Imperative CEO Michael Green.

The report defines social progress as the “capacity of a society to meet the basic human needs of its citizens, establish the building blocks that allow citizens and communities to enhance and sustain the quality of their lives, and create the conditions for all individuals to reach their full potential.”

Nordic countries are leaders in social progress. Norway, with a score of 92.73, ranked first followed by Denmark (92.11) and Finland (91.89).

In the top ten are also New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Iceland, and the Netherlands.