7. New Zealand

Forbes: Best Places to Be Born and Raised in 2013

New Zealand was No. 18 the last time The Economist did its best places to be born index in 1988. Something to be said about good weather, small, healthy populations and diverse economies.
(AFP/Getty Images)

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Where to Give Bi... Australia's looking pretty good...Where you were born is almost as important as to whom and during what time period. Bill Gates could have only been the computer geek success story he was because he was born and educated in the U.S. at a time in history when clunky computers were costly and far from user friendly. If he was born in Russia, a high tech nation in its own right, he would not have had the market or the opportunity to develop the Windows platform that made Microsoft a software giant. With that in mind, The Economist Intelligence Unit, the think tank associated with The Economist magazine, has these countries as the top 10 places on the planet to be born and raised in 2013.
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10. Hong Kong Hong Kong is the new Asian New York City. Big, sleek and rich. The city is located on a peninsula in south China and was once owned by the British. Today, it's better to born there than it is in Britain. By comparison, Britain is ranked No. 27. Both Hong Kong and the U.K. were ranked No. 7 the last time The Economist released their "Where to be Born" index way back in 1988.
(AP)

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9. Canada Oh, Canada! Better to be born and raised there these days than in the U.S. of A. Nevertheless, Canada has slipped from a 1988 ranking of No. 5.
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8. The Netherlan... Marlou van Rhijn of the Netherlands celebrates by holding her national flag after winning the women's 200-meter at the 2012 Paralympics games. Small, wealthy countries are the place to be born in 2013. The Netherlands moves up from the No. 10 spot in 1988.
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7. New Zealand New Zealand was No. 18 the last time The Economist did its best places to be born index in 1988. Something to be said about good weather, small, healthy populations and diverse economies.
(AFP/Getty Images)

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6. Singapore Singapore is another Asian city-state in the top 10, moving up from No. 36. This is what can happen when you're home to the world's most-trafficked seaports, money pours in, societies improve and with it, the quality of life for the locals born and raised there.
(Forbes Image)

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5. Denmark Lotte Friis of Denmark wears a manicure in the colors of her national flag during a practice session at the Aquatics Center at the Olympic Park at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Denmark leaps from the No. 24 spot all the way up to the top five.
(AP)

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4. Sweden Sweden is one of the best places to be born and raised in 2013. It keeps getting better. In 1988, Sweden was ranked No. 9.
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3. Norway There must be something in that aurora borealis that makes life in Scandinavian countries worth living. Norway has moved up the ranks from No. 13 to No. 3 since 1988.
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2. Australia Children playing happily in Canberra on Australia Day. The country used to be ranked No. 18, now it's the second best place on earth to be born and raised. Future looks bright down under, mates...
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1. Switzerland Nothing but blue sky for this small country in the middle of the eurozone's hot seat. No euro here though, just Swiss Francs, thank you very much, and clean air and good living. Switzerland takes the U.S.'s spot at No. 1 for the first time, moving from No. 13.
(AP)

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