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But I do know it's kinda dangerous to base all your conclusions on a couple of stats. For example you use the GDP a lot. There are a few problems with relying on the GDP to measure how great everything is:
- it doesn't show the level of violence and crime or measure the amount of leisure time available to citizens or say anything about the country's human rights policies.
- it doesn't allow for purchasing power parity (eg, what the same amount of money can buy in one country compared to another. For example if $10 can buy 5 loaves of bread in one country but only 3 loaves in another, there is not purchasing power parity).
- it doesn't always take into account all forms of production (eg, where small amounts of food are grown for sale to supplement a family’s income).
- it doesn't take into account the operations of the black market.
All these things vary wildly between countries and you can't really say you have made valid assumptions until you take them into account.
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