AUSTRALIA is ranked the world's fourth most socially advanced nation, and is "one of the best countries in the world to live", but is slipping down health rankings because of rising obesity, international research shows. 
Australia had "exceptional" personal rights, political freedom and tolerance towards immigrants, good access to higher education and high levels of personal safety, according to the Social Progress Index, a study in collaboration with Harvard Business School and MIT of 133 countries.
Finland was ranked the top-performing country across all measures, followed by Canada, Denmark, Australia and Switzerland. New Zealand was ranked 10th and the US 19th.
But Australia's health and wellness rank, at 18, scored "a distinctly average result". That was despite having the globe's third highest life expectancy rate of 85.
The report said that with 29 per cent of the population categorised as obese, Australia was ranked 124th on health, finishing behind the UK (25 per cent obese) and Germany (22 per cent).In the overall top five social ranking, Australia was behind only Switzerland in GDP per capita, with $43,219 compared to $55,260.