Of course Americans will think the United States is the greatest country in the world, but when compared to other countries is it really the best? What makes the United States such a praised country?

As an American I do think our country is magnificent, however it is not as marvelous as other people perceive it. When others think about the United States, they imagine it as the number one in everything, making the country seem to be the “greatest”. However, the United States is not number one when it comes to health. In fact, we are not even in the top ten; we are number thirty. The factors taken into accountability are life expectancy, diet, and causes of death. The United states isn’t exactly a rural country with widespread disease, so what makes us number thirty? Sadly, two out of three adults are considered obese because the accessibility of junk food and fast food have increased by 50% within the last forty years (Italiantribune.com). Not having the healthiest citizens is only a hiccup, but do we have the most stable economy? Well, we are number three–something to be proud of right? We are third in ranking, because of the amount of debt we owe to other countries.

Are we number one when it comes to college graduates? No, Canada beats us by having 56% of their population as college graduates. The United States came in at 40% (M.huffpost.com). The actuality of attending college is quite high, higher than most account for. Here in America, low income households receive more monetary support to pay for college tuition–making college more affordable for them. The average income of an American is $28,000 at 25 years old and $42,000 by 65 years old (Insidermonkey.com). Tuition is either fully covered or the majority of it is covered, and yet not even half of our population went to college. Of course there are quite a few other factors as to why people don’t attend college, but overall attending is not as complicated as assumed.  Does the United States have the highest IQ rates? No, we come in at ninth place and tie with France.

Is the United States the most polluted country? No, but we come in at number TWO.  Not only is it one of the worst countries in terms of CO2 emissions, but also with regard to water pollution and endangered species. Air pollution can lead to asthma attacks and even cause coronary artery disease.

After interviewing our US History teacher, Mr. Highducheck, a new perspective arose. He stated the “United States is the greatest country in the world due to the amount of freedom and opportunity it holds, but what people do with their opportunity is up to them.” He brought up a good counter argument by stating “education is measured differently in each country. In poorer countries, only the rich can afford education and those numbers are documented, whereas every child in America is legally obligated to some form of education. Overall,  the United States isn’t number one in everything, but isn’t the worst.”

The United States has a large amount of opportunities and freedom, but as Mr. Highducheck says: what people do with their freedom and opportunities is up to them. The decisions Americans make drop us in rankings. Sure it is all numerical, but these numbers create contrast with other countries. These numbers shift America from being the best to being adequate.