Annabella Bulacan - AHN News Writer
Helsinki, Finland (AHN) - A study of the world's greenest and most livable places ranked Finland on the top of the list, among 141 nations around the globe.
According to a Reader's Digest report released on Friday, "Finland wins high marks for air and water quality, a low incidence of infant disease and how well it protects citizens from water pollution and natural disasters."
The study was conducted by U.S. environmental economist Matthew Kahn and Fran Lostys, who identified the determinants of the ranking such as quality of drinking water, greenhouse gas emissions, as well as factors such as quality of education and income level of people.
Aside from Finland, included in the top 20 slots of world's most livable countries were Iceland, Norway, Sweden , Austria, Switzerlnd, Ireland, Australia, Uruguay, Denmark, Canada, Japan, Israel, Italy, Slovenia, France, Netherlands , Portugal, New Zealand and Greece
The United States ranked 23rd , Britain was 25th and China 84th. Nations at the bottom of the table were all African.
Out of 72 major metropolitan hubs, Stockholm ranked first followed by Oslo, Munich and Paris. New York was 15th and London 27th.
Three of the world's dirtiest cities were in China including Guangzhou, Shanghai and with Beijing on the top of the list.
A new survey into the world's greenest and most livable countries has concluded that out of 141 countries reviewed, Finland is the greenest.

Some of the top 20, in order, were Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Australia, Uruguay, Denmark, Canada, Japan, Israel, Italy, Slovenia, France, Netherlands, Portugal, New Zealand and Greece. The poorest results went to African countries, which dominated the bottom of the table, with Ethiopia coming in last place.

"Finland wins high marks for air and water quality, a low incidence of infant disease and how well it protects citizens from water pollution and natural disasters," commented the study. Other factors taken into account when ranking the countries included quality of education and income level.

Some other results were the United Kingdom at 25th, the United States at 23rd and China at 84.

The study also looked at individual cities. Of the 72 examined, Stockholm came out on top, followed in order by Oslo,  and Paris. A total of four German cities were ranked in the top ten — Munich, Frankfurt,  and  — and French cities Lyon and  joined Paris in the top ten as well. New York came in at 15th and London at 27th. At the bottom end were mainly Asian cities, with Beijing's  problems earning it the lowest spot in the table. Guangzhou and Shanghai were also near the bottom.