OECD Better Life Index
All Nordic countries score very strong in the index, topping the results in most elements, e.g. The Life Satisfaction, Safety, Environment and The quality of living environment. Finland is TOP1 in Education.
http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/
World happiness Report 2016
Among the TOP5 happiest countries only one is not a Nordic country. The report ranks 156 countries on their happiness level.
http://worldhappiness.report/
Global Innovation Index 2016
Sweden, Finland and Denmark are among the TOP 10 most innovative countries from 100 plus countries across the globe.
https://www.globalinnovationindex.org
Sustainable Economic Development Assessment (SEDA)
Norway and Finland are among the TOP3 best countries in converting economic growth into wellbeing. SEDA is a tool for evaluating the relative level of well-being for citizens in 162 countries. It defines well-being through three elements—economics, investments, and sustainability—that comprise ten dimensions.
https://www.bcgperspectives.com
The Global Competitiveness Report 2016-2017
Some work to be done! Denmark, Finland, and Sweden used to be in the TOP5 also in competitiveness among 138 countries but they have lost their positions during the last years due to the harsh economical situation. They are now among the TOP12 countries.
http://reports.weforum.org/global-competitiveness-index/competitiveness-rankings/
Country RepTrak index by Reputation Institute
The 19 countries with the best reputation in the world – Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark among the the top 8.
Environmental Performance Index 2016 (EPI)
Finland is the greenest country in the world, followed by Iceland, Sweden and Denmark. EPI ranks the performance of 180 countries on high-priority environmental issues in two areas: protection of human health and protection of ecosystems.
http://epi.yale.edu/country-rankings
Corruption Perceptions Index 2015
Sweden, Finland and Denmark are the TOP3 countries in the Report among 168 nations.
http://www.transparency.org/cpi2015#results-table
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) rankings
Nordic companies are over-represented in international corporate social responsibility (CSR) rankings and the Nordic countries top most indexes of CSR performance.
http://www.norden.org/en/news-and-events/news/
http://nordic.businessinsider.com/
Books & discussion
The Nordic Theory of Everything by Anu Partanen
Review: New York Times July 2016
It’s useful to know what the outsider knows: There are other ways of organizing humanity. If only we could teach everyone that.
The Almost Nearly Perfect People – The Truth About the Nordic Miracle by Michael Boot
Article about the book: The Guardian
And the Nordic countries trying to be funny, commenting on the article: The Guardian
If one harbours deep suspicion of the state, prefers traditional gender roles and dislikes children’s rights, then Sweden is indeed a place to avoid. But make no mistake: while Swedes may look extreme in their embrace of individual autonomy, the general trend is the same all over the world.
The Nordic Way. 