The US is going backward in terms of social progress, a global survey shows

Marguerite Ward

When it comes to social progress, the US is slipping behind other developed countries.
The 2020 Social Progress Index, which measures maternal mortality rate, corruption, and education, found the US is declining both in absolute terms and relative to its highly industrialized peers in overall wellbeing and equality.
In addition to Brazil and Hungary, the US is the only country that's declined since the index began nearly a decade ago.
Norway ranked first, Denmark second, and Finland came in third. Meanwhile, the US ranked 28th.
The Social Progress Index found that Americans have health statistics similar to citizens of Chile, Jordan, and Albania, while kids in the US get an education at a similar level to children in Uzbekistan and Mongolia, The New York Times points out.
In recent years, the average life expectancy of Americans has declined, in large part due to a dramatic spike in "deaths of despair" (suicides and drug overdoses).
American inequality has risen over the past few decades. While the upper class has seen regular wealth growth, the middle class is shrinking, Pew Research has found.