← Environment Air Quality

UV Radiation

Annual mean UV index (WHO/TEMIS). Higher UV increases risk of skin cancer (melanoma, basal cell carcinoma), cataracts, and immune suppression with long-term unprotected outdoor exposure. Score is inverted: lower UV = higher score, reflecting reduced health risk for outdoor lifestyles. Lowest UV (safest): Iceland (2–3), Norway/Sweden/Finland (3), Denmark/Ireland/Latvia (3), Canada/Russia (3) — these latitudes receive sufficient UV for vitamin D without dangerous overexposure. Highest UV (most hazardous): Equatorial/tropical countries including Australia, the Caribbean, Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East (UV index 8–11+). Australia notably has the world's highest skin cancer rates directly linked to high UV exposure. Note: While this is the only negatively-weighted environmental factor for sunny climates, sun-seekers may prefer high UV as it correlates with warmth and sunshine — UV is given the lowest weight (5%) for this reason.

#↑ Country↕ Raw Value↕ Score↕
1 Ireland3 3 78
1 England3 3 78
1 Finland3 3 78
1 Wales3 3 78
1 Latvia3 3 78
1 Northern Ireland3 3 78
1 Scotland3 3 78
1 Denmark3 3 78
1 Estonia3 3 78
1 Lithuania3 3 78
1 Sweden3 3 78
1 Norway3 3 78
1 Canada3 3 78
1 Netherlands3 3 78
1 Faroe Islands3 3 78
1 Russia3 3 78
1 Iceland3 3 78
18 Belarus4 4 71
18 Germany4 4 71
18 Belgium4 4 71
18 Luxembourg4 4 71
18 Czech Republic4 4 71
18 Poland4 4 71
18 Saint Pierre and Miquelon4 4 71
18 Slovakia4 4 71
18 Korea Republic4 4 71
18 Ukraine4 4 71
18 Kazakhstan4 4 71
18 Switzerland4 4 71
18 Slovenia4 4 71
18 Mongolia4 4 71
32 Kosovo5 5 64
32 United States5 5 64
32 Liechtenstein5 5 64
32 France5 5 64
32 Andorra5 5 64
32 Korea DPR5 5 64
32 San Marino5 5 64
32 Austria5 5 64
32 Hungary5 5 64
32 Moldova5 5 64
32 Bulgaria5 5 64
32 Romania5 5 64
32 North Macedonia5 5 64
32 Serbia5 5 64
32 Bosnia and Herzegovina5 5 64
32 Montenegro5 5 64
32 Croatia5 5 64
32 Georgia5 5 64
32 Albania5 5 64
32 Italy5 5 64
32 Kyrgyzstan5 5 64
32 Armenia5 5 64
32 Tajikistan5 5 64
32 New Zealand5 5 64
32 Japan5 5 64
57 Uruguay6 6 57
57 Monaco6 6 57
57 Spain6 6 57
57 Gibraltar6 6 57
57 China6 6 57
57 Argentina6 6 57
57 Portugal6 6 57
57 Bolivia6 6 57
57 Azerbaijan6 6 57
57 Turkey6 6 57
57 Greece6 6 57
57 Chile6 6 57
57 Bhutan6 6 57
57 Nepal6 6 57
71 Syria7 7 50
71 Malta7 7 50
71 Namibia7 7 50
71 Botswana7 7 50
71 Hong Kong7 7 50
71 Paraguay7 7 50
71 Lesotho7 7 50
71 Swaziland7 7 50
71 Zimbabwe7 7 50
71 South Africa7 7 50
71 Bangladesh7 7 50
71 Tunisia7 7 50
71 Uzbekistan7 7 50
71 India7 7 50
71 Jordan7 7 50
71 Turkmenistan7 7 50
71 Morocco7 7 50
71 Cyprus7 7 50
71 Israel7 7 50
71 Palestine7 7 50
71 Lebanon7 7 50
71 Afghanistan7 7 50
71 Pakistan7 7 50
71 Peru7 7 50
71 Iran7 7 50
71 Chinese Taipei7 7 50
97 Yemen8 8 43
97 Ghana8 8 43
97 Gambia8 8 43
97 Madagascar8 8 43
97 Burkina Faso8 8 43
97 Senegal8 8 43
97 Mali8 8 43
97 Nigeria8 8 43
97 Ivory Coast8 8 43
97 Niger8 8 43
97 Mauritania8 8 43
97 Benin8 8 43
97 Togo8 8 43
97 Gabon8 8 43
97 French Guiana8 8 43
97 Congo8 8 43
97 Singapore8 8 43
97 Suriname8 8 43
97 Liberia8 8 43
97 Western Sahara8 8 43
97 Guinea-Bissau8 8 43
97 Chad8 8 43
97 Brazil8 8 43
97 Cambodia8 8 43
97 Guyana8 8 43
97 Equatorial Guinea8 8 43
97 Sierra Leone8 8 43
97 Macau8 8 43
97 Guinea8 8 43
97 Bermuda8 8 43
97 Central African Republic8 8 43
97 Congo DR8 8 43
97 Kuwait8 8 43
97 Laos8 8 43
97 Qatar8 8 43
97 Sudan8 8 43
97 Cameroon8 8 43
97 Zambia8 8 43
97 Libya8 8 43
97 Egypt8 8 43
97 Thailand8 8 43
97 South Sudan8 8 43
97 Bahrain8 8 43
97 Uganda8 8 43
97 Somalia8 8 43
97 Malaysia8 8 43
97 Saudi Arabia8 8 43
97 Oman8 8 43
97 Iraq8 8 43
97 Tanzania8 8 43
97 Kenya8 8 43
97 Burundi8 8 43
97 Rwanda8 8 43
97 Ethiopia8 8 43
97 Vietnam8 8 43
97 São Tomé and Príncipe8 8 43
97 Venezuela8 8 43
97 Mozambique8 8 43
97 Malawi8 8 43
97 Algeria8 8 43
97 Mexico8 8 43
97 Eritrea8 8 43
97 Myanmar8 8 43
97 Colombia8 8 43
97 New Caledonia8 8 43
97 Ecuador8 8 43
97 Indonesia8 8 43
97 Philippines8 8 43
165 Australia9 9 36
165 Maldives9 9 36
165 Angola9 9 36
165 Seychelles9 9 36
165 Mauritius9 9 36
165 Aruba9 9 36
165 Curacao9 9 36
165 Brunei9 9 36
165 Nauru9 9 36
165 Zanzibar9 9 36
165 Sri Lanka9 9 36
165 United Arab Emirates9 9 36
165 Tuvalu9 9 36
165 Bahamas9 9 36
165 Marshall Islands9 9 36
165 Turks and Caicos Islands9 9 36
165 Kiribati9 9 36
165 Belize9 9 36
165 Cuba9 9 36
165 Cape Verde9 9 36
165 Cayman Islands9 9 36
165 Barbados9 9 36
165 Réunion9 9 36
165 Panama9 9 36
165 Tahiti9 9 36
165 Honduras9 9 36
165 Trinidad and Tobago9 9 36
165 Palau9 9 36
165 Comoros9 9 36
165 Anguilla9 9 36
165 Cook Islands9 9 36
165 U.S. Virgin Islands9 9 36
165 Samoa9 9 36
165 American Samoa9 9 36
165 British Virgin Islands9 9 36
165 Sint Maarten9 9 36
165 Saint-Martin9 9 36
165 Antigua and Barbuda9 9 36
165 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines9 9 36
165 Puerto Rico9 9 36
165 Grenada9 9 36
165 Niue9 9 36
165 Wallis and Futuna9 9 36
165 Jamaica9 9 36
165 Saint Lucia9 9 36
165 Dominican Republic9 9 36
165 Micronesia9 9 36
165 Mayotte9 9 36
165 Fiji9 9 36
165 Montserrat9 9 36
165 Saint Kitts and Nevis9 9 36
165 Djibouti9 9 36
165 Guam9 9 36
165 Northern Mariana Islands9 9 36
165 Timor-Leste9 9 36
165 Tonga9 9 36
165 Dominica9 9 36
165 Costa Rica9 9 36
165 Guatemala9 9 36
165 Martinique9 9 36
165 Guadeloupe9 9 36
165 Nicaragua9 9 36
165 Haiti9 9 36
165 Papua New Guinea9 9 36
165 El Salvador9 9 36
165 Vanuatu9 9 36
165 Solomon Islands9 9 36