FIVE STEPS · REPEAT THE CALCULATION YOURSELF
HOW TO CHECK US
You do not have to trust our ranking: the index can be recomputed from open files in a few minutes. This page shows how, and what the check does and does not prove.
FILES
FIVE STEPS
Download two files
The input tables (every country with data, including those not ranked) and the published index. Both are open under CC BY-SA 4.0. Also download the short script verify-index.py (Python 3, standard library only).
Run the script
In a terminal: python verify-index.py. It recomputes every world score as a percentile place, averages them and ranks the countries, then compares the result with the published file.
Read the result
Edition 3 should print: recomputed 171 countries, published 171, differences: 0. Any difference is listed by country, and the script exits with an error.
Spot-check a source
Pick a country and a world, find the indicator in the published file (it carries the World Bank link) and compare the value with what the World Bank shows today. Values can have been revised since 6 October 2026.
Disagree with us?
Change the method, rerun, and publish under the same licence, saying what you changed. Or write to us: corrections are checked against the sources.
IN A TERMINAL
python verify-index.py
EXPECTED OUTPUT
recomputed 171 countries, published 171, differences: 0
WHAT THE CHECK PROVES
- That the published scores, averages and ranks follow from the input tables with the stated method, with no hidden steps.
- That anyone can repeat the arithmetic without asking us.
WHAT IT DOES NOT PROVE
- That the twelve indicators are the right ones for life in common: see the method and limits page.
- That the World Bank and UNESCO data are free of errors. We use them as published and name them as sources only; they do not endorse the index.
FOUND A DIFFERENCE?
Tell us which country and which step. Every message is read by a person.
WRITE TO US