Full Breakdown
United States Trails Peer Nations on Economic and Social Rights Scores
7/14/2026, 3:53:18 AM
Core Findings on Health, Food, and Work Rights
A joint analysis by Fortune and the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) ranks the United States near the bottom of 37 high-income OECD members on five human-rights indicators: health, food, education, work and income. The health score sits at roughly 80 % of what the country could achieve, unchanged since 2012 and lower than Canada (90 %), Japan (88 %) and Iceland (97 %). Food security has slipped from 81.9 % to 81.1 % between 2015 and 2023, placing the U.S. 30th of 37 nations with data. For the “right to dignified work and fair income,” the U.S. attains only 27 % of its potential, the worst among OECD members, even though its job-creation score is about 75 %, ranking 10th.
Estimated Impact of Policy Shifts
HRMI estimates that eliminating gaps in health insurance could prevent 11.8 million Americans from losing subsidized coverage under the tax and spending package signed by President Donald Trump in summer 2025, rising to 17 million by 2034. In the labor realm, raising the federal minimum wage could lift 46 million people above the fair-pay threshold and pull 5 million out of extreme poverty (living under $4.20 per day).
Criticism and Calls for Reform
Analysts note that despite a $32 trillion economy, the United States has “stalled or lost ground” on these rights for a quarter-century. Persistent inflation, rising housing costs, and reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have driven recent declines. In Arizona, SNAP enrollment fell by roughly 50 % as of April 2026, with 400,000 residents losing benefits since July 2025, according to ProPublica.
Verbatim Quotes
- “ The United States co-authored and voted in favor of the universal declaration in 1948.” — HRMI report
- “scores about 80% of what it possibly could.” — HRMI report on health
- “reaches just 27% of what a country this wealthy could achieve, which is the worst score for an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member country.” — HRMI report on work and income
- “changed some policies – such as increasing the federal minimum wage – 46 million people could earn enough to rise above that fair pay line.” — HRMI report on labor
These findings highlight a persistent gap between the United States’ resources and the economic and social rights its citizens actually enjoy.
