The Economist magazine measures the quality of life around the world. It uses nine factors about the quality of life in a country, including GDP per capita, as an indicator. The table below shows the statistics for Ireland and the United States from 2005:

Country Quality of Life Ranking from The Economist Quality of Life Score (out of 10) GDP (per capita)
Ireland #1 8.333 $32,000
United States #13 7.615 $40,000

Which statement best explains why Ireland was rated higher than the United States in the quality of life index?
Ireland actually had a higher GDP than the United States if you take into account the population of each county.
Even though Ireland did not have the highest GDP, it must have rated very high in areas other than GDP.
The United States is too large to accurately measure quality of life statistics.
The Economist is based in Ireland, and the rank of each country is based on the opinion of the author.

The statement that best explains why Ireland was rated higher than the United States in the quality of life index is: "Even though Ireland did not have the highest GDP, it must have rated very high in areas other than GDP."

To determine this answer, we need to consider the information given in the table. The quality of life ranking from The Economist places Ireland at #1, higher than the United States, which is ranked at #13. The quality of life score for Ireland is 8.333, while the United States has a score of 7.615. However, the GDP per capita in the United States is higher at $40,000 compared to Ireland's $32,000.

From this data, we can infer that the ranking and score from The Economist are determined based on various factors other than just GDP. It means that even though Ireland may not have the highest GDP, it performed well in other areas that contribute to an overall higher quality of life score. These factors could include aspects such as healthcare, education, social support systems, infrastructure, and more.

Therefore, the statement suggesting that Ireland must have rated very high in areas other than GDP is the most accurate explanation for why it was rated higher than the United States in the quality of life index.