Dream...

Canadians have a better shot at the American Dream than Americans do.

Individuals born into poorer families have a better chance of owning a home, getting a good education and experiencing a better life than their parents if they are born in Canada than if they are born in the United States.

That's according to the World Economic Forum's Global Social Mobility Index, which ranks 82 countries on their citizens' ability to fulfill their potential regardless of their socio-economic background.

The index ranks economies across five dimensions: health, education, technology access, work (in terms of opportunities, conditions and fair wages), and protection and institutions.

Nordic countries, including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland, have the best social mobility scores.

The headline finding is that most economies are failing to provide the conditions in which their citizens can thrive, often by a large margin," the World Economic Forum said in a statement Monday.

"As a result, an individual's opportunities in life remain tethered to their socio-economic status at birth, entrenching historical inequalities."