The South-East has the lowest unemployment, poverty and social exclusion in England, according to a Government report.
The gauge of Britain's social, economic and environmental well-being showed there was no North/South divide, the Government said.
The South-East performed best in three of the 12 headline indicators in the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Region's first annual sustainable development report.
The region was also above average for education and economic output and recycled more waste than any other part of the country.
The North-East performed worst overall, although it came top in the investment indicator.
The West Midlands and London were the worst performers in the poverty and social exclusion indicator. London was the third worst performer in the employment indicator and had the worst figures for violent crime.
The North-East saw the biggest increase in road traffic, with London the lowest. River quality was best in Wales and the North-East and worst in the capital.
The North-East had the lowest life expectancies with men expected to live to 73.2 and women to 78.5 compared with an average for England of 74.7 for men and 79.2 for women.
Regional breakdowns were not available for the Government's other three headline indicators for climate change, air quality and wildlife.
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