What best explains why england had the highest standards of living in the world in 1990?

First, it is not clear that England did have the highest standard of living; this sounds like something that came from a British textbook, and while there certainly may be some truth in it, other countries like Canada, the United States, and Sweden might say their standard of living was equally high. Among the reasons why a country has a high standard of living are a strong economy, a good education system, healthy citizens, social mobility, and leadership that keeps the country feeling unified. As much as England has managed to achieve, it is not the only country to have these things.