THE Legatum Institute based in London released its annual global prosperity index, a universal survey that ranks what it calls the “most prosperous countries” in the world, and the United States has made its list.
The 2015 Legatum Prosperity Index ranks a nation’s prosperity based solely on macroeconomic indicators, such as a country’s income (represented either by gross domestic product or by average income per person), according to Business Insider.
Other variables in the index include traditional indicators, such as full-time employment, health, and education; as well as interesting figures such as the number of secure Internet servers a country has, and how well rested its people are on a day-to-day basis.
The Legatum variables are split into eight sub-indexes: economy, entrepreneurship and opportunity, governance, education, health, safety/security, personal freedom, and social capital.
“Most people would agree that prosperity is more than just the accumulation of material wealth. It is also the joy of everyday life and the prospect of being able to build an even better life in the future,” the study, which can be found online, reads.
The index looked at 142 countries in the world with the most available data. The Czech Republic in Central Europe came in last (with a very high economy sub-index), with Asian countries Taiwan, Hong Kong (both are strong in safety and security), Japan (7th healthiest country on earth), and Singapore (first in economy sub-index) making the list.
Australia, in 7th, was ranked with the world’s best education system. Canada (6th) also scored with the highest levels of personal freedom, while New Zealand (4th) touted best social capital and most prosperous non-European nation.
The United States — ranked 11th as the world’s “most powerful country” — scored higher than every nation in the Legatum’s health category, but citizens are among the least safe and secure on the list.
As in the past seven years, Norway topped the Prosperity Index once again, being the only country ranked in the top 10 of every sub-index. n
