The Legatum Insitute, a London-based think tank, does an annual ranking of countries using eight indices.
Their 2015 Prosperity Index report has just come out.
See the complete Legatum Prosperity Ranking data here.
Among the headline findings from this years’ report was Singapore’s rise to the top ranking in the economy subindex, with $240,750 of capital per worker (2d in the world) and 47% of manufactured exports classified as “high tech” (3d in the world).
The US dropped out of the top thirty in one subindex, safety and security, with political violence measured at high levels (Amnesty International ranks the US at the same political violence level as Saudi Arabia).
Entrepreneurship and Opportunity is measured by start ups and by the perception by the population that hard work can lead to success. The UK moved to 6th on the scale, and took the lead in European countries.
Canada, Norway, New Zealand, Iceland and Ireland topped the list for tolerance toward immigrants, though the refugee crisis that continues to escalate around the world may change some of those perceptions. The Prosperity Index has seen dramatic declines in the Safety & Security indices in African and Middle Eastern countries as conflict and economic crises have plauged the regions.
Climbing 21 places in 7 years, Indonesia is on a roll with a vibrant economy and entrepreneurship & opportunity ranking, and a much improved living-standard satisfaction measure. Meanwhile, three of the Nordic countries have slipped on the economy subindex as unemployment has troubled Sweden, Finland and Denmark, and employment across all five of the countries in the region stands at only 59.3%.
A surprising top 30 ranking for personal freedom came from Benin. The sub-Saharan country’s rank of 27 is in stark contrast to it’s rankings below 100 on all other indices. This year, rising five places, the country at the top of the rankings for personal freedom, measured by tolerance of immigrants, tolerance of minorities, and belief in the freedom to choose the course of one’s own life, the new freedom leader is Canada. O Canada! …Glorious and Free!
Jill Rundle, Editor, Global Solution Networks