The 2015 Legatum Prosperity Index reveals Indonesia has made the most radical improvements since 2009 while the least prosperous countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa. For the seventh year running, Norway is the most prosperous country in the world.
The annual Legatum Prosperity Index ranks 142 countries across eight categories: the Economy, Entrepreneurship & Opportunity; Governance; Education; Health; Safety & Security; Personal Freedom; and Social Capital.
The 2015 findings reveal:
- Norway comes out on top due to the freedom it offers its citizens, the quality of its healthcare system and social bonds between its people.
- Switzerland is ranked 2nd in the Index for the third year in a row while Denmark has risen from 4th to 3rd compared to last year.
With seven years of comparable data the Prosperity Index is able to track national progress.
- Indonesia has performed better than any country in the world over the past seven years, rising 21 places up the rankings to 69th this year.
- Another strong performer since 2009 is Rwanda, which has risen 17 places up the Prosperity Index and now ranks 101st.
- At the other end of the scale the poorest performers have been Syria (down 23 places), Tunisia (down 28 places) and Venezuela (down 16 places).
The least prosperous countries are predominantly found in sub-Saharan Africa, with the Central African Republic bottom of the rankings for a second year in a row. Six of the bottom ten countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, many countries in the Middle East also perform poorly:
Afghanistan is ranked second from bottom (141st), Syria is ranked 136th and Yemen is ranked 135th.
| The 5 most prosperous countries are: | The 5 least prosperous countries are: |
| 1. Norway | 1.Central African Republic |
| 2. Switzerland | 2. Afghanistan |
| 3. Denmark | 3. Haiti |
| 4. New Zealand | 4. Chad |
| 5. Sweden | 5. Burundi |
Other interesting findings from the report include:
- Singapore is the most successful economy in the world. This year Singapore ranks 1ston the Economy sub-index. The country has the second highest capital per worker in the world: $240,750 per worker. 47% of the country’s manufactured exports are classified as ‘high-tech’, the third highest in the world.
- The UK is an increasing world-leader in entrepreneurship. The UK ranks 6th for Entrepreneurship & Opportunity. The country now ranks as the best place in Europe to start a business and 88% of Britons believe that if you work hard you can get ahead in life, up from 84% last year and 78% in 2010.
- Canada is the new ‘Land of the Free’. Canada is the now the freest country in the world, having risen five places to 1st on the Personal Freedom sub-index. The country is the most tolerant of immigrants in the world—92% of people think that the country is a good place for immigrants. 94% of Canadians believe that they have the freedom to choose the course of their own lives.
- Many of the Nordic economies are struggling to create jobs. Unemployment stands at 7.8% in Sweden, 9.4% in Finland and 6.3% in Denmark. Across all the Nordic countries employment is only 59.3%. This compares unfavourably to the US and UK, where unemployment is 5.5% and 5.4% respectively.
- The resource-exporting countries of sub-Saharan Africa see a slump in prosperity. Major resource exporters such as Botswana and Namibia fall 4 places in the Prosperity Index, due to a massive 19 place fall in the Economy sub-index. Botswana (ranked 77th) is no longer the most prosperous country in Sub-Saharan Africa as a result, falling just behind South Africa (75th).
- People in the majority of countries in Latin America do not feel safe, or trust their government, or the law. Only 22% of people in Venezuela feel safe walking alone at night—the lowest in the world. Across the region fewer than 50% of people feel safe, trust the law, or approve of their government.
