Legatum Prosperity Index

The Legatum Prosperity Index is an annual ranking developed by the Legatum Institute, a division of the private investment firm Legatum. The ranking is based on a variety of factors including wealth, economic growth, education, health, personal well-being, and quality of life. In the 2016 rankings, there were 149 countries ranked, and New Zealand topped the list, followed by Norway and Finland. In 2013, twenty-seven of the top 30 countries were democracies.^[1]

Methodology

The 2016 Legatum Prosperity Index is based on 104 different variables analysed across 149 nations around the world. Source data includes Gallup World Poll, World Development Indicators, International Telecommunication Union, Fragile States Index, Worldwide Governance Indicators, Freedom House, World Health Organisation, World Values Survey, Amnesty International, Centre for Systemic Peace. The 104 variables are grouped into 9 sub-indexes, which are averaged using equal weights. The 9 sub-indexes are:

• Economic Quality
• Business Environment
• Governance
• Education
• Health
• Safety & Security
• Personal Freedom
• Social Capital
• Natural Environment

For example, Personal Freedom includes freedom of speech and religion, national tolerance for immigrants and ethnic and racial minorities. The Social Capital sub-index includes the percentage of citizens who volunteer, give to charity, help strangers, and who feel they can rely on family and friends.

Oxford Analytica assisted in the early development of the Prosperity Index and has contributed to shaping the methodology. Today, the annual Index is produced and published by the Legatum Institute.

The Legatum Institute operates a transparent approach to its work on the Prosperity Index. To that end, the entire methodology of the Prosperity Index along with the data used to create it is available for free online. Detailed information about the Legatum Prosperity Index, the rankings and methodology are available at www.prosperity.com.

Rankings

2016 Rankings

Top 30

Bottom 20

^[2]

2015 Rankings

Top 30

Bottom 20

^[3]

2014 Rankings

Top 30

Bottom 20

^[4]

2013 Rankings

Top 30

Bottom 20

^[5]

2012 Rankings

Top 30

Bottom 20

^[6]

2011 Rankings

Top 30

Bottom 20

^[7]

2010 Rankings

Top 30

Bottom 20

^[8]

2009 Rankings

Top 30

Bottom 20

^[9]

2008 Rankings

Top 30

Bottom 20

^[10][11][12]

2007 Rankings

Top 30

Bottom 20

^[13]

Legatum Institute

The Legatum Institute, the publisher of the index, is a privately funded think-tank founded in 2007 and located in Mayfair, London. It is funded by the private investment firm Legatum, which includes Legatum Capital, a portfolio investment fund manager; Legatum Ventures a double bottom line investment fund, the Legatum Foundation, a philanthropic organisation; and the Legatum Center for Development And Entrepreneurship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a collaboration with MIT that funds graduate student entrepreneurs from developing markets.^[14]

Personnel

The Director of the Prosperity Index is the Danish economist Alexandra Mousavizadeh. The Prosperity Index is reviewed and critiqued by an advisory panel of academics and scholars representing a range of disciplines and includes: Prof Tim Besley(London School of Economics); Dr. Daniel Drezner (Tufts University); Dr. Carol Graham (Brookings Institution); Dr. Edmund Malesky (University of California, San Diego); Dr. Ann Owen (Hamilton College).

The Legatum Institute’s International Advisory Group also contributes and assists in the Prosperity Index: Prof Peter Skerry (Boston College); Prof Dan Chirot (University of Washington); Toby Mundy CEO (Atlantic Books); and Patrick Cheung.

See also

References

External links

• Legatum Institute
• Project Syndicate, Development’s Democratic Drivers, Jeffrey Gedmin
• Totting Up The Prosperity of the World, 31 October 2013, Financial Times
• Could Bangladesh Be A Better Place To Live Than India? 31 October 2013, Quartz
• SA no land of plenty, 30 October 2013, Times Live
• Despite its current financial woes, Slovenia is the most prosperous country in Emerging Europe, 31 October 2013, Balkan Business News
• В рейтинге процветающих стран Россия заняла 61 место, 31 October 2013, ABC Azerbaijan
• 31 October 2013, Argumenti
• Azerbaijan is the best in Large South Caucasus (including Iran and Turkey) by prosperity index of the world countries, 30 October 2013, UZ Daily
• Узбекистан занял 63 место в рейтинге самых процветающих стран мира, 30 October 2013, News RU
• У світовому рейтингу добробуту Україна опинилася на 64-му місці, 31 October 2013, Wall-Street
• Astăzi în Moldova și în lume, 10 December 2013, Radio Europa Libera
• NZ No 5 on world prosperity list, 31 October 2013, The New Zealand Herald
• New Zealand in 5th Place in 2013 Legatum Prosperity Index, 31 October 2013, International Business Times
• How Prosperous Is The United States? 13 November 2013, Democracy Lab (Foreign Policy)