Want prosperity? Index ranks Finland as place to be

In the October 27, 2009 Reuters article "Want prosperity? Index ranks Finland as place to be," Miral Fahmy and Ron Popeski summarize the findings of a 2009 report on global prosperity.

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) – For those who value their freedom of expression as much as health, wealth, and prosperity, then Finland is the place to be, with an index ranking the Nordic nation the best in the world.

The 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index, published on Tuesday and compiled by the Legatum Institute, an independent policy, advocacy and advisory organization, ranked 104 countries which are home to 90 percent of the world's population.

The index is based on a definition of prosperity that combines economic growth with the level of personal freedoms and democracy in a country as well as measures of happiness and quality of life.

With the exception of Switzerland, which came in at number 2, Nordic countries dominated the top 5 slots, with Sweden in third place followed by Denmark and Norway.

The top 10 were all also Western nations, with Australia (6th place) and Canada (7th place) both beating the United States, ranked 9th. Britain came in at number 12.

In Asia, Japan was the region's highest ranked country at number 16, followed by Hong Kong (18th place) and Singapore (23rd place) and Taiwan (24th place).

Dr. William Inboden, senior vice president of the Legatum Institute, said the lower rankings for Asian nations were largely due to their weak scores for democracy and personal freedoms.

"Many Asian nations have good economic fundamentals, but the Index tells us that true prosperity requires more than just money," Inboden said in a statement.

"Democratic institutions and personal freedom measures are letting some Asian nations down. Furthermore, countries which have low levels of economic stability, such as Cambodia, finish even further down in the overall rankings."

Cambodia came in the 93rd slot while China, with its tight political controls, came in 75th despite booming economic growth.

And the world's least prosperous country? According to the Legatum Index, it is Zimbabwe, with Sudan and Yemen close runners-up.

The index combines objective data and subjective responses to surveys. More details can be found on http://www.prosperity.com.

The World's Best Countries - complete rankings

Human Development Report 2009 - Human Development Index (HDI) rankings

Very High Human Development

1. Norway
2. Australia
3. Iceland
4. Canada
5. Ireland
6. Netherlands
7. Sweden
8. France
9. Switzerland
10. Japan
11. Luxembourg
12. Finland
13. United States
14. Austria
15. Spain
16. Denmark
17. Belgium
18. Italy
19. Liechtenstein
20. New Zealand
21. United Kingdom
22. Germany
23. Singapore
24. Hong Kong, China (SAR)
25. Greece
26. Korea (Republic of)
27. Israel
28. Andorra
29. Slovenia
30. Brunei Darussalam
31. Kuwait
32. Cyprus
33. Qatar
34. Portugal
35. United Arab Emirates
36. Czech Republic
37. Barbados
38. Malta

High Human Development

39. Bahrain
40. Estonia
41. Poland
42. Slovakia
43. Hungary
44. Chile
45. Croatia
46. Lithuania
47. Antigua and Barbuda
48. Latvia
49. Argentina
50. Uruguay
51. Cuba
52. Bahamas
53. Mexico
54. Costa Rica
55. Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
56. Oman
57. Seychelles
58. Venezuela (Bolivarian Rupublic of)
59. Saudi Arabia
60. Panama
61. Bulgaria
62. Saint Kitts and Nevis
63. Romania
64. Trinidad and Tobago
65. Montenegro
66. Malaysia
67. Serbia
68. Belarus
69. Saint Lucia
70. Albania
71. Russian Federation
72. Macedonia (the former Yugoslav Republic of)
73. Dominica
74. Grenada
75. Brazil
76. Bosnia and Herzegovina
77. Colombia
78. Peru
79. Turkey
80. Ecuador
81. Mauritius
82. Kazakhstan
83. Lebanon

Medium Human Development

84. Armenia
85. Ukraine
86. Azerbaijan
87. Thailand
88. Iran (Islamic Republic of)
89. Georgia
90. Dominican Republic
91. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
92. China
93. Belize
94. Samoa
95. Maldives
96. Jordan
97. Suriname
98. Tunisia
99. Tonga
100. Jamaica
101. Paraguay
102. Sri Lanka
103. Gabon
104. Algeria
105. Philippines
106. El Salvador
107. Syrian Arab Republic
108. Fiji
109. Turkmenistan
110. Occupied Palestinian Territories
111. Indonesia
112. Honduras
113. Bolivia
114. Guyana
115. Mongolia
116. Viet Nam
117. Moldova
118. Equatorial Guinea
119. Uzbekistan
120. Kyrgyzstan
121. Cape Verde
122. Guatemala
123. Egypt
124. Nicaragua
125. Botswana
126. Vanuatu
127. Tajikistan
128. Namibia
129. South Africa
130. Morocco
131. São Tomé and Principe
132. Bhutan
133. Lao, People's Dem. Rep.
134. India
135. Solomon Islands
136. Congo
137. Cambodia
138. Myanmar
139. Comoros
140. Yemen
141. Pakistan
142. Swaziland
143. Angola
144. Nepal
145. Madagascar
146. Bangladesh
147. Kenya
148. Papua New Guinea
149. Haiti
150. Sudan
151. Tanzania, U. Rep. of
152. Ghana
153. Cameroon
154. Mauritania
155. Djibouti
156. Lesotho
157. Uganda
158. Nigeria

Low Human Development

159. Togo
160. Malawi
161. Benin
162. Timor-Leste
163. Côte d'Ivoire
164. Zambia
165. Eritrea
166. Senegal
167. Rwanda
168. Gambia
169. Liberia
170. Guinea
171. Ethiopia
172. Mozambique
173. Guinea-Bissau
174. Burundi
175. Chad
176. Congo (Democratic Republic of the)
177. Burkina Faso
178. Mali
179. Central African Republic
180. Sierra Leone
181. Afghanistan
182. Niger

Note: This 2009 HDI represents statistical values for the year 2007.

The World's Best Countries

The October 5, 2009 article "Norway is best place to live, China moves up: UN" reports on the United Nations' rankings of the best countries in which to live:

PARIS (AFP) – Norway takes the number one spot in the annual United Nations human development index released Monday but China has made the biggest strides in improving the well-being of its citizens.

The index compiled by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) ranks 182 countries based on such criteria as life expectancy, literacy, school enrolment and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.

Norway, Australia and Iceland took the first three spots while Niger ranks at the very bottom, just below Afghanistan.

China moved up seven places on the list to rank as the 92nd most developed country due to improvements in education as well as income levels and life expectancy.

Colombia and Peru rose five spaces to rank 77th and 78th while France -- which was not part of the top 10 last year -- returns to the upper echelons by moving up three places to number 8.

The UNDP said the index highlights the grave disparities between rich and poor countries.

A child born in Niger can expect to live to just over 50, which is 30 years less than a child born in Norway. For every dollar a person earns in Niger, 85 dollars are earned in Norway.

This year's index was based on data from 2007 and does not take into account the impact of the global economic crisis.

"Many countries have experienced setbacks over recent decades, in the face of economic downturns, conflict-related crises and the HIV and AIDS epidemic," said the UN development report's author Jeni Klugman.

"And this was even before the impact of the current global financial crisis was felt."

Afghanistan, which returns to the list for the first time since 1996, is the only Asian country among the bottom ten which also include Sierra Leone in the 180th spot, just below the Central African Republic.

The top ten countries listed on the index are: Norway, Australia, Iceland, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Switzerland and Japan.

The United States ranks 13th, down one spot from last year.