The world's best and worst places to live are...
But before the rest of us get too jealous, the experts warn that the Nordics shouldn't sit back and relax just yet. The UK-based Legatum Institute has just released its annual Prosperity Index, which ranks 142 countries across 89 variables under eight sub-indexes: the economy; entrepreneurship and opportunity; governance; education; health; safety and security; personal freedom; and social capital. For the seventh consecutive year, Norway topped the list as the most prosperous country in the world. It scored the highest in many variables including "trust in others," "satisfaction with freedom of choice," "civil liberty and free choice" and "satisfaction with standard of living." Denmark and Sweden came third and fifth. Finland and Iceland ranked ninth and 12th on the list. On the flip side, the research company says that the Nordics still have some catching up to do. Economy-wise, they haven't been doing as well as many other advanced countries. Among the top 20 most prosperous countries, Finland and Iceland are the only countries whose economy sub-index ranks outside the top 30. Norway, Sweden and Finland have all seen their economy ranking slip in recent years. The strongest economy is Singapore, which ranked 17th in the overall Prosperity Index. The city-state performed well overall. It appeared in the top 15 for all except two sub-indexes: personal freedom and social capital. China came third in terms of economy, but remained relatively low in the overall ranking: 52nd place. Full story here
