Chances are, if you’re in a first-world country in the world, you’re doing pretty good.
That’s according to yet another one of these “happiness indexes” we’ve seen crop up over the past decade. This one is actually called the Legatum Prosperity Index, and purports to measure a country’s overall prosperity based upon a number of characteristics.
So do you live in one of the world’s most prosperous, and therefore happiest, countries?
The top 10 list of the happiest countries for 2013 — the Legatum Prosperity Index — just published by the Legatum Group, which was founded by New Zealand billionaire Christopher Chandler:
- Norway
- Switzerland
- Canada
- Sweden
- New Zealand
- Denmark
- Australia
- Finland
- Netherlands
- Luxembourg
Oh, wait… Is the United States not in the top 10? Not this year; it dropped to number 11, largely because of the economic, entrepreneurship & opportunity factors that go to make up this list, and a decline in confidence in our financial system (given, you know, all the scandals and government bailouts), a decline in our GDP growth as well as a decline in high-tech exports.
The Legatum Prosperity Index is made up of 8 sub-indices that include: social capital, personal freedom, safety & security, health, education, governance, entrepreneurship & opportunity, and economy.
It may surprise most Americans that out of the top 10 countries, seven of them are in Europe. Many Americans don’t usually look at Europe as a font of prosperity.
The next 10 countries (11 through 20) on the prosperity list are:
- United States
- Ireland
- Iceland
- Germany
- Austria
- United Kingdom
- Belgium
- Singapore
- Hong Kong
- France
Not surprising to anyone is the makeup of the bottom of the list; nearly all of them are war-torn or have suffered decades’ worth of poverty:
- Chad
- Central African Republic
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Afghanistan
- Burundi
- Togo
- Yemen
- Guinea
- Haiti
- Angola
Norway is the tops when it comes to the economy (followed by Switzerland), while Luxembourg heads the list for health (the U.S. is #2). Surprisingly New Zealand and Australia top the list for education.
Looking for opportunity or to become an entrepreneur? Head over to Sweden, Denmark or Finland, all of which top that list. Hong Kong & Iceland rate the highest in safety and security, while Canada and Norway top the list for personal freedom (the United States places 16 here).
The United States’ struggling economy places it #24 on the list on the economy sub-index — reflecting the reality that most Americans experience. As we begin 2014, the economy doesn’t feel any stronger than it did a year ago, although the politicians and pundits keep telling us otherwise.
The data come from a variety of sources, including survey of each country’s residents — making it perhaps more subjective than some would like. But also probably a more accurate reflection of the “reality on the ground” as most people perceive it — not based upon some economist’s forecast or data that seem to be disconnected from reality.
Check out the list for yourself and tell us what you think about it.
2 comments
About Switzerland… What “Dude” don’t mention is that the middle class is disappearing and so this country is a paradise for rich people and some kind of hell for the poors. I suggest Dude makes also some comparison about how much poor people there is in every country and you’ll see by yourself that Switzerland is a rich country but also with the most poor people in Europe. What is worse? To be poor in a poor country or to be poor in a rich country? Regards!
About Norway…I live there myself in one of the major cities, and we may have a good economy, health care system and stuff like that. But the everyday life isn’t really that exciting… Also the average weather is a nightmare! Of course, I have a safe life and stuff, but the only thing that keeps me going is the fact that I travel out of country up to 4 times a year. The life here gets kind of boring so this makes it a need for me to explore other countries as often as possible. I WOULD DO ANYTHING TO GET OUT OF HERE!