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.
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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:
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.
2016 rankings
Top 30
Bottom 20
2015 rankings
Top 30
Bottom 20
2014 rankings
Top 30
Bottom 20
2013 rankings
Top 30
Bottom 20
2012 rankings
Top 30
Bottom 20
2011 rankings
Top 30
Bottom 20
2010 rankings
Top 30
Bottom 20
2009 rankings
Top 30
Bottom 20
2008 rankings
Top 30
Bottom 20
2007 rankings
Top 30
Bottom 20
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.
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.