How prosperous is the United States compared with other nations? The latest Prosperity Index is out, and the news for America is disappointing. The U.S. fell to 12th place in the world, just behind Luxembourg and Ireland. Partisan and ideologically driven arguments should to be set aside for the moment as we analyze and assess this data. We should take this finding as a challenge to be solved by appealing to our strengths as a nation. In the coming months I will be exploring various aspects effecting our national prosperity. I invite the readers of this blog to check back periodically to see what I uncover.
The 2012 Legatum Global Prosperity Index of Wealth and Well Being
The just released Global Prosperity Index finds the United States has fallen to 12th place in the world. This is the first time the US has not been in the top 10 group. The Index is based on the Dubai-based Legatum Institute’s assessment of prosperity based on both material wealth and personal wellbeing in 142 different countries, in eight categories ranging from the economy and entrepreneurship to health and personal freedom. The top 25 nations ranking is as follows:
Prosperity Index
1 – Norway
2 – Denmark
3 – Sweden
4 – Australia
5 – New Zealand
6 – Canada
7 – Finland
8 – Netherlands
9 – Switzerland
10 – Ireland
11 – Luxembourg
12 – U.S.
13 – UK
14 – Germany
15 – Iceland
16 – Austria
17 – Belgium
18 – Hong Kong
19 – Singapore
20 – Taiwan
21 – France
22 – Japan
23 – Spain
24 – Slovenia
25 – Malta
There are eight categores by which national prosperity is judged. The United States scored as follows on these eight categories:
Ranking Catigory
20 Economy
12 Entrepreneurship /Opportunity
10 Governance
5 Education
2 Health
27 Safety/Security
14 Personal Freedom
10 Social Capital
Data Driven Viewpoints 