Lifestyle

The happiest, richest, healthiest and most advanced countries in the world

Staff Writer

 ·30 Nov 2017

The Legatum Institute has published its latest Prosperity Index, showing which countries in the world are leading the best lives, in terms of education, wealth, equality, governance and society.

The index analyses 149 countries, including South Africa, on what it calls the ‘Nine Pillars of Prosperity’. These include:

• Economic equality: openness, growth and opportunity;
• Business environment: entrepreneurship, infrastructure, innovation and labour;
• Governance: effective governance, democracy, participation and rule of law;
• Personal freedom: legal rights, liberties, social tolerance;
• Social capital: personal relationships, support networks, civic participation;
• Safety and security: national security and personal safety;
• Education: access, quality and human capital;
• Health: physical and mental health, infrastructure and preventative care;
• Natural environment: quality, and preservation.

On a global scale, world prosperity increased in 2017 and now sits at its highest level in the last decade, Legatum said. It is now 2.6% higher than in 2007 – furthermore, prosperity growth has been faster from 2012 to 2017 than it was from 2007 to 2012.

However, the gap between the highest and lowest scores in the Index has increased for five straight years and the spread between nations is growing, indicating that while prosperity as a whole may be increasing, not all countries are yet benefiting from the increase.

South Africa slipped in the overall ranking, dropping to 52nd, from 48th in 2016, with a poor performance in the safety and security and health pillars dragging us down.

Legatum highlighted that high crime rates contributed to a low personal safety score, leading to a ranking of 124th out of 149 countries in the index. High levels of HIV also drove the health score down, ranking South Africa 121st on the index.

“Countries such as South Africa see a lack of security detract substantially from the extent to which prosperity is shared,” Legatum said.

On the more positive side, South Africa ranked within the top 25 for personal freedoms, where the Constitution and the Bill of Rights provides protects citizens’ individual freedoms. An open business environment, active political sphere and active participation by civic groups, all land their respective pillars in the top 50.

In terms of business infrastructure, South Africa saw the largest increase for this sub-pillar, due to reduced electricity connection costs and an improved Logistics Performance Index, the group noted.

South Africa is ranked as the second most prosperous country in the Sub-Saharan African region, below Mauritius.

The table below outlines which countries ranked top and bottom in each pillar, along with South Africa’s positioning.

The table below outlines the 10 most and least prosperous countries in the world.

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