Would you rather live in Norway?
"In yet another sign that America’s role as a global power is waning, the country came in 10th in a global ranking of prosperity among countries," writes Sonali Kohli in Quartz.
"The Legatum Institute’s 2014 Prosperity Index judges countries both in terms of income and measures of wellbeing," Kohli continues. "When the index first launched in 2007, the US tied for the #1 spot."
The index measures a country’s wealth not only by its GDP, but also by measures like education, social freedom, health, governance, and safety and security. Here are the 10 most prosperous countries this year, according to the measures:
1. Norway
2. Switzerland
3. New Zealand
4. Denmark
5. Canada
6. Sweden
7. Australia
8. Finland
9. Netherlands
10. United States
The only thing the US beats the rest of the world in is health. It falls as low as 17 for the economy, 21 in personal freedom, and 31 for safety and security. Of course, that’s compared to the 142 countries in the index, so its position could be worse. The index uses available data for countries ranging from as early as 2005 for Norway (the earliest US measure is 2009) to 2013 to create the rankings.
Today's Question: Would you rather live in Norway?
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