India has been ranked 99 out of 142 countries on Global Prosperity Index. The country has climbed three places from last year, but falling behind one spot in a sub-category that measures personal freedom. The rankings, produced by a London-based think tank, the Legatum Institute, gauge the prosperity of a nation by combining economic indicators, including gross domestic product, with dozens of other measures of well being, from access to education and health to the living environment for ethnic minorities.
The index is based on the logic that “prosperity is more than just the accumulation of material wealth,” according to its recent report. In this year’s rankings, Norway topped the list for the seventh consecutive year, followed by Switzerland, Denmark and New Zealand. At the bottom of the index were Haiti, Afghanistan and Central African Republic, in that order.
While India’s 2015 position shows an improvement from the previous year, the country ranked well below other Asian nations, including Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It also didn’t match up to its own performance in 2009, when it figured in the 78th spot. The South-Asian nations of Bangladesh and Pakistan fared worse than India, with ranks over 100.
India’s rank on the “personal freedom” gauge has swung dramatically in recent years. It fell from 67 in 2012 to 100 in 2013, rising again to 78 the following year. In 2015, India ranked 79 on this measure, which looks at tolerance levels, civil liberty and acceptance of migrants and minorities among other things. It dropped one place from 2014.
Try This…
What is India’s rank in Global Resilience Index?
