New Zealand has been rated the fifth most prosperous nation to live in, according to an international report.
The 2013 Legatum Prosperity Index ranks 142 nations on their "wealth and wellbeing" in eight categories, including health, education, safety and security, and economy.
Some findings are;
- New Zealand scored in the top 20 for all categories, coming out fifth overall, but slipped two places since the last Legatum Prosperity Index was published in 2009.
- This year, the US has moved down four places to 24th in the Economy sub-index. Countries that have overtaken the US in the Economy sub-index include New Zealand (17th) and South Korea (19th), among others.
- The top ten countries include Sweden (1st), Denmark (2nd), Finland (3rd), Switzerland (4th), Luxembourg (5th), Norway (6th), Iceland (7th), Netherlands (8th), and United Kingdom (9th). Hong Kong makes up the top 10, placing 10th in the sub-index.
- The UK has moved down three places to 16th in overall Prosperity, as a result of decreases in the rankings for six out eight sub-indices since last year. The UK has been leapfrogged by Austria (15th), Germany (14th), and Iceland (13th).
The report's publishers said one of the largest shifts between the two reports was in the safety and security category, where New Zealand dropped from eighth to 15th place. This was "due to increases in demographic pressures, human immigration and group grievances".
The Legatum Prosperity Index is published by the London-based Legatum Institute, which provides research on different economic and social issues around the world.
The institute's parent company was founded by Kiwi billionaire Christopher Chandler in 2006.
(Source APNZ)
