What is the Prosperity Index?

The Legatum Prosperity Index is the world’s only global assessment of wealth and wellbeing; unlike other studies that rank countries by actual levels of wealth, life satisfaction or development, the Prosperity Index produces rankings based upon the very foundations of prosperity – those factors that help drive economic growth and produce happy citizens over the long term.

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Who's top? Who's not?

View the 2009 Index rankings and find out

How happy are YOU?

Measure your own happiness by using the Personal Prosperiscope, an easy to understand introduction to a fascinating new area of research popularly known as the 'science of happiness'.

Key findings

From this year's Index Entrepreneurs at the micro level need good economic policies at the macro level

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Country Spotlight

United States

Ranked 9th

Economic Fundamentals	14th
Entrepreneurship & Innovation	1st
Democratic Institutions	2nd
Education	7th
Health	27th
Safety and Security	19th
Governance	16th
Personal Freedom	8th
Social Capital	7th

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Prosperity Index in the news

Press releases

Legatum Media Centre

26 October 2009
The World’s Most Prosperous Nations Are in Europe
26 October 2009
U.S. Still Leads the World in Innovation, Despite Economic Crisis

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About the Institute

The Legatum Institute is an independent research, policy, and advocacy organisation that promotes political, economic and individual liberty in the developing and transitioning world. The Institute undertakes original and collaborative research, publishes scholarly literature and popular distillations, and cultivates a distinguished group of advisors and fellows. It develops innovative ways to disseminate its ideas and analyses, and to test and implement its findings.