Key Finding
10. Economic growth is not enough for the BRICs.
The BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which have more than 40% of the world’s population, have been regarded as leaders among emerging economies. However, when we look at prosperity holistically, the BRICs’ current situation is precarious. China has improved the most by climbing up the ranks in the Economy, Entrepreneurship & Opportunity, Governance, and Social Capital sub-indexes. However, its improvements have been offset by decreased rankings in Education, Personal Freedom, Health, and Safety & Security. Although China has recently overtaken Japan as the world’s second largest economy, it still trails 40 places behind Japan at 58 in terms of its overall prosperity. While the economy may be improving, according to the Gallup World Poll, the proportion of Chinese who feel free to determine the course of their lives decreased from 85% in 2008 to 77% in 2009. In spite of the headlines about the rise of the BRICs, Brazil and Russia have changed relatively little over the past year, with Russia still suffering from its notorious (and worsening) troubles with Personal Freedom. India’s ranking has decreased the most by 10 places since 2009, primarily due to its drop in the Personal Freedom sub-index. Following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the perceived tolerance of Indians towards immigrants has fallen substantially, contributing to a drop in the levels of Personal Freedom.