By John Lee.
Libya has made no improvement in this year’s Legatum Institute Prosperity Index, ranking in 136th place out of the 149 countries measured.
The index ranks countries according to its nine pillars of prosperity: Economic Quality, Business Environment, Governance, Personal Freedom, Social Capital, Safety and Security, Education, Health and Natural Environment.
Despite Libya’s dismal performance, the report found some areas of improvement:
"Libya rose to first in the world in 2017 in [personal and social relationships] due to people giving more financial help; there was also an increase in the number of people who said they had friends or family who would help them.
"Strong personal and social relationships have withstood several years of war and terrorism, with citizens now being third-most likely in the world to come to the aid of strangers."
But the report adds:
"... there were promising signs that increased political participation would lead to other aspects of Governance improving after the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi in 2011. In the aftermath, there were initial improvements to democracy and political rights, both captured by the Index. Yet promised reforms have not yet materialised and political participation remains limited."
Norway re-gained its place at the top of the Index, pushing New Zealand into second place, with Finland maintaining its position in third place.
The least prosperous country is again Yemen, behind the Central African Republic and Sudan.
(Source: Legatum Institute)
