Libya Rises (Slightly!) in Prosperity Index

By John Lee.

Libya has improved its position in this year’s Legatum Institute Prosperity Index, ranking in 133rd place out of the 149 countries measured, up from 136th last year.

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.

"Libya’s largest fall is in Safety and Security, with the fall coming after the Arab Spring and the beginning of its civil war. There has been a large increase in battlefield deaths and in the last year, deaths from terrorism numbered 72 per 100,000 population."

The report adds:

"Turkey, Libya and Algeria have seen the largest increase in the over-exploitation of fish stocks over the past five years."

The top three positions were unchanged from last year, with Norway scoring highest, followed by New Zealand and Finland.

The least prosperous country is Afghanistan, followed by the Central African Republic and Yemen.

(Source: Legatum Institute)