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Cyprus is the 28th most prosperous country in the world according to the latest Legatum Prosperity Index.
Legatum measured the prosperity of 149 world countries according to their economic, quality, business environment, social capital, governance, education, health, safety and security, personal freedom and natural environment.
Cyprus was ranked higher (24th) in personal freedom, which measures national progress towards basic legal rights, individual liberties and social tolerance.
Overall, Cyprus climbed one place since 2017 in the Index. Greece is 52nd.
Key Findings:
Legatum researchers say that global prosperity continues to rise and is at its highest ever point. Since 2013, 113 countries have improved their Prosperity Score, and since last year 95 countries improved their score. However, this improvement is not shared equally.
The gap between the largest and smallest scores has been growing steadily since 2013, and this year the gap is the largest it has ever been.
Also, Safety and Security continues to fall globally, and in five out of seven regions. This is driven primarily by falls in the security of people’s living conditions, with the largest falls in Latin America and the Caribbean due to fewer people reporting that they could afford sufficient food and shelter. There has also been a small increase in the number of terrorist deaths this year, which continues a long term trend for this indicator.
Improvements for women in parliaments around the world
The number of women in national legislatures around the world has been increasing steadily over the last decade, increasing from 15% representation in 2007 to 20.7% in 2018. Rwanda has the largest proportion of women in parliament, with women holding 49 out of 80 seats. Middle East and North Africa is the lowest ranked region, with just 16% of its seats held by women.
Definitions:
The Economic Quality pillar ranks countries on the standard of living afforded by an economy, economic inclusiveness, anti-monopoly policy, labour force participation, trade competitiveness and openness to trade.
The Business Environment pillar measures a country’s entrepreneurial environment, its business infrastructure, access to credit, investor protections and labour market flexibility.
The Governance pillar measures a country’s performance in four areas: the rule of law, integrity of government, government performance and political participation.
The Personal Freedom pillar measures national progress towards basic legal rights, individual liberties and social tolerance.
The Social Capital pillar measures the strength of personal and social relationships, social norms and civic participation in a country.
The Safety & Security pillar ranks countries based on national security, personal safety and the security of living conditions in that country.
The Education pillar ranks countries on access to education, quality of education and human capital.
The Health pillar measures a country’s performance in three areas: health outcomes (in physical and mental health), health systems, and illness and risk factors.
The Natural Environment pillar measures a country’s performance in three areas: the quality of the natural environment, environmental pressures and preservation efforts.