PROSPERITY IN IRELAND is on the rise – that’s according to the latest Legatum Prosperity Index.

The annual assessment of global prosperity, based on both material wealth and personal well-being, has put Ireland in 10th place out of 144 countries worldwide after an examination of various factors, including:

• Economy
• Entrepreneurship and opportunity
• Governance
• Education
• Health
• Safety and security
• Personal freedom
• Social capital

Ireland’s best ranking was in Safety (4th) and it’s worst ,unsurprisingly, was in Economy (24th). The Index revealed that average life satisfaction was 7.01 out of 10 for people living in Ireland.

Overall, Europe has experienced a rise in prosperity – with the Netherlands, Irelan  and Germany climbing the rankings (now at eighth, tenth and 14th places, respectively). However, more than two thirds (24 out of 33) of European countries have seen their Economy score decline since 2009.

The 2012 Legatum Prosperity Index also saw the US dropping out of global prosperity ‘top ten’ for the first time – falling eight places in the ‘Entrepreneurship & Opportunity’ sub-index. It also noted growing disillusionment concerning the ‘American Dream’, with fewer US citizens agreeing that working hard results in success.

Meanwhile Asian ‘Tiger Cub’ countries – like Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia – were seen to climb Index rankings quickly.

Uploaded by TheLegatumInstitute

Read in full: The 2012 Legatum Prosperity Index>