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Summary Standard of living in Pakistan has further deteriorated: Legatum Insttution London.
According to Legatum Institute London think-tank in 2012 Pakistan stands on number 132 among 142 countries of the world.In the prosperity Index Pakistan has declined by 25 points in 2011 as compared to 107th position in 2011. India is on number 101 and Bangladesh is on number 103.Norway and Denmark are occupying first and second positions respectively for the last four years.Sweden climbed to third place in 2012, up from fifth place in 2011.The Legatum Instsitute has been issuing the prosperity index for the last six years.The index is based on economy, trade governance, health, personal freedom, security and safety factors.Published annually for the last six years, the Prosperity Index ranks 142 countries based on criteria in eight categories including economic strength, health, education and governance.In the 2012 ranking, Sweden received highest marks in the Entrepreneurship and Opportunity sub-index, ranking second overall on the strength of low business start-up costs, high mobile phone penetration, and a high percentage of people who believe they will get ahead with hard work.According to Legatum Institute CEO Jeffrey Gedmin, the index creates a comprehensive picture of what makes a country truly successful, encompassing traditional measures of material wealth, as well as capturing citizens’ sense of well-being.GDP alone can never offer a complete view of prosperity, he said in a statement.According to Gedmin, successful countries combine social responsibility with personal freedom.Despite continuing economic concerns in Europe, European countries dominated the top ten.The United States, meanwhile, dropped out of the Prosperity Index top ten for the first time, dropping to twelfth place at what Gedmin called a pivotal time as the 2012 presidential elections draw closer.“As the US struggles to reclaim the building blocks of the American Dream, now is a good time to consider who is best placed to lead the country back to prosperity and compete with the more agile countries that have pushed the US out of the top ten, he said.
