Canada #3 Place to Live in the World

This is pretty interesting. I think we could be higher if the winters were not so long and cold.

Mark Herman; Calgary, Alberta Mortgage Broker

Canada Ranks #3 in Legatum Prosperity Index 2013

Published the Tuesday 26 November 2013 by Gwen at 15:00 in Business, Canada, Education, Health, News, | No comment .

The Legatum Prosperity Index^TM 2013 is out, and Canada ranks 3^rd in the world for its overall prosperity, right behind Norway and Switzerland. The country’s ranking leaped from 6^th to 3^rd in just one year, thus confirming its position as the leader of the Americas region.

For five years now, the Legatum Institute has been compiling and comparing data of 142 countries in order to draw one of the most accurate and comprehensive portraits of prosperity around the world. Their vision is that prosperity should include not only objective economic indicators, but also subjective evaluations of well-being and development indicators as perceived by the population.

With an impressive balance between scientific rigor and user-friendly design (just play with the interactive map and shuffleboard), the website provides great insights on prosperity to both the expert and the neophyte.

In this changing, post 2008 economic crisis, post Arab Spring world, Canada’s prosperity is exemplary on economic stability and human development alike. Below is a digest of Canada’s data, grouped by LI sub-indexes and revealing the key elements that make Canada the third most prosperous country in the world.

Personal freedom: Canada ranks 1^st

• 94.1% of the population believes it’s a good place to live for immigrants (and ethnic minorities)
• 91.8% is satisfied with their freedom of choice

Education: Canada ranks 3^rd

• The teacher to pupils ratio is 1:12
• 79.1% of the population is satisfied with quality of education

Economy: Canada ranks 4^th

• 1.5% inflation
• 74.6% of the population has confidence in financial institutions
• 89.4% has access to adequate food and shelter
• 86.5% is satisfied with their living standards
• 45.8% thinks it’s a good time to find a job

Social capital: Canada ranks 6^th

• 42.2% of the population has volunteered in the past month
• 68.5% has donated money to charity
• 65% has helped a stranger
• 94.8% says they can rely on others in times of need

Safety & Security: Canada ranks 7^th

• 12.3% of the population had property stolen last year
• 84.3% feels safe to walk alone at night

Governance: Canada ranks 8^th

• 67.4% of the population has confidence in the honesty of elections
• 44% believes business/government corruption is widespread

Health: Canada ranks 11^th

• Health expenditure is $4520 per capita
• Immunization rate against infectious diseases is 95%
• Life expectancy is 80.9 years

Entrepreneurship & Opportunity: Canada ranks 16^th

• Business start-up costs 0.4% of GNI per capita
• 78.5% of population thinks it’s a good place for entrepreneurs to start a business
• Innovation: Canada earns twice as much in royalties than the world’s average

Adapted from The Legatum Institute website.