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Ammon News - JT- Jordan ranked 88th among 142 countries of the world in the 2013 Legatum Prosperity Index which was issued recently.

The index is an assessment of global wealth and wellbeing that benchmarks 142 countries around the world in eight distinct categories: economy; education; entrepreneurship and opportunity; governance; health; personal freedom; safety and security; and social capital.

According to the report, the Kingdom’s ranking for 2013 dropped in most of the indicators compared to last year and the year before.

In the economy indicator, Jordan ranked 110th, a from 100th in 2012 and 66th in 2011.

The economy sub-index, according to the report, measures countries’ performance in four key areas: macroeconomic policies, economic satisfaction and expectations, foundations for growth and financial sector efficiency.

In the indicator related to education, Jordan ranked 64th this year, a from 53rd in 2011 and 45th a year earlier. This indicator measures countries’ performance in access to education, quality of education and human capital.

In the health indicator, Jordan ranked 66th this year, compared to 62nd in 2012 and 58th in 2011.

The Kingdom also dropped to the 77th place in the safety and security sub index due to the increases in property being stolen and a in the perception of feeling safe walking home alone at night, the report said. The country ranked 75th in this indicator last year and 59th in 2011.

Both personal freedoms and social capital indicators also showed a drop, with Jordan coming in 136th place in the former and 108th in the latter.

The only indicators in which the Kingdom showed an improvement were the entrepreneurship and opportunity, and governance. Jordan’s ranking improved one degree in both indicators in the year 2013 compared to a year earlier.

In the governance indicator, Jordan was ranked 58th this year, up from 59th in 2012, while it was 47thin 2011.

The governance sub-index measures countries’ performance in having an effective and accountable government, holding fair elections, ensuring political participation and the rule of law, according to the report.

In the entrepreneurship and opportunity sub index, Jordan was ranked 64th this year, up from the 65th place last year and the 68th in 2011.

The UAE topped the rankings in the region, while Jordan was in seventh place.

Meanwhile, Norway was number one on the index, followed by Switzerland and Canada.

Chad came in the bottom of the ranking, in 142nd place.

The world has changed significantly over the last five years, with the financial crisis of 2008 causing many Western countries to reassess and question the foundations of their economic prosperity, according to the Legatum Prosperity Index.

“The Arab Spring brought the taste of freedom to millions of people across the Arab world for the first time. And most recently of all, the ongoing civil war in Syria sparked fresh debate about Western responsibility to secure global peace and stability,” the report said.

Traditionally, a nation’s prosperity has been based solely on macroeconomic indicators such as its income, represented either by its gross domestic product (GDP) or by average income per person (GDP per capita), the index said, adding “however, most people would agree that prosperity is more than just the accumulation of material wealth, it is also the joy of everyday life and the prospect of being able to build an even better life in the future”.