Workers in a Bphone factory of BKAV. Viet Nam has jumped one spot to 55th out of 142 countries in the Global Prosperity Index, the United Kingdom-based think-tank The Legatum Institute's latest report said on November 2

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Viet Nam has jumped one spot to 55th out of 142 countries in the Global Prosperity Index, the United Kingdom-based think-tank The Legatum Institute's latest report said on November 2.

Viet Nam's best performance is in the economy sub-index, where it ranks 32nd in 2015, compared to 31st in 2014. Its lowest rank is in the health sub-index, where it ranks 90th in 2015, falling15 places from 75th in 2014, the report said.

The country has shown improvement in some categories, such as rising from 69th in 2014 to 64th this year in entrepreneurship and opportunity, from 61st to 59th in governance and from 70th to 57th in education.

The survey highlighted the rise of South East Asian economies since the global economic recession. Singapore has risen to the first position in the economy index, with almost half of its manufactured exports being classified "hi-tech".

Indonesia, named the top economic performer, has climbed 21 places in the global rankings in the past seven years to 69th. Although the East Asian economies still dominate the economy sub-index, their hegemony is under threat. The year 2015 saw the smallest-ever gap between each bloc's average score in the economy sub-index.

The average ASEAN nation would be more prosperous than the average East Asian country by 2025, if current trends continue, the report said.

Norway has been named the world's most prosperous country for the seventh year running, while the United Kingdom has achieved the greatest turnaround in any major developed economy.

The prosperity index shows that the world has become a more dangerous place since 2009 because of increased tension, violence and displacement of people.

The report said the Central African Republic, Afghanistan, Haiti and Chad, besides Burundi were the least prosperous countries in the world.

The prosperity index covers 142 countries and territories worldwide, based on 81 criteria in eight fields of economy, entrepreneurship and opportunity, governance and education, as well as health, safety and security, personal freedom and social capital. —VNS