Prosperity Index

Are Jamaicans better off now than seven years ago?

Poor marks on economy, education

By Paul Burrowes

StatsPac

No, according to the Legatum Prosperity Index, which uses eight variables: economy, entrepreneurship and opportunity, governance, education, health, safety and security, personal freedom and social capital.

Since 2009, one year after the prosperity index was introduced, Jamaica has got progressively worse.
Of the 142 countries in the index, with Norway ranked at number one and the Central African Republic at bottom, Jamaica fell one place from 2014 to be currently at number 62 in 2015.
Jamaica performed poorly in two main areas, economy and education.
On the economy, Portia Simpson Miller's government is ranked at 132 (just 10 from bottom) while in education the ranking is way down to 92.
Trinidad and Tobago is ranked at 43 in the world, with their economy at 72 in the world and education at 77.
However in the Americas, Jamaica stayed in the top 10, led by Canada (number six in the world) and the United States (number 11 in the world).

Jamaica's ranking over seven years:
52 in 2009
55 in 2010
55 in 2011
62 in 2012
56 in 2013
61 in 2014
62 in 2015

Americas ranking (world ranking in brackets)
1 Canada (6)
2 United States (11)
3 Uruguay (32)
4 Chile (33)
5 Costa Rica (34)
6 Trinidad and Tobago (43)
7 Panama (46)
8 Argentina (47)
9 Brazil (54)
10 Jamaica (62)

Top 10 in the world
1 Norway
2 Switzerland
3 Denmark
4 New Zealand
5 Sweden
6 Canada
7 Australia
8  Netherlands
9 Finland
10 Ireland

Singapore leads on the economy, ahead of Switzerland, China, Norway, and Germany while in education, Australia beats all contenders, edging Canada, Denmark, Netherlands and Norway. New Zealand, Finland, Ireland, United States and Iceland round out the top 10 in education.