This page contains tables and charts showing the most recent world rankings of countries and cities according to leading indexes and indicators of international development and globalization.
Visit our new World Rankings page for more rankings and related articles.
UNDP Human Development Report | Legatum Institute Prosperity Index | Environmental Performance Index 2010
2010 UNDP Human Development Report
For an overview and analysis of the 2010 UNDP Human Development Report (HDR), Human Development Index (HDI), and other HDR indicators, see the post Analyzing Global Progress: Interpreting the 2010 UNDP Human Development Report and Index. Click on the images below for larger versions.
(Refer to the Global Sherpa page Data Sources for links to original data and publications.)
Legatum Institute 2010 Prosperity Index
The London-based Legatum Institute’s Prosperity Index is based on eight “foundations for national development,” including: economy, entrepreneurship and opportunity, governance, education, health, safety and security, personal freedom, and social capital. Countries are ranked based on a combination of objective and subjective measures from prominent data sources and associated with each foundational category. For more on the 2010 Prosperity Index and country rankings, see the post Behind Norway’s #1 Prosperity Index Ranking. (Click on the image below for a larger version.)
(Refer to the Global Sherpa page Data Sources for links to original data and publications.)
Environmental Performance Index 2010
The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2010 scores and ranks 163 countries on 25 performance Indicators. The 25 Indicators are grouped under 10 Policy Categories that are linked to one of two Objectives, Environmental Health or Ecosystem Vitality. Environmental Health refers to the extent to which deficiencies in water quality, air pollution, and other factors cause health issues and reductions in quality of life. Ecosystem Vitality measures the health of a country’s ecosystem by evaluating such factors as agriculture, biodiversity and habitat, climate change, fisheries, and forestry. The composite scores on each Objective are averaged to determine a country’s overall Environmental Performance Index score and ranking.
When countries are ranked on the basis of Environmental Health alone, the results are quite different and, possibly, more in line with conventional expectations. The table below presents the Environmental Health Ranking for the top 25 countries. (Click on the image below to see a larger version.)
Many countries do better on either the Environmental Health or Ecosystem Vitality Objective than the other. More highly developed countries often score higher on Environmental Health. Less developed countries tend to perform relatively better on Ecosystem Vitality. (Click on the image below to see a larger version.)
The nearly horizontal, slightly downward-sloping trend line in the bubble chart below graphically illustrates the tradeoff between the two Objectives of Environmental Health and Ecosystem Vitality. A more complementary relationship would produce an upward-sloping line at closer to a 45-degree angle (Click on the image below for a larger version.)
For more on the 2010 Environmental Performance Index, read the related post Scoring and Ranking the World’s Environmental Performance.
Visit the Global Sherpa home page Data Sources for links to original data and publications.