Follow Hong Kong Immigration and Hong Kong Life: On October 29, the UK think tank Legatum Institute released its 2013 Prosperity Index report. Norway took the top spot for the fifth consecutive year, while Singapore ranked 18th overall, making it the best in Asia. Hong Kong ranked 19th, and Mainland China ranked 51st.
A total of 142 countries and regions were evaluated in this report. The assessment was based on eight indicators: economy, entrepreneurship and opportunity, governance, education, health, safety, personal freedom, and social capital (referring to public participation in charitable activities, social harmony, etc.).
Nathan Gamester, Director of the think tank's research institute, pointed out that looking at the trends over the past five years, the Asian economy is on an upward trajectory and performing well. Since the global financial crisis in 2008, European and American rankings in economic indicators have declined, while Mainland China, Taiwan, and Thailand have shown outstanding performance.