Israel ranks 40th out of 142 countries polled by the 2012 Legatum Prosperity Index

The US, ranked at 12th, fall out of the top ten for the first time
 
The 2012 Legatum Prosperity Index, which ranks 142 countries on global prosperity based on both material wealth and personal well-being, has ranked Israel 40th out of 142 countries polled.
 
 The US, now ranked at 12, fell out of the top ten for the first time, due primarily to an economic decline. Norway topped the rankings.
 
The index, created by the London- based Legatum Institute, attempts to create a picture of prosperity beyond GDP figures. It gave Israel strong marks for economy, governance, entrepreneurship, social capital, health. The data has been calculated by implementing 89 different variables, which are spread across eight sub-indexes: economy, entrepreneurship and opportunity, governance, education, health, safety and security, personal freedom and social capital. These variables measure economic growth and well-being to determine the final Prosperity Index scores.
 
Key findings of the study show that global prosperity is increasing, but safety and security are decreasing, driven mostly by the Arab Spring in Middle Eastern countries such as Tunisia, Egypt in addition to Yemen. The data also reveals that six of the top 15 economies in the world are located in Asia.
 
The index highlighted that the system of government is a major factor in prosperity, with 27 of the top 30 countries on the list being democratic nations.