Sultanate of Oman among most prosperous Arab countries

The Sultanate of Oman is among the most prosperous Arab countries in the World Prosperity Index 2021 published by the British Legatum Institute.

At the global level, the Sultanate of Oman came 67th out of 167 countries around the world across 104 different variables.

“The Sultanate of Oman performs most strongly in social capital and safety and security. The biggest improvement compared to a decade ago came in education”, remarks the Institute in its report.

The most prosperous countries in the world have high levels of freedom, safety and security, education, and health. These countries also have healthy natural environments and conditions that allow for economic prosperity such as protection of investments, favourable business regulations, and market infrastructure.

According to the report, in social capital the Sultanate of Oman ranks 33rd while in safety and security it stands at 39 globally.

In health, living conditions and education, the Sultanate of Oman ranks at 57th, 67th and 76th positions, respectively. In economic quality it ranks 87, enterprise conditions 47 and investment conditions it stands at 51.

The Legatum Prosperity Index is an annual ranking developed by the Legatum Institute, a London-based think-tank with a bold vision to create a global movement of people committed to creating the pathways from poverty to prosperity and the transformation of society.

“Global prosperity has been undermined by the continuous weakening of many of the key facets of governance, which have deteriorated for the third successive year”, the report points out. In governance, the Sultanate of Oman occupies the 87th position and the ranking for infrastructure and market access stands at 53.

In a prosperous society, says the report, “people live in peace, free from the threat of violence, oppression, and crime. Everyone’s inherent dignity is respected, and freedom of speech, worship,and assembly are protected”.

Denmark took the number one spot from Norway in the 2019 rankings. Denmark ranked first for living conditions, second for personal freedom and social capital, and third for effective governance.

The other countries in the list of top 10 are Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany and Luxembourg. The Arab countries include the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.