Making news this week are the 2009 Prosperity Index rankings published by the Legatum Institute. Finland fares best of 104 countries and Zimbabwe fares worst. The United States ranks 9th, trailing a string of Scandinavian countries, Australia and Canada.
The report "defines prosperity as both wealth and well-being, and finds that the most prosperous nations in the world are not necessarily those that have only a high GDP, but are those that also have happy, healthy, and free citizens."
Gallup agrees leaders need to take this more holistic view, which is why we poll on hundreds of behavioral economic measures in more than 150 countries around the world.
Legatum used some of our data in its analysis. In this graphic, Legatum discusses the relationship between prosperity, happiness, and income, and how they are not necessarily one and the same.
It's particularly interesting to note how many of the top performing nations do better in the happiness department, than they do in the income department. As Legatum observes, such measures can help to showcase positive momentum for the future, beyond what is happening in the here and now. Overall, it's clear that focusing on just GDP or income isn't enough.