DUSHANBE, March 6, 2014, Asia-Plus – Tajikistan has been ranked the last among Central Asia’s nations in terms of entrepreneurship and opportunity.

The 2013 Legatum Prosperity Index ranks Tajikistan 108th among 142 countries.

Kazakhstan, which is ranked 55th, tops the Central Asian nations in terms of entrepreneurship and opportunity.

Kyrgyzstan is ranked 84th and Uzbekistan is ranked 92nd.  The Legatum Prosperity Index does not have information about Turkmenistan.

In the 2013 rankings, Norway tops the list followed by Switzerland and Canada. The USA ranks 11th and the UK ranks 16th. Twenty-seven of the top 30 countries are democracies

The Legatum Prosperity Index is an annual ranking, developed by the Legatum Institute, of 142 countries.  The ranking is based on a variety of factors including wealth, economic growth, education, health, personal well-being, and quality of life.

The 2013 Legatum Prosperity Index is based on 89 different variables analyzed across 142 nations around the world.  Source data includes Gallup World Poll, World Development Indicators, International Telecommunication Union, Failed States Index, Worldwide Governance Indicators, Freedom House, World Health Organization, World Values Survey, Amnesty International, and Center for Systemic Peace.

The 89 variables are grouped into 8 sub-indexes, which are averaged using equal weights. The 8 sub-indexes are: economy; entrepreneurship and opportunity; governance; education; health; safety and security; personal Freedom; and social capital.

For example, personal freedom includes freedom of speech and religion, national tolerance for immigrants and ethnic and racial minorities.  The social capital sub-index includes the percentage of citizens who volunteer, give to charity, help strangers, and who feel they can rely on family and friends.