In addition to ranking as one of the best places in the world to be born, the Netherlands has just been ranked as the 8th most prosperous country in the world by the Legatum Prosperity Index.

The Legatum Prosperity Index is a global measurement of national success based on both income and wellbeing, compiled annually by the London-based Legatum Institute. The index examines 142 countries whose populations comprise 96% of the world total.

The index takes 89 variables into account, divided among the following sub-indices: economy, entrepreneurship and well-being, governance, education, health, safety and security, personal freedom, and social capital.

Top 10 most prosperous countries
› Norway
› Denmark
› Sweden
› Australia
› New Zealand
› Canada
› Finland
› The Netherlands
› Switzerland
› Ireland

The Netherlands performed best on the social capital sub-index, which is based on factors such as whether people donate money to charity and whether they have volunteered recently. Meanwhile, safety & security and the economy were weaker points, relatively speaking.