UN ranks countries by prosperity – Sudan 141th on 177 countries

Sept 7, 2005 (Vienna) — Norway is the world’s most prosperous country and Niger the most disadvantaged, according to a UN report released Wednesday.

The human development index of the United Nations Development Program uses life expectancy, literacy and gross domestic product to measure prosperity.

It showed a decline in living standards in much of sub-Saharan Africa and the former Soviet Union since the first index was compiled in 1990 — all of the 20 least prosperous nations are African.

The top 20 states in the 177-nation list were:

1. Norway

2. Iceland

3. Australia

4. Luxembourg

5. Canada

6. Sweden

7. Switzerland

8. Ireland

9. Belgium

10. United States

11. Japan

12. Netherlands

13. Finland

14. Denmark

15. United Kingdom

16. France

17. Austria

18. Italy

19. New Zealand

20. Germany

The ranking list showed the least prosperous 20 in descending order as:

158. Nigeria

159. Rwanda

160. Angola

161. Eritrea

162. Benin

163. Ivory Coast

164. Tanzania

165. Malawi

166. Zambia

167. Democratic Republic of Congo

168. Mozambique

169. Burundi

170. Ethiopia

171. Central African Republic

172. Guinea-Bissau

173. Chad

174. Mali

175. Burkina Faso

176. Sierra Leone

177. Niger

Some other rankings were Israel (23), Singapore (25), Czech Republic (31), Argentina (34), Russia (62), Brazil (63), Romania (64), Belarus (67), Bosnia (68), Saudi Arabia (77), China (85), Occupied Palestinian Territories (102), India (127), Pakistan (135), Sudan (141) and Haiti (153).

AFP.ST.