Social Capital Index
Social Capital Index
The Social Capital of a nation is the sum of social stability and the well-being (perceived or real) of the entire population. Social Capital generates social cohesion and a certain level of consensus, which in turn delivers a stable environment for the economy, and prevents natural resources from being over-exploited.
In addition to local historical and cultural influences, the social consensus in a society is affected by several factors: health care systems and their universal availability/affordability (measuring physical health); income and asset equality, which are correlated to crime levels; demographic structure (to assess the future generational balance within a society); freedom of expression and freedom from fear; and the absence of violent conflicts. Only in these circumstances can the economy flourish, generate value, jobs and income for the population. The Socail Capital Index is based on indicators related to the following clusters:
Social Capital World Map
State of the World – Social Capital
The global average Social Capital Score is 44 – a gap of 56 to a perfect state – while the global best is 66. Not surprisingly, the nations in the North (particularly Scandinavia) are significantly ahead of countries in the South (particular Africa and Central Asia).
Only 48% of all indicators across all nations show positive development, while 38% are negative, and 14% do not show a clear trend in either direction. The high number of negative developments reflects the decline of equality across the globe.
The Social Capital Index 2023 – Key Observations
- The Social Capital Index is topped by Finland. Iceland, Norway and Sweden are also in the top 10, with Denmark on 12
- The top 30 of the Social Capital sub-index is dominated by Western European countries and the Baltics – except for Japan (4) and South Korea (14), and the United Arab Emirates (24)
- The USA, due to comparable high crime rates, low availability of health services, and rising inequality, is
ranked 89, just below Tajikistan and above Tunesia. - China is ranked 47, India 100, Nigeria 137, and Brazil 138
The highest ranked South American countries are Costa Rica (56), followed by Argentina (58), Peru (66), Uruguay (67) and Chile (70); - the highest-ranking African nations are Senegal (63), Algeria (81), and Tunisia (91)
- Most African nations, particular within and south of the Sahel zone, are at the bottom of this list, due to a combination of low availability of health care services and child mortality, limited freedom of expression, and unstable human rights situation
2023 Social Capital Ranking
Rank | Country | Score |
---|---|---|
1 | Finland | 65.8 |
2 | Iceland | 64.9 |
3 | Slovenia | 63.7 |
4 | Japan | 63.6 |
5 | Norway | 63.5 |
6 | Sweden | 62.4 |
7 | Estonia | 61.0 |
8 | Netherlands | 60.9 |
9 | North Macedonia | 60.8 |
10 | Armenia | 60.7 |
11 | Portugal | 59.9 |
12 | Denmark | 59.9 |
13 | Belgium | 59.1 |
14 | South Korea | 59.1 |
15 | Italy | 58.9 |
16 | Austria | 58.0 |
17 | Spain | 57.8 |
18 | Lithuania | 57.7 |
19 | Switzerland | 57.4 |
20 | Albania | 57.3 |
21 | France | 57.2 |
22 | Czech Republic | 57.2 |
23 | Moldova | 57.0 |
24 | United Arab Emirates | 57.0 |
25 | Ireland | 56.8 |
26 | Slovakia | 56.5 |
27 | Cyprus | 56.1 |
28 | Croatia | 55.8 |
29 | Poland | 55.3 |
30 | Germany | 55.3 |
31 | Luxembourg | 55.1 |
32 | Maldives | 54.6 |
33 | Latvia | 54.5 |
34 | United Kingdom | 53.8 |
35 | Malta | 53.8 |
36 | Montenegro | 53.0 |
37 | Singapore | 53.0 |
38 | Serbia | 52.7 |
39 | Belarus | 52.5 |
40 | New Zealand | 52.4 |
41 | Canada | 52.3 |
42 | Uzbekistan | 52.2 |
43 | Hungary | 52.1 |
44 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 51.9 |
45 | Romania | 51.9 |
46 | Australia | 51.7 |
47 | China | 51.4 |
48 | Greece | 51.1 |
49 | Georgia | 50.9 |
50 | Timor-Leste | 50.6 |
51 | Seychelles | 50.5 |
52 | Ukraine | 50.4 |
53 | Kyrgistan | 50.3 |
54 | Qatar | 50.0 |
55 | Indonesia | 49.8 |
56 | Costa Rica | 49.3 |
57 | Thailand | 49.2 |
58 | Argentina | 49.2 |
59 | Bulgaria | 49.0 |
60 | Israel | 49.0 |
Rank | Country | Score |
---|---|---|
61 | Mongolia | 48.7 |
62 | Sri Lanka | 48.4 |
63 | Senegal | 47.8 |
64 | Mauritius | 47.7 |
65 | Malaysia | 47.7 |
66 | Peru | 47.3 |
67 | Uruguay | 47.0 |
68 | Kazakhstan | 46.3 |
69 | Ecuador | 46.3 |
70 | Chile | 45.9 |
71 | Bolivia | 45.8 |
72 | Kuwait | 45.5 |
73 | Nepal | 45.3 |
74 | El Salvador | 45.2 |
75 | Tonga | 45.2 |
76 | Azerbaijan | 44.6 |
77 | Sao Tome and Principe | 44.3 |
78 | Saudi Arabia | 44.1 |
79 | Bhutan | 44.0 |
80 | Philippines | 43.9 |
81 | Algeria | 43.9 |
82 | Trinidad and Tobago | 43.7 |
83 | Oman | 43.3 |
84 | Vietnam | 43.2 |
85 | Russia | 43.1 |
86 | Cape Verde | 43.0 |
87 | Brunei | 42.9 |
88 | Tajikistan | 42.8 |
89 | USA | 42.5 |
90 | Grenada | 42.4 |
91 | Tunisia | 42.1 |
92 | Tanzania | 41.9 |
93 | Dominican Republic | 41.7 |
94 | Burma | 41.5 |
95 | Lebanon | 41.4 |
96 | Ghana | 41.3 |
97 | Paraguay | 41.1 |
98 | Solomon Islands | 40.9 |
99 | Malawi | 40.6 |
100 | India | 40.4 |
101 | Jordan | 40.2 |
102 | Vanuatu | 40.2 |
103 | Kenya | 39.9 |
104 | Panama | 39.8 |
105 | Turkmenistan | 39.6 |
106 | Cuba | 39.4 |
107 | Turkey | 39.4 |
108 | Guyana | 38.9 |
109 | Sierra Leone | 38.6 |
110 | Bahrain | 38.6 |
111 | Cote d'Ivoire | 38.5 |
112 | Guinea | 38.4 |
113 | Nicaragua | 37.9 |
114 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 37.8 |
115 | Burundi | 37.7 |
116 | Fiji | 37.7 |
117 | Guinea-Bissau | 37.7 |
118 | Venezuela | 37.6 |
119 | Liberia | 37.4 |
Rank | Country | Score |
---|---|---|
121 | West Bank and Gaza | 37.3 |
122 | Uganda | 37.2 |
123 | Rwanda | 37.1 |
124 | Mexico | 37.0 |
125 | Gambia | 37.0 |
126 | Bangladesh | 37.0 |
127 | Ethiopia | 36.9 |
128 | Cambodia | 36.9 |
130 | Mauritania | 36.8 |
131 | Namibia | 36.7 |
132 | Jamaica | 36.6 |
133 | Iran | 36.6 |
134 | Kiribati | 36.5 |
135 | Colombia | 36.4 |
136 | Benin | 36.3 |
137 | Nigeria | 36.1 |
138 | Brazil | 35.9 |
139 | Suriname | 35.4 |
140 | Laos | 35.3 |
141 | Samoa | 35.2 |
143 | Pakistan | 34.9 |
144 | Bahamas | 34.7 |
145 | St. Kitts and Nevis | 34.7 |
146 | Niger | 34.7 |
147 | Honduras | 34.6 |
148 | Madagascar | 34.3 |
149 | Iraq | 34.3 |
150 | Morocco | 34.1 |
151 | Lesotho | 34.0 |
152 | Mozambique | 33.9 |
153 | Cameroon | 33.8 |
154 | Gabon | 33.8 |
156 | Togo | 33.6 |
157 | Micronesia | 33.3 |
158 | Chad | 33.3 |
159 | Egypt | 33.1 |
160 | Papua New Guinea | 33.1 |
161 | Botswana | 33.1 |
162 | Syria | 33.0 |
163 | Republic of Congo | 32.8 |
164 | Belize | 32.5 |
165 | South Africa | 32.4 |
166 | Zambia | 32.4 |
167 | Guatemala | 31.8 |
168 | Burkina Faso | 31.6 |
169 | Comoros | 31.1 |
170 | Mali | 31.1 |
171 | Dominica | 30.7 |
172 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 30.3 |
173 | Sudan | 30.0 |
174 | Zimbabwe | 30.0 |
175 | Yemen | 29.7 |
176 | Djibouti | 29.4 |
177 | Angola | 28.6 |
178 | Equatorial Guinea | 27.8 |
179 | Haiti | 26.7 |
180 | Afghanistan | 26.4 |