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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 Clusters

 

Social Capital World Map

Social Capital Index 2023

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.

Global Social Capital Scores

Lowest
Global Average
Global Best
Ideal World

Global Social Capital Trends

Positive Trends
No Trend
Negative Trends

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

GSCI 2023

Download the report: The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Report 2023 (PDF) Download the data: GSCI Scores 2023 (XLSX)

Sustainable & Competitive

Achieving Sustainable Competitiveness: policies for more sustainable AND more prosperous societies: Sustainable. Competitive.

2023 Social Capital Ranking

RankCountryScore
1Finland65.8
2Iceland64.9
3Slovenia63.7
4Japan63.6
5Norway63.5
6Sweden62.4
7Estonia61.0
8Netherlands60.9
9North Macedonia60.8
10Armenia60.7
11Portugal59.9
12Denmark59.9
13Belgium59.1
14South Korea59.1
15Italy58.9
16Austria58.0
17Spain57.8
18Lithuania57.7
19Switzerland57.4
20Albania57.3
21France57.2
22Czech Republic57.2
23Moldova57.0
24United Arab Emirates57.0
25Ireland56.8
26Slovakia56.5
27Cyprus56.1
28Croatia55.8
29Poland55.3
30Germany55.3
31Luxembourg55.1
32Maldives54.6
33Latvia54.5
34United Kingdom53.8
35Malta53.8
36Montenegro53.0
37Singapore53.0
38Serbia52.7
39Belarus52.5
40New Zealand52.4
41Canada52.3
42Uzbekistan52.2
43Hungary52.1
44Bosnia and Herzegovina51.9
45Romania51.9
46Australia51.7
47China51.4
48Greece51.1
49Georgia50.9
50Timor-Leste50.6
51Seychelles50.5
52Ukraine50.4
53Kyrgistan50.3
54Qatar50.0
55Indonesia49.8
56Costa Rica49.3
57Thailand49.2
58Argentina49.2
59Bulgaria49.0
60Israel49.0
RankCountryScore
61Mongolia48.7
62Sri Lanka48.4
63Senegal47.8
64Mauritius47.7
65Malaysia47.7
66Peru47.3
67Uruguay47.0
68Kazakhstan46.3
69Ecuador46.3
70Chile45.9
71Bolivia45.8
72Kuwait45.5
73Nepal45.3
74El Salvador45.2
75Tonga45.2
76Azerbaijan44.6
77Sao Tome and Principe44.3
78Saudi Arabia44.1
79Bhutan44.0
80Philippines43.9
81Algeria43.9
82Trinidad and Tobago43.7
83Oman43.3
84Vietnam43.2
85Russia43.1
86Cape Verde43.0
87Brunei42.9
88Tajikistan42.8
89USA42.5
90Grenada42.4
91Tunisia42.1
92Tanzania41.9
93Dominican Republic41.7
94Burma41.5
95Lebanon41.4
96Ghana41.3
97Paraguay41.1
98Solomon Islands40.9
99Malawi40.6
100India40.4
101Jordan40.2
102Vanuatu40.2
103Kenya39.9
104Panama39.8
105Turkmenistan39.6
106Cuba39.4
107Turkey39.4
108Guyana38.9
109Sierra Leone38.6
110Bahrain38.6
111Cote d'Ivoire38.5
112Guinea38.4
113Nicaragua37.9
114St. Vincent and the Grenadines37.8
115Burundi37.7
116Fiji37.7
117Guinea-Bissau37.7
118Venezuela37.6
119Liberia37.4
RankCountryScore
121West Bank and Gaza37.3
122Uganda37.2
123Rwanda37.1
124Mexico37.0
125Gambia37.0
126Bangladesh37.0
127Ethiopia36.9
128Cambodia36.9
130Mauritania36.8
131Namibia36.7
132Jamaica36.6
133Iran36.6
134Kiribati36.5
135Colombia36.4
136Benin36.3
137Nigeria36.1
138Brazil35.9
139Suriname35.4
140Laos35.3
141Samoa35.2
143Pakistan34.9
144Bahamas34.7
145St. Kitts and Nevis34.7
146Niger34.7
147Honduras34.6
148Madagascar34.3
149Iraq34.3
150Morocco34.1
151Lesotho34.0
152Mozambique33.9
153Cameroon33.8
154Gabon33.8
156Togo33.6
157Micronesia33.3
158Chad33.3
159Egypt33.1
160Papua New Guinea33.1
161Botswana33.1
162Syria33.0
163Republic of Congo32.8
164Belize32.5
165South Africa32.4
166Zambia32.4
167Guatemala31.8
168Burkina Faso31.6
169Comoros31.1
170Mali31.1
171Dominica30.7
172Democratic Republic of Congo30.3
173Sudan30.0
174Zimbabwe30.0
175Yemen29.7
176Djibouti29.4
177Angola28.6
178Equatorial Guinea27.8
179Haiti26.7
180Afghanistan26.4
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