MANAMA: The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait ranked higher than BRICS in the Social Progress Index 2014.
The UAE ranked 37th and Kuwait 40th ahead of the BRICS countries Brazil 46th, South Africa 69, Russia 80th, China 90th and India 102th position, according to the Index findings.
Kuwait also emerged as the third from the top in terms of GDP among the 132 countries. Excluding Yemen and Iraq, all Middle East countries outrank China in the Social Progress Index.
The Social Progress Index rankings for the Middle East countries included in 2014 are UAE 37th, Kuwait 40th, Saudi Arabia 65th, Jordan 75th, Lebanon 83rd, Egypt 84th, Iraq 118th and Yemen 125th.
The Social Progress Index 2014 ranks 132 countries based on their social and environmental performance. Higher GDP per capita does bring benefits, particularly on ‘Basic Human Needs’ but rising incomes do not guarantee improvement on ‘Ecosystem Sustainability’, ‘Health and Wellness’ and ‘Opportunity’.
The Social Progress Index, created by a team led by Professor Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School, is designed as a complement to GDP and other economic indicators to provide a more holistic understanding of countries’ overall performance.