A country's wealth feels different depending on how it is shared
While a nation's total output suggests massive success, high inequality can make a wealthy citizen feel poorer than someone in a more balanced, modest economy.
Gross Domestic Product often acts as a financial mask, hiding the reality that a high average income can be driven by a tiny group of billionaires. The Prosperity Index strips this mask away by penalizing countries where wealth stays trapped at the top. This explains why Norway remains the world's gold standard for felt wealth. While its income per person is a staggering 109,000 dollars, it is the country's sovereign wealth fund—a 1.6 trillion dollar oil kitty—that truly anchors the economy, funding a social safety net that accounts for 20 percent of the national output.
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