Croatia ranked 45th of 167 countries in the Legatum Prosperity Index ranking for 2019, which is conducted by the Legatum private investment firm from London.

According to Legatum, which claims to be dedicated to eliminating poverty and achieving prosperity by strengthening open economies, the inclusivity of society and empowering people, conducts the ranking in 167 countries, with 88% of the world’s population living in 148 of these countries.

Croatia generally recorded good results in the areas of Safety, Security and Natural Environment (31st), while its weakest point, where it ranked 136th, was Social Capital.

The Social Capital sub-index includes the percentage of citizens who volunteer, give to charity, help strangers, and who feel they can rely on family and friends.

Croatia has fallen by 4 places since 2009 on the prosperity index, Legatum noted in its report.

Estonia was best among Eastern European countries, ranking 21st. Slovenia ranked 27th, followed by Hungary (46), Romania (47) and Bulgaria (49).

Montenegro ranked 50th, followed by Serbia (52), North Macedonia (54), Albania (65) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (70).

Over the past ten years all Eastern European countries achieved an improvement with regard to Market Access and Infrastructure, and Living Conditions.

Apart from that, Social Capital, which was overall quite weak in Eastern Europe, has improved in 17 of 23 countries in that region, with Bosnia and Herzegovina recording the biggest improvement.

On the other hand, Personal Freedom has deteriorated in Eastern Europe, more than anywhere else around the globe, with the worst deterioration recorded in Hungary.