November 8 (SeeNews) - Moldova ranks 96th of 149 cointries in the world included in the 2016 edition of the Legatum Institute's Prosperity Index, being held back by poor governance, education and economic quality.
"As the poorest country in Europe, by GDP per capita, it is unsurprising that Moldova ranks near the bottom third of the 2016 Prosperity Index. Whilst it has made modest progress over the past decade, notably in its business environment, the delivery of prosperity is constrained by poor economic and educational quality, corruption, and ineffective governance," the Legatum Institute said in this year's edition of its index.
Moldova is also one of the worst performing countries in the Natural Environment sub-index, ranking in the bottom ten overall.
However, Moldova delivers more prosperity than expected given its wealth as a result of an improved business environment and greater personal freedom, the Legatum Institute said.
Moldova's GDP per capita for 2015 was $1,971, the lowest in Europe. The country's 2016 budget bill projects deficit of 4.3 billion lei (215 million/194 million euro), higher than the 3.9 billion lei deficit recorded in 2015.
London-based Legatum Institute is an international think-tank and educational charity focused on understanding, measuring, and explaining the journey from poverty to prosperity for individuals, communities and nations.
(1 euro = 22.1175 Moldovan lei)