"The amount of money a country has is one factor of prosperity, but the Legatum Institute considers much more than that in its ranking," The Independent reported.
"1. New Zealand - Officially the most prosperous country on earth, according to the Legatum Institute, New Zealand ranked top of both the social capital and economic quality sub-indexes, and 2nd for business environment and governance," it said.
The index examined 149 countries with the most available data.
Norway has regularly taken the number one slot but The Independent reported how a new nation is now ranked as the world's most prosperous.