The 10 friendliest countries for expats
How quickly you make connections and settle into a new daily routine often determines how...
Worth Exploring: The 20 Wealthiest Countries in the World
A new ranking reveals the world’s wealthiest places to live, measuring prosperity through multiple indices to identify the 20 richest countries — many of them in Europe and well worth a visit.
Anyone looking for the richest countries in the world almost automatically comes across gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in rankings. According to the authors of the new "Prosperity Index 2026", this is a deceptive indicator, as it provides information about a country's economic activity, but not about the actual lives of its inhabitants. The new index, on the other hand, includes those countries in which citizens also benefit from prosperity and which are therefore also among the most beautiful countries to travel to.
Falstaff TRAVEL introduces them.
The travel insurer "Hello Safe", author of the study, does not base its analysis purely on GDP, but combines five key indicators from international organizations such as the "IMF", the "World Bank", the "UNDP" and the "OECD" in the new index. The result is an overall score of 100 points, which not only measures how much a country produces, but also how this wealth is distributed and what quality of life it creates in the countries. The richest country in the world is therefore not necessarily the one with the highest economic output. What matters more is how prosperity is reflected in everyday life.
© Shutterstock
Nicht nur die Schafe sind hier glücklich: Grafschaft Kerry, Irland
Europe takes most of the top places in the ranking
A look at the 2026 ranking shows how strongly Europe is represented in this comprehensive comparison of prosperity. Norway tops the list for the first time - with a score of 77.65 points. The decisive factors are a high gross national income and exemplary social indicators.
Iceland ranks fifth, with the best Human Development Index score in the world and the lowest poverty rate in the comparison field. Singapore is the only non-European country in the top 10.
Germany is in twelfth place. Germany scores highly with its solid economic strength and stable social structures, but lags behind the Nordic countries.
© Shutterstock
Rekord-BIP in Singapur
According to the ranking, these are the 20 richest countries in the world:
1st Norway (prosperity score 77.65)
2nd Ireland (75.06)
3rd Luxembourg (74.39)
4th Switzerland (72.46)
5th Iceland (72.23)
6th Singapore (66.43)
7th Denmark (65.78)
8th Netherlands (58.17)
9th Belgium (54.83)
10th Sweden (54.62)
11th Qatar (50.60)
12th Germany (50.41)
13th United Arab Emirates (50.22)
14th Finland (49.13)
15th Australia (46.24)
16th Austria (43.46)
17. USA (43.39)
18th Canada (39.44)
19th Czech Republic (38.49)
20th France (38.12)
