It is common for those who claim to have found the key to happiness to say that money has nothing to do with it. – “Money cannot buy happiness,” as the saying goes, is a common adage.
While this statement is unquestionably true, compelling evidence suggests that financial stability may occasionally contribute to a greater sense of well-being.
Is it possible that money can’t purchase happiness? According to the saying’s true meaning.
One of the main truths underlying this counterargument is that a less-than-ideal financial status causes many unfavorable emotions and circumstances.
To rent an apartment, buy a house, or merely purchase a vehicle might be difficult or impossible to be financed when one’s credit score is poor. Similarly, persons on a tight budget may find it difficult to keep up with necessities like power, water, and even food.
For the most part, the necessities of life and luxuries are out of reach for many people due to a lack of financial resources. One’s health may be harmed due to having too much or too little money.
In nations where health care is not universal, well-off individuals may typically afford better care than those less fortunate. Unhappiness with one’s financial situation may also lead to depression and other mental health issues.
What about the idea that money can’t purchase the most important thing in the world, a memory? That is unquestionably the case.
To be fair, money may be spent on various activities that contribute to the creation of lasting memories, such as vacations, concert or sports event tickets, bar hopping, day excursions to the cinema or the amusement park, and so on.
But it’s up to each person to make their memories. And there are many things money can’t bring about, like friendships and spiritual serenity, that you can’t buy with your wallet.
Money can’t buy happiness, as the old saying goes. “The finest things in life aren’t possessions,” as another adage goes.
Having enough money to satisfy one’s basic needs is a noble and selfless objective since a lack of it may lead to various unpleasant consequences, ranging from mental tension and dissatisfaction to poor physical health.
As a measure of national wealth, Gross Domestic Product Per Capita.
It is feasible to rank nations based on their wealth and compare them to one another by looking at their GDP per capita. Remember that GDP per capita does not always reflect the average pay in a country’s population.
For instance, the GDP per person in the United States in 2019 was $65,279.50, yet the average yearly salary was $51,916.27, and the median pay was $34,248.45.
Even the richest nations have their share of impoverished people, and the poorest countries have their share of affluent people, but this is a good way to gauge a country’s overall economic health.
236 nations and territories are ranked by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). As of October 2021, the following will be the top 10 most popular topics on Quora:
According to World Bank data, these are the world’s richest countries based on GDP per capita.
- Monaco – $190,512
- Liechtenstein – $180,366
- Luxembourg – $115,873
- Switzerland – $87,097
- Macao (China SAR) – $86,117
- Ireland – $85,267
- Norway – $67,389
- United States – $63,543
- Denmark – $61,063
- Singapore – $59,797
People and businesses in a developing country are typically at a significant disadvantage when competing in the global marketplace because of the country’s underdeveloped infrastructure and immature economy.
War, famine, illness, and political turmoil are all major interruptions that may significantly influence a country’s GDP (along with nearly every other aspect of life). For the time being, emerging countries are more likely to feature on the list of the world’s poorest.
Tax avoidance and the Gross National Product (GNI)
International business activities may distort GDP figures. Government tax regulations that benefit foreign firms have led to the designation of some nations (including Ireland, Liechtenstein, & Switzerland) as “tax havens”.
International corporations may be funneling money via these nations rather than earning it domestically, which might account for a major portion of GDP in these countries.
Many economists monitor each country’s Gross National Income (GNI) to counteract the negative impact of tax havens on GDP.
Although it counts the entire value of goods produced in a nation, this statistic also considers the money that enters or exits a country via foreign enterprises, making it comparable to GDP.
According to this method, it’s possible to better gauge an economy’s overall health and wealth by considering tax haven activities.
World Bank’s Atlas Method of GNI Per Capita (current US$) rankings of the richest countries in the world.
- Liechtenstein – $116,440
- Switzerland – $84,310
- Norway – $78,180
- Luxembourg – $73,500
- United States – $64,530
- Ireland – $64,150
- Denmark – $63,070
- Iceland – $62,420
- Qatar – $56,210
- Singapore – $54,920
As a reminder, GNI does not exclude all foreign financial transactions. It only aids in resizing the bottom line. For example, Ireland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland are all still in the top 10 tax-avoidance locations, despite their numerical numbers having altered.
There are numerous British Overseas Territories that would be in the top ten if the list included territories as well as nations, including Bermuda ($117,740), the Isle of Man ($83,160), and the Cayman Islands and Channel Islands ($66,220).
A single multi-billion dollar financial transaction may have an enormous impact on per-capita GNI in any four countries.
While this may be true for some of the nations listed above, it should be remembered that tax haven status is merely one of many potential sources of national revenue. For example, there is a huge tourist industry in several of the British Overseas Territories.
Also, remember that Monaco’s omission from this list does not mean it is a tax shelter. Instead, Monaco’s GNI data was unavailable.
What country is the richest on each continent?
As interesting as it is to look at the world’s wealthiest nations, it is much more fascinating to look at the statistics by continent. According to GDP per capita, the wealthiest nations on each of the six continents would look like this:
- Richest European Countries 2021: Luxembourg ($118,001), Ireland ($102,390), Switzerland ($93,520)
- Richest Asian Countries 2021: Singapore ($97,057), Qatar ($61,790), Israel ($49,840)
- Richest Countries in North America 2021: United States of America ($63,416), Canada ($52,790), Puerto Rico ($34,140)
- Australia/Oceania: Australia ($62,620), New Zealand ($48,350), Palau ($11,840)
- Richest Countries in South America 2021: Uruguay ($16,970), Chile ($16,800), Argentina ($9,930)
- Richest African Countries 2021: Seychelles ($13,140), Mauritius ($8,680), Equatorial Guinea ($8,630)
To learn more about each topic, click on the links provided.
Country Profiles: The World’s Five Most Prosperous Nations*
Four of them are among the best tax havens globally.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, a country in Europe, has been named the world’s richest nation. A country’s per capita GDP was used to arrive at these conclusions. To get a country’s GDP per person, take the total GDP and divide it by the number of people living there.
In terms of quantifying a country’s wealth, GDP per capita is a great metric since it considers the level of life. A nation’s relative prosperity may be determined by comparing its GDP per capita with the GDP per capita of another country and a few other indicators.
In October 2021, Luxembourg’s GDP per capita record-breaking $131,300 US dollars.
Ireland
In October 2021, Ireland’s GDP per capita was $102,390 US dollars. For comparison, Ireland’s GDP in 2017 was $70,220 US dollars. ” It’s safe to say that things are looking better in Ireland, but the country’s reputation as a tax haven may mean that the typical Irishman hasn’t discovered the rainbow.
Switzerland
In October 2021, Switzerland’s GDP per capita was $93,520, making it one of the richest nations in the world.
Norway
Only one of the world’s wealthiest countries, the United States, does not qualify as an international tax haven, with an October 2021 GDP per capita of $82,240 US dollars.
United States
Some people may be surprised to find that the United States is considered a tax haven by many financial watchdog organizations, given the extent many huge American firms take to conceal their earnings.
Many federal and state laws allow foreign customers to transfer their funds via U.S. banks with little or no tax consequences.
Also See: Richest Asian Countries 2022
This is a list of the world’s top 10 richest countries:
- United States ($18.62 Tn)
- China ($11.22 Tn)
- Japan ($4.94 Tn)
- Germany ($3.48 Tn)
- United Kingdom ($2.65 Tn)
- France ($2.47 Tn)
- India ($2.26 Tn)
- Italy ($1.86 Tn)
- Brazil ($1.80 Tn)
- Canada ($1.53 Tn)
Country | GDP (IMF '19) | GDP (UN '16) | Per Capita |
---|---|---|---|
United States | 21344.6700 | 18624475000000 | 18624475000000 |
China | 14216.5000 | 11218281029298 | 11218281029298 |
Japan | 5176.2100 | 4936211827875 | 4936211827875 |
Germany | 3963.8800 | 3477796274497 | 3477796274497 |
United Kingdom | 2829.1600 | 2647898654635 | 2647898654635 |
France | 2761.6300 | 2465453975282 | 2465453975282 |
India | 2972 | 2259642382872 | 2259642382872 |
Italy | 2025.8700 | 1858913163928 | 1858913163928 |
Brazil | 1960.1900 | 1795925681016 | 1795925681016 |
Canada | 1739.1100 | 1529760492201 | 1529760492201 |
South Korea | 1656.6700 | 1411245589977 | 1411245589977 |
Australia | 1417 | 1304463104965 | 1304463104965 |
Russia | 1610.3800 | 1246015056927 | 1246015056927 |
Spain | 1429.1400 | 1237255019654 | 1237255019654 |
Mexico | 1241.4500 | 1076914464477 | 1076914464477 |
Indonesia | 1100.9100 | 932259177621 | 932259177621 |
Turkey | 706.2370 | 863711710542 | 863711710542 |
Netherlands | 914.0030 | 777227541581 | 777227541581 |
Switzerland | 707.5700 | 668851296244 | 668851296244 |
Saudi Arabia | 762.2590 | 639617050945 | 639617050945 |
Argentina | 477.7430 | 545866164479 | 545866164479 |
Sweden | 547.1230 | 514475856961 | 514475856961 |
Poland | 593.2950 | 471402266588 | 471402266588 |
Belgium | 531.8130 | 467955267357 | 467955267357 |
Iran | 484.6630 | 425402616011 | 425402616011 |
Thailand | 516.6620 | 407026319505 | 407026319505 |
Nigeria | 444.9160 | 404649125399 | 404649125399 |
Austria | 459.5890 | 390799991147 | 390799991147 |
Norway | 427.0410 | 371068933176 | 371068933176 |
United Arab Emirates | 427.8760 | 348743627620 | 348743627620 |
Hong Kong | 381.7200 | 320912235499 | 320912235499 |
Israel | 381.5690 | 317747579750 | 317747579750 |
Denmark | 349.5240 | 306899653410 | 306899653410 |
Philippines | 356.6820 | 304905638877 | 304905638877 |
Ireland | 381.5710 | 304819019837 | 304819019837 |
Singapore | 372.8070 | 296946278392 | 296946278392 |
Malaysia | 373.4470 | 296531469473 | 296531469473 |
South Africa | 371.2980 | 295440009818 | 295440009818 |
Venezuela | 76.4580 | 291376437340 | 291376437340 |
Pakistan | 278.0190 | 282506007859 | 282506007859 |
Colombia | 336.5990 | 282462551367 | 282462551367 |
Egypt | 299.5890 | 270143813412 | 270143813412 |
Chile | 295.6140 | 247045730477 | 247045730477 |
Finland | 276.5720 | 238502900312 | 238502900312 |
Bangladesh | 314.6560 | 220836732893 | 220836732893 |
Vietnam | 260.3010 | 205276171343 | 205276171343 |
Portugal | 239.4730 | 204836597909 | 204836597909 |
Czech Republic | 246.1610 | 195305084919 | 195305084919 |
Greece | 219.7520 | 192690813127 | 192690813127 |
Peru | 232.0800 | 192209529586 | 192209529586 |
New Zealand | 210.4750 | 187517098554 | 187517098554 |
Romania | 244.1580 | 186690976699 | 186690976699 |
Iraq | 225.2570 | 160021001474 | 160021001474 |
Algeria | 183.6870 | 159049145187 | 159049145187 |
Qatar | 193.5020 | 152451923077 | 152451923077 |
Kazakhstan | 164.2070 | 135005203998 | 135005203998 |
Hungary | 168.7780 | 125816640421 | 125816640421 |
Kuwait | 136.9400 | 110346129191 | 110346129191 |
Angola | 92.1910 | 106917535790 | 106917535790 |
Puerto Rico | 103.5060 | 105034500000 | 105034500000 |
Morocco | 121.3500 | 103606574896 | 103606574896 |
Ecuador | 106.2890 | 98010212618 | 98010212618 |
Ukraine | 134.8870 | 93270354852 | 93270354852 |
Slovakia | 109.8630 | 89768598023 | 89768598023 |
Cuba | 0 | 89688700000 | 89688700000 |
Sudan | 0 | 82887395895 | 82887395895 |
Sri Lanka | 84.1640 | 81321970966 | 81321970966 |
Dominican Republic | 84.8370 | 71583585170 | 71583585170 |
Kenya | 99.2460 | 70525979046 | 70525979046 |
Ethiopia | 90.9680 | 70314560872 | 70314560872 |
Guatemala | 82.3350 | 68762920570 | 68762920570 |
Uzbekistan | 49.1990 | 67778902435 | 67778902435 |
Myanmar | 65.6650 | 65697616068 | 65697616068 |
Oman | 79.4580 | 63170959402 | 63170959402 |
Luxembourg | 69.6340 | 58631324559 | 58631324559 |
Costa Rica | 60.4590 | 57435510668 | 57435510668 |
Panama | 70.1550 | 55187800000 | 55187800000 |
Bulgaria | 67.0440 | 53239643485 | 53239643485 |
Uruguay | 60.2310 | 52419718459 | 52419718459 |
Croatia | 61.2520 | 51231002611 | 51231002611 |
Lebanon | 58.2810 | 50457653265 | 50457653265 |
Belarus | 60.9510 | 47408111179 | 47408111179 |
Macau | 58.0550 | 45311080521 | 45311080521 |
Slovenia | 55.0880 | 44708598649 | 44708598649 |
Libya | 44.9640 | 42959534586 | 42959534586 |
Ghana | 68.2580 | 42793869465 | 42793869465 |
Lithuania | 54.2400 | 42773029835 | 42773029835 |
Tunisia | 36.2040 | 41703561397 | 41703561397 |
DR Congo | 48.4580 | 40337492609 | 40337492609 |
Jordan | 44.2560 | 38654647887 | 38654647887 |
Serbia | 52.4240 | 38299871897 | 38299871897 |
Azerbaijan | 45.2480 | 37847204069 | 37847204069 |
Ivory Coast | 45.2520 | 36767790205 | 36767790205 |
Turkmenistan | 50.3460 | 36179885714 | 36179885714 |
Bolivia | 43.6870 | 33806395465 | 33806395465 |
Cameroon | 39.2190 | 32217073816 | 32217073816 |
Bahrain | 38.9520 | 32179073596 | 32179073596 |
Latvia | 35.7210 | 27572698482 | 27572698482 |
Paraguay | 42.3520 | 27165101909 | 27165101909 |
El Salvador | 26.9890 | 26797469656 | 26797469656 |
Yemen | 29.0790 | 25374086438 | 25374086438 |
Uganda | 30.3680 | 25307842467 | 25307842467 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 22.4380 | 24086176564 | 24086176564 |
Estonia | 31.0260 | 23337920560 | 23337920560 |
Syria | 0 | 22163075121 | 22163075121 |
Honduras | 24.6510 | 21516915353 | 21516915353 |
Zambia | 24.6150 | 21063063977 | 21063063977 |
Nepal | 28.9220 | 20914004957 | 20914004957 |
Iceland | 24.5440 | 20269659972 | 20269659972 |
Afghanistan | 19.9900 | 20235063330 | 20235063330 |
Cyprus | 24.6380 | 20046234311 | 20046234311 |
Cambodia | 26.9790 | 20016747858 | 20016747858 |
Papua New Guinea | 21.4530 | 19694115731 | 19694115731 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 20.1520 | 16909904149 | 16909904149 |
North Korea | 0 | 16788601831 | 16788601831 |
Zimbabwe | 22.2900 | 16123763648 | 16123763648 |
Laos | 20.1530 | 15805707090 | 15805707090 |
Botswana | 19.6510 | 15566057294 | 15566057294 |
Senegal | 25.3200 | 14604520531 | 14604520531 |
Georgia | 17.2140 | 14332728707 | 14332728707 |
Jamaica | 16.1520 | 14056901075 | 14056901075 |
Mali | 17.8330 | 14001696748 | 14001696748 |
Gabon | 16.7090 | 13863183526 | 13863183526 |
Palestine | 0 | 13397100000 | 13397100000 |
Nicaragua | 12.6120 | 13230214875 | 13230214875 |
Mauritius | 14.8120 | 12216235024 | 12216235024 |
Albania | 15.9600 | 11863866791 | 11863866791 |
Burkina Faso | 14.8820 | 11695117109 | 11695117109 |
Brunei | 13.3250 | 11400266878 | 11400266878 |
Chad | 11.3720 | 11267295771 | 11267295771 |
Bahamas | 13.2620 | 11261800000 | 11261800000 |
Madagascar | 12.7340 | 11222263845 | 11222263845 |
Mongolia | 13.6960 | 11160356685 | 11160356685 |
Malta | 15.1340 | 10998577038 | 10998577038 |
Namibia | 13.9610 | 10947277246 | 10947277246 |
Mozambique | 15.3720 | 10930131568 | 10930131568 |
North Macedonia | 12.8840 | 10745782586 | 10745782586 |
Equatorial Guinea | 12.4320 | 10677940568 | 10677940568 |
Armenia | 13.1050 | 10572299425 | 10572299425 |
New Caledonia | 0 | 9445714851 | 9445714851 |
Benin | 11.1840 | 8893638002 | 8893638002 |
Guinea | 12.6230 | 8476136811 | 8476136811 |
Rwanda | 10.2110 | 8473784827 | 8473784827 |
Republic of the Congo | 11.1620 | 7778081883 | 7778081883 |
Haiti | 9.6020 | 7647347306 | 7647347306 |
Niger | 9.7240 | 7528285819 | 7528285819 |
Tajikistan | 7.6980 | 6951679338 | 6951679338 |
Moldova | 12.0370 | 6772647958 | 6772647958 |
Kyrgyzstan | 8.3340 | 6551291140 | 6551291140 |
South Sudan | 3.1510 | 6534451826 | 6534451826 |
Monaco | 0 | 6468000877 | 6468000877 |
Liechtenstein | 0 | 6193677543 | 6193677543 |
Bermuda | 0 | 6127341000 | 6127341000 |
French Polynesia | 0 | 5417934152 | 5417934152 |
Eritrea | 7.7180 | 5413804303 | 5413804303 |
Malawi | 7.4360 | 5318197658 | 5318197658 |
Fiji | 5.3240 | 4671118364 | 4671118364 |
Mauritania | 5.5690 | 4667119320 | 4667119320 |
Barbados | 5.2070 | 4552793288 | 4552793288 |
Togo | 5.5920 | 4449262345 | 4449262345 |
Montenegro | 5.4430 | 4373958354 | 4373958354 |
Maldives | 5.7490 | 4224207488 | 4224207488 |
Eswatini | 4.6620 | 4007002048 | 4007002048 |
Cayman Islands | 0 | 3844080626 | 3844080626 |
Sierra Leone | 3.9980 | 3674756785 | 3674756785 |
Guyana | 3.8300 | 3436626633 | 3436626633 |
Suriname | 3.6830 | 3278445033 | 3278445033 |
Curacao | 0 | 3121449966 | 3121449966 |
Burundi | 3.5730 | 2873699606 | 2873699606 |
Andorra | 0 | 2858406626 | 2858406626 |
Liberia | 3.2210 | 2756817825 | 2756817825 |
Timor-Leste | 3.1450 | 2703285752 | 2703285752 |
Aruba | 2.8750 | 2667039106 | 2667039106 |
Greenland | 0 | 2282927882 | 2282927882 |
Lesotho | 2.8110 | 2241017076 | 2241017076 |
Bhutan | 2.8400 | 2212642587 | 2212642587 |
Djibouti | 2.3920 | 1891520369 | 1891520369 |
Central African Republic | 2.2850 | 1810388740 | 1810388740 |
Belize | 1.9970 | 1741100000 | 1741100000 |
Cape Verde | 2.0420 | 1638928099 | 1638928099 |
San Marino | 1.6200 | 1590761265 | 1590761265 |
Antigua and Barbuda | 1.7170 | 1460157909 | 1460157909 |
Seychelles | 1.6540 | 1433826317 | 1433826317 |
Saint Lucia | 1.9710 | 1397066906 | 1397066906 |
Somalia | 7.9030 | 1318057519 | 1318057519 |
Comoros | 0.7260 | 1149802573 | 1149802573 |
Solomon Islands | 1.5110 | 1133967215 | 1133967215 |
Guinea-Bissau | 1.5380 | 1122643236 | 1122643236 |
Sint Maarten | 0 | 1072067039 | 1072067039 |
Grenada | 1.2720 | 1016208148 | 1016208148 |
Gambia | 1.7410 | 985831536 | 985831536 |
British Virgin Islands | 0 | 971237110 | 971237110 |
Turks and Caicos Islands | 0 | 917550492 | 917550492 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1.0580 | 909854620 | 909854620 |
Vanuatu | 0.9420 | 837519790 | 837519790 |
Samoa | 0.9020 | 822233281 | 822233281 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0.8640 | 765318745 | 765318745 |
Dominica | 0.5420 | 581484032 | 581484032 |
Tonga | 0.4930 | 401460313 | 401460313 |
Sao Tome and Principe | 0.4770 | 342781695 | 342781695 |
Anguilla | 0 | 337520470 | 337520470 |
Micronesia | 0.3830 | 329895643 | 329895643 |
Palau | 0.3100 | 310248000 | 310248000 |
Cook Islands | 0 | 290194195 | 290194195 |
Marshall Islands | 0.2200 | 183000000 | 183000000 |
Kiribati | 0.1870 | 173655146 | 173655146 |
Nauru | 0.1140 | 103469824 | 103469824 |
Montserrat | 0 | 62051375 | 62051375 |
Tuvalu | 0.0490 | 36697185 | 36697185 |
Taiwan | 601.4310 | 0 | 0 |
Tanzania | 61.0320 | 0 | 0 |