Top ten wealthiest countries...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/11/19/the-10-richest-countries-in-the-world/
I'm surprised we made this list.
Interesting read.
Luxemborg came in first with the following stats:
Luxembourg
Gross National Income Per Capita: $58,810
Literacy Rate: 99%
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
Percent of GDP Spent on Education: 3.7%

This tiny, landlocked nation about the size of Rhode Island is bordered by France, Germany, and Belgium. Luxembourg's location near major powers on the continent, along with its educational system, which requires fluency in French and German, has made it one of Europe's premier investment centers. The Duke of Luxembourg plans to provide the country with ultra-high bandwidth cable service within the next three years, which will foster development of a sophisticated digital economy.

Norway runs a close second:
Norway
GNI: $55,190
Literacy Rate: 100%
Unemployment Rate: 1.7%
Percent of GDP Spent on Education: 6.7%

Norway has profited handsomely since it began receiving significant sums of money from petroleum exports in the 1970s. Thanks to the government's income from oil and natural gas and an abundance of jobs in the technology and telecommunications sector, Norway has been able to meaningfully fund social programs and education without burdensome taxes on business. The government's heavy spending on social programs has resulted in a highly literate, well-educated and affluent population.


Apparently socialism isn't so bad afterall. :shrug:

[MrScorpio]

1. Luxembourg is a very nice country, from top to bottom

There are benefits to being small.

[pampango]

2. Interesting list: 4 European countries, the US and 5 "city-states".

Luxembourg
Norway
Kuwait
Macau
Brunei
Singapore
United States
Hong Kong
Switzerland
Netherlands

The commentary about the US is interesting:

Some may be surprised that the U.S. isn't higher on our list of wealthiest countries, but considering its size and diversity, it is surprising it makes it on at all. The United States has an unemployment rate of 9.6%, double that of the Luxembourg, the next highest. Most other countries on the list have governments which tightly control their economies or spend heavily on social welfare programs. The United States is a capitalist economy that spends fairly little on social programs as a percent of GDP. Though the US spends a significant amount of its budget on education relative to other countries on this list, that is largely due to inefficiencies arising from the decentralized nature of its public school system. There is growing disparity in wealth in the U.S., but the relatively large salaries of country's middle and upper-middle class and wealthy drives up the country's GNI, allowing it to make the cut.

(Don't tell the teabaggers that the US "spends fairly little on social programs as a percent of GDP".) :)

[Cleita]

4. We have become the wealthiest third world country

in the world because of the majority of our wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few. The rest of us can eat dirt.

[baldguy]

10. "...the wealthiest third world country..."

+1

[Laura PourMeADrink]

3. US literacy at 99%?? Hard to believe. nt

[libodem]

5. faked

Liars don't want to look bad. Reading is one thing. Comprehending is another thing. I Think NCLB condones social passing, cheating, and rubber stamping teaching plans. Unfunded mandates to dumb down America.

[ladywnch]

6. I had the same thought. I was thinking more like .........maybe 70%

being geneous.

[Quantess]

8. 99.5% know the alphabet, can read simple words like CAT, DOG

I'm just guessing, here. What is their definition of "literacy", I wonder?

[eridani]

11. I think they are talking about people who can read. Doesn't mean that--

--all those people actually DO read.

[provis99]

7. five of them shouldn't even be on the list.

Their wealth distribution is so bad, that its a disgrace to call them wealthy countries. No, they are countries with a few wealthy people and a lot of poor people. These five are Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Brunei, and the United States; no way should they be put in the same class as the other five.

[sam11111]

9. Wealth NOT same as income. list used income not wealth

US wealth is bottom right cell of table

http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/Current/accessible/l5.htm