Jordan ranks fifth among Arab states for social progress

AMMAN — Jordan is the fifth most socially progressive country among Arab states, a new study has found. 

The Kingdom came 71st globally in the Social Progress Index for 2016, released recently by the US-based Social Progress Imperative (SPI).  

The index compiles scores based on indicators like education, health and wellness, housing, opportunity, personal rights, personal safety and tolerance.

Jordan scored 65.4 per cent and was classified as having “Lower Middle Social Progress”. 

For basic needs, Jordan performed best on nutrition and basic medical care, with most room for improvement in personal safety, the report found.  

Regarding well-being, Jordan scored highest on access to basic knowledge but lagged on the health and wellness component, according to the SPI. 

“In the Opportunity Dimension, Jordan is strongest on Personal Freedom and Choice and has the most room to improve on Personal Rights,” the report added.

The United Arab Emirates came first among Arab states and 39th globally, and it was classified among the upper middle social progress countries. It was followed by Kuwait, which ranked 45th globally, Tunisia (56th worldwide) and Saudi Arabia (65th place).

Lebanon came 74th globally while Morocco came 86th in the index. 

Finland took first place for social progress, followed by Canada, Denmark, Australia and Switzerland. 

According to the SPI website, the index aims to provide a “holistic measurement framework for social and environmental performance that can be used by leaders in government, business, and civil society to benchmark success and accelerate progress”.

The index is the first comprehensive framework for measuring social progress that is independent of GDP, the SPI says.