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Singapore is the 6th richest country in the world, and top in Asia

The index measures quality of life, human development, and poverty rates – not just GDP

Mingli Seet
Written by
Mingli Seet
Contributor, Time Out Singapore
Singapore
Photograph: RS Man/Facebook
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If you’ve ever been abroad and felt quietly labelled as “the rich one” after mentioning you’re from Singapore, you’re not imagining things. According to a new global ranking, the stereotype may have just found its receipts.

According to the 2026 HelloSafe Prosperity Index – compiled by insurance comparison platform HelloSafe – Singapore is officially the richest country in Asia, and the sixth richest in the world. 

So, how exactly did Singapore land so high on the list? It turns out this ranking is not just about who has the deepest pockets. The HelloSafe Prosperity Index looks beyond GDP and national income, factoring in everything from quality of life and human development to poverty rates, income distribution and long-term resilience. In other words, it measures not just how much wealth a country has, but how well that wealth translates into everyday life.

Topping the global list this year was Norway, which clinched first place with a score of 77.65 thanks to sky-high national income and strong social support systems. Ireland came in second, while longtime frontrunner Luxembourg slipped to third for the first time since the index launched. 

Singapore landed sixth with a prosperity score of 66.43, ranking ahead of Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden. However, we held onto the top spot in Asia, outpacing regional economic heavyweights such as South Korea and Japan, which landed fourth and fifth in Asia.

The report did come with a caveat, though. Despite our record GDP, Singapore was penalised for having the highest income inequality among all countries in the index, scoring zero of 100 on that metric – the worst performance in the global panel. 

Here are the top 10 richest countries in the world, according to the HelloSafe Prosperity Index:

  1. Norway
  2. Ireland
  3. Luxembourg
  4. Switzerland
  5. Iceland
  6. Singapore
  7. Denmark
  8. Netherlands
  9. Belgium
  10. Sweden

Read the full report here.

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