Kazakhstan ranked first in Central Asia in the 2026 Legatum Prosperity Index, placing 66th globally among 161 countries in the latest assessment of national prosperity.

The index, published by the Prosperity Institute, evaluates countries using more than 130 indicators grouped into three broad areas: development, freedom, and society, Kazinform reported.

The 2026 edition introduces a revised methodology that places greater emphasis on balanced performance across all areas rather than allowing strengths in one category to offset weaknesses in another.

Kazakhstan ranks 52nd globally for Development, 45th for Society and 47th for Integrity of Society. The country performs particularly well in Education, where it ranks 32nd worldwide, and Integrity of Families, where it places 30th. Kazakhstan also scores relatively strongly in Standard of Living, ranking 53rd.

Within the region, Kazakhstan is the highest-ranked country in Central Asia, ahead of Kyrgyzstan (87th), Uzbekistan (94th), Tajikistan (129th), and Turkmenistan (150th). It also outperforms neighboring Russia, which ranks 103rd overall.

Globally, Switzerland leads the 2026 rankings, followed by Norway, Ireland, Denmark, and Finland. The report says Switzerland reached the top position because it showed consistently strong results across all pillars without major weaknesses.

The 2026 Legatum Prosperity Index covers 161 countries, representing 98% of the world's population. It is based on more than 615,000 data points collected from 35 sources and assesses prosperity through three domains: development, freedom, and society.