These are the 10 most prosperous countries in the world

What's the difference between being rich and actually prospering?

Zeroing in on which countries prosper and share wealth among citizens — and which don't — is the goal of an annual study just released by the Legatum Institute, a London-based organization that researches how people, groups and nations move from poverty to prosperity.

The study examined 149 countries around the globe across nine broad factors: economic opportunities and growth, business environment, effective government with political participation, access to education, quality health care, national security and personal safety, personal freedoms, social support and civic participation and investment in natural resources.

Surprise, surprise: America isn't great at sharing the wealth it has among its people. The United States, which came in 17th in this year's index, has been dropping in rank over the past decade both for economic reasons and because of challenges to security and safety.

Still, the U.S. nails one category: We rank at the top of the list for entrepreneurial environment, business infrastructure and low barriers to innovation.

Across the globe, people are healthier, better educated and living under better governments within healthier economies than ever before. The index shows global prosperity is up three percentage points from 2007 — to its highest point in a decade.

Here are the top 10 most prosperous places to live: