Published on: 2026-07-16
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On July 6th, British time, in Derby, United Kingdom, the “Pacific Rim Investment Value Index” (PRIVI) and the “Pacific Rim Life Safety Index” (PRLSI) were officially presented. These indices were jointly developed by the International Business School of the University of Derby, the Pudong Research Institute (an analytical center affiliated with Shanghai universities), and the Center for International Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. About 50 representatives from universities, financial institutions, enterprises, and analytical centers from the UK, Ireland, China, and other countries participated in the event, engaging in in-depth exchanges on topics such as long-term investment value, regional life safety, and global sustainable development.
Both indices focus on two global issues: long-term investment value and life safety management. Their goal is to provide a systematic assessment tool for the Pacific region and even for the whole world, taking into account both economic development and public safety, to facilitate international investment decisions with greater attention to creating long-term value, as well as to provide comparable and trackable quantitative benchmarks for regional life safety management, thereby offering new support for decision-making in global sustainable development and international cooperation.
PRIVI focuses on long-term investment value
Currently, the transformation of the geoeconomic landscape, the restructuring of global supply chains, the intensification of climate change, and the rapid development of artificial intelligence together are changing the logic of global capital allocation. Traditional national investment assessment systems are mainly focused on short-term economic indicators and sovereign credit risk, which can no longer fully reflect the long-term factors influencing future competitiveness. Against this backdrop, the “Pacific Region Investment Value Index” (PRIVI) was developed with the goal of creating a more systematic and forward-looking framework for assessing the long-term investment value of countries, providing new analytical tools for long-term capital allocation.
The 2026 assessment results show that Canada, China, South Korea, and the USA have entered the A+ category, becoming the leading economies of the Pacific region in terms of long-term investment value; Australia, Japan, and Singapore have entered the A category, demonstrating high long-term investment potential.
Note: Within a single ranking, economies are listed in alphabetical order according to the official English country names used by the UN.
Between 2015 and 2025, the aggregate PRIVI scores of most economies increased, but the growth rates differed significantly: developing countries generally reduced their gap with developed countries faster, developed countries steadily improved their indicators from a high level, and small island developing states of the Pacific (SIDS) had higher growth rates, but these were generally based on a low base and still face increasingly severe survival risks under climate change.
As for developed economies, they generally maintain their leading positions in the region: seven developed economies showed an average growth of about 11.8% in their composite indicators over the past decade, but the internal growth dynamics diverged. Compared to the steady improvement of developed economies, developing countries demonstrate a stronger dynamic of catching-up growth. Twenty-one developing countries form a group with the most concentrated improvement in regional long-term investment potential, with an average growth rate slightly higher than that of developed economies, indicating a clear catch-up growth trend. At the same time, China’s performance is especially noteworthy. As the only developing economy classified as A+, China continues to accumulate long-term advantages in artificial intelligence development, technological innovation, green and low-carbon transformation, and building a modern industrial system.China’s composite indicator increased by approximately 24.9% over the past decade, which allowed China to become one of the leaders in growth rates and demonstrate strong momentum in climate transition and technological innovations.
Life safety in the Pacific region remains stable, but the index indicators of individual countries are declining year by year.
The “Pacific Region Countries’ Livelihood Security Index” has been published for four consecutive years since its inception in 2023. Compared to previous periods, the average and median livelihood security indicators of the Pacific region countries have decreased year by year, while the gap between the highest and lowest indicators has narrowed.
The “Health” dimension embodies the “harmony” of life, reflecting the level of protection of life and health provided by healthcare systems, social organization capabilities, and the distribution of medical resources. In 2026, the overall score of the “Health” index slightly decreased, averaging 22.12, compared to 22.48 in the previous year, but remained a bit higher than 21.85 in 2024. The ten countries with the highest scores remain relatively stable, having changed very little compared to last year, including 6 countries from Asia, 2 from Oceania, and 2 from the Americas. The bottom ten were predominantly Pacific Island nations, with the rest being Asian countries. The “Health” index indicates that the ability to protect people’s life and health has generally declined in the Pacific region countries. This especially concerns Pacific Island countries, where medical care and healthcare conditions still require improvement.
The “Nature” dimension embodies the harmony between humans and nature, reflecting the impact of natural environmental conditions and natural disaster risks on life safety. In 2026, the “Nature” index indicator continued to decline, averaging 10.97. Of the ten countries with the highest indicator, five are in Oceania, four in Asia, and one in the Americas. The last ten were predominantly countries from the Americas. The natural dimension indicates that the natural environment is characterized by significant instability, and the threats it creates to humans are difficult to predict. At the same time, improving the efficiency of disaster warning and response helps reduce the threat to people’s lives and safety.
The social dimension embodies the “sum” of diplomatic relations and reflects the influence of social structure, political order, and state governance on the security of life activities. In 2026, the average score of the social dimension index is 13.41, and it has been rising since 2024. Of the ten countries with the highest scores, seven are in Asia, two in America, and one in Oceania. In the last ten, countries from Oceania predominated. The social dimension indicates that stability has a significant impact on the social dimension, and improving social stability helps to ensure the security of life activities.
The psychological dimension embodies the harmony between mind and body, reflecting the impact of mental health and social support systems on life. In 2026, the psychological dimension indicator continued to decline, reaching an average of 9.6. Of the ten countries with the highest indicator, four are in Asia, four in America, and two in Oceania. Among the ten countries with the lowest indicators, eight are island states of the Pacific Ocean. Japan’s ranking dropped significantly from 11th place in 2025 to 27th, mainly due to a substantial decrease in the happiness index. The psychological dimension indicates that the psychological dimension indicators of Pacific region countries continue to decline, requiring vigilance from all countries, especially regarding the need to take measures to improve public well-being.
Singapore ranks first in the overall ranking with a score of 79.06, China is second (74.66), South Korea is third (73.56). Among the top ten countries, seven are in Asia, two in Oceania, and one in America. Among the countries occupying the last ten places, island states of the Pacific Ocean predominate.
The global situation undergoes profound changes in 2026: frequent regional conflicts and political instability cause a strong sense of insecurity and exacerbate disorder and chaos. The average life safety score in the Pacific region has decreased from 61 in 2023 to 56.12, representing a total decline of 8% over four years. Health, nature, and mental health indicators have also declined simultaneously, and only the social dimension shows recovery, although its score still has not surpassed the 2023 level. This reflects the complex challenges and pressures of restructuring life safety management in the Pacific region, such as insufficient public health protection capacity, ineffective response to extreme weather conditions, and low levels of population mental health. Life safety is the cornerstone of all development, and the decrease in the index reflects an increased risk to individual lives.The “Pacific Region Life Safety Index” calls on all countries to “coexist harmoniously” and to explore a more sustainable and promising new security governance structure in the Pacific region to protect the dignity and hope for human life.
British scientists and business representatives draw attention to the value of indexes.
Scientists and policymakers from several British universities and business institutions have stated that the two indices provide a timely and pragmatic basis for redefining long-term investment value and can serve as a benchmark for making international investment decisions, as climate, nature, and artificial intelligence change global capital flows.
Professor Vikas Kumar, Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Portsmouth, stated that life safety is the most important foundation for long-term sustainable development and an important guarantee for increasing investor confidence. Long-term capital focuses not only on economic returns but also on social protection and institutional trust. The index provides a new analytical perspective for understanding the relationship between life safety and long-term investments.
Professor Myra Conway, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Innovation and Research at the University of Derby, believes that the index places biodiversity and natural capital at the heart of investment assessment, helping to compensate for the shortcomings of traditional market pricing models and reflecting an important evolution in how the international community understands economic value.
Professor Nicholas O’Regan, a Fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences and Professor of Strategy, Marketing and Entrepreneurship at Aston Business School, Aston University, believes that the indices reflect long-term thinking, which is a necessary condition for innovation: only by focusing on the long term can more opportunities be created for long-term innovation, creativity, and investment, and the government plays a crucial role in leading innovation.
Panagiotis Andrikopoulos, director of the Center for Sustainable Business and Society and professor of finance at Coventry University, believes that integrating climate, biodiversity, and natural capital into the national system for analyzing investment value has great practical significance for addressing important challenges in evaluating long-term investment value.
Professor Kile (Horace) He, a member of the British Academy of Social Sciences and Professor of Strategy and Performance Management at the University of Derby, stated that the index combines the concept of long-term planning with the practice of development in the Pacific region, demonstrating the significant importance of Sino-British cooperation in jointly studying the system of long-term investment value evaluation, as well as providing a new analytical foundation for long-term capital allocation.
Alexandra Charles, acting director of the University of Derby’s international business school, stated that the index is not only the result of research but also provides a new educational framework for international business, helping students understand future economic development and investment decisions from a more systematic and long-term perspective.
Rick Blackmore, Policy and Analytics Director of the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce, stated that an index assessing investment value over the long term of ten or twenty years helps increase investor confidence and assists companies in forecasting the long-term impact of climate change, biodiversity, and technological changes in terms of global supply chains and regional connections.
The team of researchers and developers stated that in the future they will continue to publish both indices, continuously improve the data system and assessment methods, deepen international cooperation, promote academic exchange, and strive to make the “Investment Value Index of Pacific Rim Countries” and the “Livability Index of Pacific Rim Countries” public goods that serve the sustainable development of the Pacific Rim region and the entire world.
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