It's only been in the last few years I've realised how lucky I've been: born in a stable, prosperous country to stable, intelligent parents.

I think the "birth lottery" is the single biggest stroke of luck there is. It's so influential that people just don't see it. It's the elephant in the room.

I'd be interested to see this list modified by profession. Australia might be #2 on a general basis, but it would be hard to argue that being born in the USA gives you the inside edge on getting ahead in the web industry, for example.

Only one thing worries me:

> Small economies dominate the top ten.

They also dominate the bottom 10. Might this be a sampling effect?