The Resource Curse

A country's natural wealth often doesn't trickle down to its citizens. This "resource curse" particularly plagues the world's largest oil producing states. The chart below illustrates how the curse affects this small club and its newest member, Equatorial Guinea. - Michal Lumsden

Country	Daily oil production (thousands of barrels)	Corruption ranking**	Political rights / civil liberties ratings***	Development ranking*	Average annual per capita income	Annual per capita health expenses	Life expectancy	Infant mortality (per 1,000 births)
Saudi Arabia	9,817	71	7/7	73	$8,530	$375	72	23
Russia	8,543	90	5/5	63	$2,610	$115	67	18
Iran	3,852	87	6/6	106	$2,000	$363	70	35
Venezuela	2,987	114	3/4	69	$3,490	$307	74	19
Nigeria	2,185	144	4/4	152	$320	$15	52	110
Algeria	1,857	97	6/5	107	$1,890	$73	69	39
Libya	1,488	108	7/7	61	N/A	$143	72	16
Angola	885	133	6/5	164	$740	$31	40	154
Azerbaijan	313	140	6/5	89	$810	$8	72	74
Equatorial Guinea	249	N/A	7/6	116	$930	$76	49	101
United States	7,454	17	1/1	7	$37,610	$4,887	77	7

*out of 175 countries, 1=highest

** out of 146 countries, 1=least corrupt

*** 1= most free, 7= least free

All figures based on most current available numbers.

Sources: British Petroleum 2004 Statistical Review of World Energy (oil production), Freedom House (political rights, civil liberties ratings), Transparency International (corruption ranking), United Nations Human Development Report (development ranking, health expenditures, life expectancy, infant mortality), World Bank (per capita income, health expenditures)