than the United States, according to figures released from the World Bank yesterday.

The tiny European states of Luxembourg and Liechtenstein are listed ahead of the Island when it comes to purchasing power in 1999.

Purchasing power -- the average wage -- in 1999 in Luxembourg, which topped the table, was $41,230. No figure was listed for Liechtenstein in second place or Bermuda.

But according to Bermuda's Quarterly Bulletin of Statistics for the fourth quarter of 2000, the average wage on the Island was $41,495. It is not known if average wages in Luxembourg have increased since 1999.

The United States is in fourth place with a purchasing power of $31,910. The US still has the largest economy, twice the size of China, which has overtaken Japan to be the second biggest economy in the world.

San Marino and the Cayman Islands come in next with unspecified figures, followed by Switzerland at $28,760.

Canada is 14th ($25,440), the United Kingdom is 29th with $22,220, trailing just behind Germany, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Ireland. The world's poorest country, according to the figures, is Sierra Leone, with a purchasing power of $440.

Luxembourg is also listed by the World Bank as the wealthiest country when it comes to gross national income (GNI) per head in 1999, formerly gross national product.

Bermuda is listed as fourth in the world in this category with an unlisted GNI, trailing behind Luxembourg ($42,930), Liechtenstein, unlisted, and Switzerland ($38,380).