The book explores the influence of culture on economic development. The presentation is based on the concept of “cultural capital” introduced by the author and the typology of cultures proposed by him and his colleagues, which allows, based on 25 factors, to determine how high the level of cultural capital is in a particular culture. The presence or absence of cultural capital determines whether a particular culture creates favorable conditions for economic development and social progress or, conversely, hinders them. The author analyzes in detail three large cultures with the highest level of cultural capital - Jewish, Confucian and Protestant, as well as a number of relatively less large and influential ethno-religious groups that nonetheless make significant contributions to human progress. At the same time, considerable attention is paid in the book to the analysis of social and economic problems of countries belonging to other cultural areas, such as Catholic countries (especially Latin America) and the Islamic world. The author shows that both the success and failures of different countries are largely determined by the values, beliefs and attitudes determined by the peculiarities of the country’s culture and religion, which historically determined the foundation of this culture. Based on the analysis, the author formulates a number of proposals addressed to the governments of developed and developing countries, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, public and religious associations, media and business. The implementation of these proposals would begin a process of cultural transformation in developing countries, the end result of which would be a faster movement of these countries towards economic prosperity, democracy and social equality.