Looking for someplace happy with satisfied people around? Try Denmark. According to the World Happiness Report, it is the happiest country in the world. The other countries in the top 5 happy countries are Norway, Switzerland, Netherlands and Sweden.
The six key variables which have been used to explain the average scores are:
(i) Real GDP per capita
(ii) Healthy life expectancy
(iii) Having someone to count on
(iv) Perceived freedom to make life choices
(v) Freedom from corruption
(vi) Generosity
The Report also shows that happy people live longer, are more productive, earn more, and are also better citizens.
It appears that there is a growing trend amongst governments to start thinking of aligning policies with what can really improve people's overall well-being rather than just focus on economic growth. Although the report mentions that Bhutan has gone the furthest to measure their progress with reference to the happiness of their citizens, Bhutan has not been included in this list. This has been explained by the fact that survey questions used to determine happiness levels in the report are not the same as usually used in the country.
The ranks of some other notable countries are: Canada (6), Australia (10), Israel (11), Mexico (16), USA (17), UK (22), Brazil (24), France (25), Germany (26), Singapore (30), Japan (43), Italy (45), Russia (68), China (93) and India (111).
The six key variables which have been used to explain the average scores are:
(i) Real GDP per capita
(ii) Healthy life expectancy
(iii) Having someone to count on
(iv) Perceived freedom to make life choices
(v) Freedom from corruption
(vi) Generosity
The Report also shows that happy people live longer, are more productive, earn more, and are also better citizens.
It appears that there is a growing trend amongst governments to start thinking of aligning policies with what can really improve people's overall well-being rather than just focus on economic growth. Although the report mentions that Bhutan has gone the furthest to measure their progress with reference to the happiness of their citizens, Bhutan has not been included in this list. This has been explained by the fact that survey questions used to determine happiness levels in the report are not the same as usually used in the country.
The ranks of some other notable countries are: Canada (6), Australia (10), Israel (11), Mexico (16), USA (17), UK (22), Brazil (24), France (25), Germany (26), Singapore (30), Japan (43), Italy (45), Russia (68), China (93) and India (111).
