The U.N. has released a new list ranking countries in terms of happiness, based on Gallup polls taken from 2005-2011. The World Happiness Report is edited by economists John Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sachs.
Denmark is the happiest country in the world followed by Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland in the top 10. The United States ranks 11th. “It is no accident that the happiest countries in the world tend to be high-income countries that also have a high degree of social equality, trust, and quality of governance,” says the report.
Singapore is the happiest country in Asia-Pacific after New Zealand and Austrlia. Singapore ranks 33rd overall. Several countries in the Middle East rank higher: Israel is 14th, United Arab Emirates 17th (one place above the United Kingdom, which is 18th), Saudi Arabia 26th, Kuwait 29th and Qatar 31st. Turkmenistan is 32nd, one spot above Singapore. Japan is 44th, Taiwan 46th, Malaysia 51st, Thailand 52nd, South Korea 56th, Vietnam 65th, Hong Kong 67th, Indonesia 83rd, Philippines 103rd, and China 112th. Pakistan is 85th, India 94th, Bangladesh 104th, Nepal 121st, Sri Lanka 130th and Aghanistan 131st.
Here’s the full list of countries ranked in terms of happiness. The measure used is the Cantril Scale, which measures how people feel about themselves. See below the list for a fuller explanation.
Countries ranked according to happiness
- Denmark
- Finland
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Canada
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Ireland
- United States
- Costa Rica
- Austria
- Israel
- Belgium
- Luxembourg
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- Venezuela
- Iceland
- Panama
- Spain
- France
- Mexico
- Brazil
- Saudi Arabia
- Puerto Rico
- Italy
- Kuwait
- Germany
- Qatar
- Turkmenistan
- Singapore
- Belize
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Guatemala
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Argentina
- Jamaica
- Colombia
- Greece
- Chile
- Japan
- Guyana
- Taiwan
- Malta
- El Salvador
- Slovenia
- Uruguay
- Malaysia
- Thailand
- Poland
- Jordan
- Slovakia
- South Korea
- Bolivia
- Croatia
- Kazakhstan
- Lithuania
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- Honduras
- Mauritius
- Vietnam
- Ecuador
- Hong Kong
- Kosovo
- Cuba
- Paraguay
- Algeria
- Estonia
- Portugal
- Myanmar
- Moldova
- Russia
- Peru
- Turkey
- Uzbekistan
- Romania
- Libya
- Laos
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Pakistan
- Montenegro
- Tunisia
- Albania
- Nicaragua
- South Africa
- Ukraine
- Lebanon
- Dominican Republic
- India
- Djibouti
- Hungary
- Namibia
- Iraq
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Nigeria
- Egypt
- Kyrgyzstan
- Philippines
- Bangladesh
- Morocco
- Latvia
- Syria
- Ghana
- Zambia
- Mozambique
- Somaliland Region
- China
- Mauritania
- Malawi
- Tajikistan
- Azerbaijan
- Botswana
- Serbia
- Mongolia
- Palestinian Territories
- Nepal
- Armenia
- Yemen
- Sudan
- Senegal
- Cameroon
- Macedonia
- Uganda
- Madagascar
- Sri Lanka
- Afghanistan
- Rwanda
- Ivory Coast
- Kenya
- Angola
- Guinea
- Niger
- Cambodia
- Ethiopia
- Liberia
- Congo (Kinshasa)
- Zimbabwe
- Mali
- Burkina Faso
- Chad
- Georgia
- Congo (Brazzaville)
- Tanzania
- Haiti
- Comoros
- Burundi
- Sierra Leone
- Central African Republic
- Benin
- Togo
It’s not hard to notice that the unhappiest countries are also some of the poorest.The four happiest countries have incomes that are 40 times higher than the four unhappiest countries, the report said. People can also expect to live 28 years longer in the happiest nations.But economic growth doesn’t necessarily drive up happiness, the report found. Freedom and trust in government are also big factors in happiness, the report said.
Gallup says the Cantril Scale, developed by pioneering social researcher Dr Hadley Cantril, consists of the following:
Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top.
The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you.
On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time? (ladder-present)
On which step do you think you will stand about five years from now? (ladder-future).
You can read the full report here.
Why is Singapore mentioned in the title? Ranked 33rd overall is rubbish. Ranked #1 in SE Asia is not boast-worthy if it’s 33rd overall. In today’s global environment, being confined to a region (such as SE Asia) is no longer relevant.