Happiness is a country called Switzerland
Print Edition
SWITZERLAND is the happiest country in the world, closely followed by Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Canada, according to an annual study.
The World Happiness Report, launched by the United Nations in 2012, seeks to quantify happiness as a means of influencing government policy.
Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia round out the top 10, making small- or medium-sized countries in Western Europe seven of the top 10 happiest countries.
Academics identified the variables as real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, freedom from corruption and generosity.
Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and one of the editors, said the top 13 countries were the same for a second year running, though their order had shifted.
They combined affluence with strong social support, and relatively honest and accountable governments, he told a news conference.
“Countries below that top group fall short, either in income or in social support or in both,” Sachs said.
The United States trails in 15th place, behind Israel and Mexico, with Britain in 21st, pipped by Belgium and the United Arab Emirates. France ranks 29th, behind Germany in 26th.
Afghanistan and Syria joined the sub-Saharan African countries of Togo, Burundi, Benin, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Chad as the 10 least happy of 158 countries.
Despite the conflict raging in Iraq, that country ranked 112th, ahead of South Africa, India, Kenya and Bulgaria.
The report was edited by Sachs, John Helliwell of the University of British Columbia in Canada and Richard Layard from the London School of Economics.
“One of our very strong recommendations is that we should be using measurements of happiness ... to help guide the world during this period of the new sustainable development goals,” Sachs said.
The 166-page report will be read by governments around the world, he said.
“We want this to have an impact ... on the deliberations on sustainable development because we think this really matters,” Sachs said.
Besides money, the report emphasized fairness, honesty, trust and health as determinants, saying economic crises and natural disasters do not necessarily crush happiness.
Iceland and Ireland were the best examples, the report found, of how to maintain happiness through resilient social support despite the severity of banking collapses.
The Fukushima region of Japan saw “increased trust and happiness” after the 2011 earthquake by allowing people to build mutual dependence and cooperative capacities, it said.
On the other hand, recession-hit Greece was the “biggest happiness loser,” down almost 1.5 points from 2005-07 to 2012-14, and where data points to the erosion of trust, it said.
They said more and more governments are listening and responding with policies that put well-being first.
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