The United Nations has released their 2017 World Happiness Report – an effort aimed at focusing global leaders’ attention on the welfare of their fellow citizens rather than traditional, economic metrics such as GDP.
The report asked respondents to rank their happiness on scale of zero to 10 – with 10 representing the best possible life and zero representing their worst possible life.
The top countries were Western, developed countries – with Australia placing ninth, and Germany 16th.
The 10 happiest countries:
1. Norway
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Switzerland
5. Finland
6. The Netherlands
7. Canada
8. New Zealand
9. Australia
10. Sweden
Followed by:
13. Austria
16. Germany
While Australia stayed relatively stable, the United States slipped from 13th to 14th place.
Authors said that key factors affecting happiness included income, employment, education, family life, and mental and physical health.
They wrote that the six main factors which caused countries to move up and down were wealth per capita, life expectancy, social support, absence of corruption, freedom to make life decisions and generosity, measured by donations.
In Western countries such as Australia or Germany, mental illness turned out to be the most important determinant of happiness – above income, employment or physical wellbeing.
The 10 saddest countries:
146. Yemen
147. South Sudan
148. Liberia
149. Guinea
150. Togo
151. Rwanda
152. Syria
153. Tanzania
154. Burundi
155. Central African Republic
Authors said that income differences were more important in accounting for happiness in poorer countries, but that even in those countries mental illness was a major source of misery.
While citizens in Africa remain optimistic, authors wrote that their countries had not seen a major rise in happiness in recent years.
“African people’s expectations that they and their countries would flourish under self-rule and democracy appear not yet to have been met,” they wrote.
China ranked 79th in the study of 155 countries.
