These are the happiest countries in the world
The happiest country of 2015 wasn’t in the sunshine-laden tropics but the cold, snowy country of Switzerland.
In fact, the top eight happiest countries were located in the global north, with Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden following Switzerland.
In the ranking of 158 countries, Australia just made it in the top 10 of happiest countries in the world, coming in tenth.
The third annual World Happiness Report is not without scientific basis. Led by an international team of economists, neuroscientists, and statisticians, the researchers based their findings on six factors: gross domestic product (GDP), life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom to make life choices, and level of corruption.
The 2015 report noted that happiness helps us live longer, healthier, and more productive lives, and that world leaders should consider the happiness of their citizens whenever they make policy decisions.
"The aspiration of society is the flourishing of its members," Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, said in a statement. "This report gives evidence on how to achieve societal well-being. It's not by money alone, but also by fairness, honesty, trust and good health. The evidence here will be useful to all countries as they pursue the new sustainable development goals."
Here are the 30 happiest countries from the study. Each colour represents one of the six key factor, which is below.
Related links:
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