Here are top-10 happiest countries on Earth
ROME 15 March 2018: This year Finland takes the top spot as the happiest country as measured by surveys undertaken by Gallup International from 2015-2017.
The UAE ranked 20th just behind USA [18th] and United Kingdom [19th] and ahead of many European countries as well as Japan [54th] and China [86th].
Pakistan was way ahead of India as a happy country.
The top ten in order of overall happiness are:
- Finland
- Norway
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Switzerland
- Netherlands
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Sweden
- Australia
In addition, Finland’s immigrants are also the happiest immigrant population in the world, based on the available data from 117 countries.
Among South Asian countries, India was among the least happiest at 133rd place just ahead of Afghanistan.
Pakistan led the South Asian countries followed by Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Following the Gulf countries, Philippines was the happiest at 71st place. Burundi was last at 156th rank.
Some of the rankings are:
- Saudi Arabia 33
- Bahrain 43
- Kuwait 45
- Philippines 71
- Pakistan 75
- Nepal 101
- Iran 106
- Bangladesh 115
- Sri Lanka 116
- Egypt 122
- India 133
- Afghanistan 145
- Burundi [last] 156
In terms of migrant populations, the top 10 happiest countries were also the top happiest countries for foreign born immigrants.
In the Gulf, the table for happy migrants was led by Oman [16th], followed by UAE at 19th, Bahrain at 33rd, Kuwait at 34th and Saudi Arabia at 35th.
“Governments are increasingly using indicators of happiness to inform their policy-making decisions,” notes co-editor Jeffrey D. Sachs, said Wam.
The World Happiness Report 2018, which ranks 156 countries by their happiness levels, and 117 countries by the happiness of their immigrants, was released last night at a launch event at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in the Vatican. A subsequent event will occur next week on March 20th, celebrating World Happiness Day at the United Nations.
This report also considers the happiness of immigrants. The report includes four chapters on migration, both internal (within-country) and international (cross-country), investigating the happiness of migrants, their families left behind, and others living in the cities and countries receiving migrants.
The report, produced by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) with the support of the Ernesto Illy Foundation, the University of British Columbia and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, provides evidence and policy recommendations on best practices to promote happiness and well-being.
The main focus of this year’s report, in addition to its usual ranking of the levels and changes in happiness around the world, is on migration within and between countries.