Since 2012, the United Nations' Sustainable Development Solutions Network has issued a World Happiness Report, ranking countries based on economic and social factors. In 2017, Norway was considered to be the happiest place on Earth, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, and Finland. At the other end of the happiness spectrum, the 10 countries at the bottom of the list are among the world’s poorest: Yemen, South Sudan, Liberia, Guinea, Togo, Rwanda, Syria, Tanzania, Burundi, and Central African Republic. The United States was No. 14 on the list, in between Austria and Ireland.
We're happy to announce:
- The rankings attempt to quantify and measure happiness by looking at a country’s per capita income, healthy life expectancy, social support system, generosity, freedom, and absence of corruption in business and government.
- Jeffrey D. Sachs, a Columbia University economist and one of the editors of the report, said, “I want governments to measure this, discuss it, analyze it and understand when they have been off on the wrong direction.”
- Last year, the United Arab Emirates was one of a handful of countries to create a Minister of Happiness position, in order to help “drive government policy to create social good and satisfaction.”