When world leaders gather to talk about the importance of happiness, you know there’s a change in the air. No longer is financial freedom and economic well-being the only measure of how ‘well’ a nation is. There’s more to the puzzle and organisations around the world are figuring out ways to factor this in.
By Yasemin Trollope
When world leaders gather to talk about the importance of happiness, you know there’s a change in the air. No longer is financial freedom and economic well-being a tell-all measure of how ‘well’ a nation is. There’s more to the puzzle these days and organisations around the world are figuring out ways to factor this in.
Earlier this year, the U.N. released its World Happiness Report that looked at the link between average income, gross national product (GNP) and happiness. It’s no surprise then that the happiest countries in the world were also the richest, with Denmark, Norway, Finland and The Netherlands all topping the charts.
However, a new and completely non-financial based study by The New Economics Foundation (NEF) found that when it comes to sustainability and happiness, poorer countries ranked highest. Called the Happy Planet Index, countries are ranked by looking at the ecological footprint of a country in relation to life expectancy and experienced well-being (or the number of ‘happy years’). As the first global index of sustainable well-being, the Happy Planet Index looks at the planet as a whole, rather than just the people on it and measures “the extent to which countries deliver long, happy, sustainable lives for the people that live in them”.
But what does all this really mean to you? Well, the findings of the Happy Planet Index indicated that money doesn’t buy you happiness. In fact, the majority of the countries in the top 10 were developing countries, some of which placed among the poorest in the world.
Here we look at some of the world’s happiest countries, according to The New Economics Foundation’s Happy Planet Index.
Happy Place #1: Costa Rica
This stunning Central American country is known for its eco-travel and abundance of plants and animals. With a life expectancy on par with the USA, Costa Rica has fought back from poverty and come out on top.
Happy Place #2: Vietnam
There’s no going past Vietnamese food. It’s enough to make anyone happy. Add gorgeous green mountains and a crystal coastline to the mix and you have a recipe for a population of well cared for people.
Happy Place #3: Colombia
Despite Colombia’s issues with crime, it ranked extremely highly on the well-being rankings in the Happy Planet Index. With life expectancy and ecological footprint also rating well, this diverse country is ready to make a comeback.
Happy Place #4: Belize
Perhaps it has something to do with Belize being happily wedged between the Central American jungles and the Caribbean Sea, but this country ranked highly in its levels of experienced well-being. With an average life expectancy of 76.1 and a low ecological footprint, this fascinating country is only going to get more popular in coming years.
Happy Place #5: El Salvador
Yet another Central American country rounds out the top five and this somewhat hidden gem is often overlooked due to talks of civil war and violence. Despite its history, El Salvador houses some of the happiest people on earth, with levels of well-being comparably high to other, less violent, countries around the world.
While The Happy Planet Index does look at some important issues, it fails to take everything into account. Human rights issues for one. That said, it’s nice to see these countries ranked highly where it matters most – well-being and sustainability. So, let’s pack our bags and see what all the joy is about, shall we?
Have you been to any of these countries?
Did the people seem happy there?
Do you agree with these findings?
