Define happiness! Now that is one hard task. Happiness has many faces, manifestations and its meaning varies with every person.
Northern and Central Europe are dominating this year’s list of the happiest nations. Moreover, Scandinavian countries are making up almost 50% of the top 10 ranking.
Similar is the situation with the unhappiest countries in the world. Here Europe again takes the lead. However, this list is generally filled with countries from the eastern and southern parts of the Old Continent.
The happiest developing countries in the world:
- Switzerland (Life Satisfaction 7.8) – Switzerland has the highest life satisfaction rate from all other countries in the research. Over 80% of the people who live there enjoy good health. In addition, the income of the locals is the fourth highest in the world, amounting to more than $30,000. Life expectancy in Switzerland is also impressive – 82.8 years.
- Norway (Life Satisfaction 7.7) – Residents of Norway have incomes which are even higher than those in Switzerland – $31,459. That is interesting since people in this country work less when compared to other nations. On the average, workers in Norway spend a little over 1,400 hours at work, while those in the other countries on the list spend 1,776 hours.
- Iceland (Life Satisfaction 7.6) – Icelanders are reported to have the best support network in the world. About 98% of the people who live there state that they can count on their family and friends whenever they need a helping hand. Also, Iceland has one of the highest employment rates – 79%.
- Sweden (Life Satisfaction 7.6) – If you are planning to get a job in Sweden, you will be happy to learn that you won’t spend too many hours at your workplace. This country has one of the lowest work hours rate on the ranking. However, that does not mean that you will not be well-paid. The average disposable income in Sweden is $26,242.
- Denmark (Life Satisfaction 7.5) – Similar is the case in Denmark, where employees work 1,522 hours per year, on the average. In addition, the country invests a lot in healthcare. That is probably why around 70% of people in Demark are in a good health.
- Netherlands (Life Satisfaction 7.5) – The employment rate in this country is one of the highest on the ranking and it is estimated at 73%. The average life expectancy in the Netherland is 81.3 years.
- Austria (Life Satisfaction 7.4) – Although the unemployment rate in the Eurozone countries in 2012 was 12.3%, Austria somehow kept its own under 5%. Also, the residents of this country enjoy excellent water quality and are exhibiting high civic participation.
- Canada (Life Satisfaction 7.4) – The first North American country on the list is Canada and not the US. The States are continuing to fall down the list and are now out of the top 10. Canada received higher scores in categories like health (88%) and employees working long hours (3.9%).
- Finland (Life Satisfaction 7.4) – Less than 70% of the people who live in Finland report to have good health. Despite that, the average life expectancy in the country is 80.6 years. Also, the average disposable income in Finland is over $25,700 which is the 13th highest in the world.
- Mexico (Life Satisfaction 7.3) – Mexico proves that money are not the key to happiness. This Latin American country has the third lowest disposable income in the world ($12,732). Nevertheless, its life satisfaction index is equal to 7.3 points.
The unhappiest developing countries in the world:
- Hungary (Life Satisfaction 4.7) – Even though people in Hungary spend 17.5 years in education, their personal earnings amount to only $19.437.
- Portugal (Life Satisfaction 5) – In Portugal, half of the people report poor health. Also, the long-term unemployment rate is 6.14%.
- Greece (Life Satisfaction 5.1) – Due to Greece debts, as well as its political and financial crisis, the long-term unemployment percentage there is 8.75.
- Turkey (Life Satisfaction 5.3) – A big issue in Turkey is the long hours people spend at work. As a result, only 46% of them enjoy good health.
- Estonia (Life Satisfaction 5.4) – Personal earnings in Estonia are barely $17,000. Around 49% of the country’s residents report having poor health.
- Russian Federation (Life Satisfaction 5.6) – The Russian Federation has one of the lowest life expectancy rates on the ranking – 69.8 years. That could be partly due to the low quality of the water there (49%).
- Italy (Life Satisfaction 5.8) – Not long ago, Italy was one of the most popular job destinations in Europe. However, now things are different and the employment rate has dropped to 57% and the job security to 6.9%.
- Slovak Republic (Life Satisfaction 5.9) – Unemployment is also a problem in the Slovak republic, where long-term unemployment is currently equal 8.65%.
- Poland (Life Satisfaction 5.9) – Poland is among the countries with the highest levels of air pollution in Europe (34%). Consequently, the good health rate there is only 57%.
- Korea (Life Satisfaction 6) –The amount of people who are working long hours is more than 27%. Just like in Poland, the air pollution in Korea is high (33%).
