(Q24N) Denmark overtook Switzerland as the world’s happiest place, according to a report on Wednesday that urged nations regardless of wealth to tackle inequality and the environment.
The report, prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, showed Syria, Afghanistan and eight sub-Saharan countries as the 10 least happy places on earth to live.
The top 10 this year were:
- Denmark
- Switzerland
- Iceland
- Norway
- Finland
- Canada
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Australia
- and Sweden.
Denmark was in third place last year, behind Switzerland and Iceland.
The bottom 10 were:
- Madagascar
- Tanzania
- Liberia
- Guinea
- Rwanda
- Benin
- Afghanistan
- Togo
- Syria
- and Burundi.
The United States came in at 13, Costa Rica 14, the United Kingdom at 23, France at 32, and Italy at 50.
“There is a very strong message for my country, the United States, which is very rich, has gotten a lot richer over the last 50 years, but has gotten no happier,” said Professor Jeffrey Sachs, head of the SDSN and special advisor to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, pointed to Costa Rica, which came in 14th and ahead of many wealthier countries, as an example of a healthy, happy society although it is not an economic powerhouse.
While the differences between countries where people are happy and those where they are not could be scientifically measured, “we can understand why and do something about it,” Sachs, one of the report’s authors, told Reuters in an interview in Rome.
“The message for the United States is clear. For a society that just chases money, we are chasing the wrong things. Our social fabric is deteriorating, social trust is deteriorating, faith in government is deteriorating,” he said.
The first report was issued in 2012 to support a U.N. meeting on happiness and well-being. Five countries—Bhutan, Ecuador, Scotland, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela—now have appointed Ministers of Happiness charged with promoting it as a goal of public policy.
The 2016 survey showed that three countries in particular, Ireland, Iceland and Japan, were able to maintain their happiness levels despite external shocks such as the post-2007 economic crisis and the 2011 earthquake because of social support and solidarity.
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