March 20 is approaching - International Day of Happiness. This date for the holiday was not chosen by the United Nations by chance. On almost the entire planet, March 20 is the day of the vernal equinox, when day equals night. This symbolizes the fact that every person on the planet has an equal right to happiness.

Just ahead of this date, at the request of the UN, a report on the level of happiness around the world was published (World Happiness Report Update 2016).

The report was prepared by an international team of experts including economists, psychologists and health experts.

According to the survey, the happiest people are in Denmark. Last year this country northern Europe ranked 3rd after Switzerland and Iceland.

People's happiness was assessed based on the following criteria:

  • Social security
  • Trust (opinion on the level of corruption in the country)
  • GDP per capita
  • Freedom to make decisions
  • Expected duration healthy life
  • Generosity (number of donations, charity)

Analysts at the Gallup Research Center surveyed 3,000 people in each of 157 countries. People were asked to imagine a staircase of 10 steps, the highest of which means a state of complete happiness, and the lowest means the worst living conditions. The respondents answered which of the steps they are on. These indicators formed the basis of the study.

The average level of happiness around the world is 5 points, that is, the world today stands somewhere on the 5th step.

As can be seen from the report, residents of the Nordic countries are most satisfied with their lives.

The top five include Denmark (1), Switzerland (2), Iceland (3), Norway (4) and Finland (5). In all these countries, social support for the population is highly developed, and the level of pensions is quite high. People are more confident in their future, which is important.

The people of Denmark are the happiest in the world.

Despite the fact that Danish citizens pay large taxes, a large proportion of these payments are invested in the education system, health care and social support of the population. Danish students can receive good scholarships every month for 7 years. The healthcare system is at a high level, and it is free. Many Danes express confidence in the future. They are not so afraid of losing their jobs or getting sick, the state will support them at this time. Some Danish people admit that they are worried about the weather.

Canada (6), Netherlands (7), New Zealand(8), Australia (9) and Sweden (10).

The US is in 13th place (up from 15th), the UK is 23rd (21st a year ago), Australia and Canada are in the top.

In general, the most prosperous regions of the world are Europe (especially the northern part), North America, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Burundi is the last on the list. The people of this country suffer from unrest and the poverty level is extremely high.

The least favorable situation is observed in Asia (southern part) and Africa (sub-Saharan region). Mostly these regions include the countries at the very bottom of the list. Burundi is in 157th place. There are many riots in this country, which sometimes take a violent form. The poverty rate in Burundi is extremely high.

Former Union countries on the list of lucky nations

Russia in 2016 climbed 8 steps up - to 56th place from 64th.

Ukraine, on the contrary, dropped from 111th place to 121st.

  • Uzbekistan (49th place)
  • Kazakhstan (54)
  • Moldova (55)
  • Russia (56)
  • Lithuania (60)
  • Belarus (61)
  • Turkmenistan (65)
  • Latvia (68)
  • Estonia (72)
  • Azerbaijan (81)
  • Kyrgyzstan (85)
  • Tajikistan (100)
  • Armenia (121)
  • Ukraine (123)
  • Georgia (126)

The researchers also ranked the 10 countries with the most significant increase in happiness in the past year. Moldova, Uzbekistan, Russia, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan entered the top twenty regions where people became much happier in 2015 compared to 2014.

It is noteworthy that in this list Russia is in 10th place between Uzbekistan and Peru.

Nicaragua ranks first in terms of growth in life satisfaction.

Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Ukraine are among the top 10 leaders in terms of the deterioration of this indicator (the level of happiness, on the contrary, has fallen sharply). Denmark is also the leader in the overall rating and is number 20 in terms of the fall in the level of happiness (by 0.4 points), oddly enough.

Researchers' findings

After conducting the research, the experts came to interesting conclusions.

First, people's happiness largely depends on the level of social inequality in society. Countries with a more equitable distribution of wealth (smaller inequality gap) performed significantly better. Residents of these countries feel happier. Not surprisingly, Denmark has the lowest level of social inequality. In this country, the income of the richest people is only 5 times higher than the income of the poorest (the average for the countries of the world is 10). A competent tax policy plays a significant role in this.

Also, scientists noted that the level of happiness of citizens does not always correspond to the standard of living in the country. This gives rise to thinking about the need for a more equitable distribution of well-being, both between countries and within the country.

Life satisfaction is influenced by a combination of economic, social and other factors on which the study was based. If a country pursues a policy aimed only at achieving economic wealth, without caring about the social and environmental well-being of its inhabitants, then this often leads to a decrease in the level of life satisfaction.

Image copyright Getty Image caption Danes turned out to be the happiest people in the world

According to a UN study, Denmark turns out to be the happiest country in the world.

This is the fourth study of the level of happiness and life satisfaction in different countries the world.

One of his main findings in the current World Happiness Report is that countries with lower levels of social inequality tend to be happier.

The top five, apart from Denmark, included Switzerland. Iceland, Norway and Finland. All of these countries have well-developed social security systems.

The United States is in 13th place on this list, the UK is 23rd, China is 83rd, Ukraine is 123rd.

At the bottom of the list of 156 countries is Burundi, where riots continue, periodically. It was even lower in the rating than Syria, where more than 250 thousand people have died during the civil war over the past five years.

Image copyright Getty Image caption Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world and suffers from civil wars, AIDS, corruption and very limited access to education

The study found that Syrians expect a longer healthy life expectancy and are more generous than residents of Burundi, as well as Togo, Afghanistan and Benin - the countries at the bottom of the list.

In general, the happiest regions are North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.

South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa were the only regions with a well-being score below five out of ten.

Inequality of happiness

The report, compiled by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), is an analysis of thousands of people in every country that is conducted annually by the Gallup Institute. The respondents were asked to rate their lives on a ten-point scale.

The researchers identified six main categories that determine the level of well-being: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, personal freedoms, participation in charity, and perceptions of the level of corruption.

Image copyright RIA Novosti Image caption Russia is on the 56th place in the list of 156 countries. Despite the economic crisis, it climbed eight places in the ranking over the year.

The study found that people generally live happier lives in societies where there is less inequality in the distribution of happiness.

The greater the gap in happiness between different groups population, the less happy society as a whole.

The study authors also took into account the level of social support, which was defined as the ability to count on someone in difficult times. Another important factor is the level of corruption in society, as it appears to the survey participants.

“Human well-being should be promoted through a holistic approach that combines economic, social and environmental goals"Columbia University Earth Institute director Jeffrey Sachs said in a SDSN press release.

“Instead of narrowly focusing on economic growth, we need to foster prosperous, equitable and environmentally sustainable,” he says.

The top ten happiest countries in the world have not changed, although some of them have not changed places. In particular, Switzerland lost the first line to Denmark.

20 happiest countries:

1. Denmark 2. Switzerland 3. Iceland 4. Norway 5. Finland 6. Canada 7. Netherlands 8. New Zealand 9. Australia 10. Sweden 11. Israel 12. Austria 13. USA 14. Costa Rica 15. Puerto Rico 16. Germany 17. Brazil 18. Belgium 19. Ireland 20. Luxembourg

), which assessed the happiness of residents of 156 countries and the happiness of immigrants in 117 countries. Special attention this year's report focused on migration within and between countries.

Source: facebook.com/HappinessRPT/

The happiest countries of 2018

In the ranking of the happiest countries in 2018, Finland came out on top. The top ten leaders have not changed for 2 years, they only change places. Following Finland are Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland. These countries have been at the top of the happiness rankings for the past four years.

The six criteria from which the authors of the report start: GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support, personal freedom, trust and generosity. All leading countries have high values ​​of these indicators.

World Happiness Ranking 2018

Who has changed positions in the happiness rating and how much

An analysis of changes from 2008–2010 to 2015–2017 showed that Togo rose the most in the ranking (by 17 positions), and Venezuela showed the largest drop - by 2.2 points on a scale from 0 to 10.

Changes in the happiness index of the countries of the world from 2008–2010 to 2015–2017

Source: World Happiness Report 2018

You can see how the happiness index has changed in individual countries on pages 10-15. (pdf).

Immigrant Happiness Ranking

Perhaps the report's most striking finding is that countries ranked in terms of happiness for their immigrant populations almost the same as for the rest of the population. The ten happiest countries in the overall ranking also rank ten of the top eleven in the happiness rankings for immigrants. Finland is at the top of both rankings.

The closeness of these two rankings shows that happiness can and does change with the quality of the society in which people live. The happiness of immigrants, like local ones, depends on a number of characteristics. social structure going well beyond more high income traditionally considered a source of encouragement for migration. The countries with the happiest immigrants are not the richest countries. These are countries with a more balanced set of social and institutional support for better life... Nevertheless, the approximation of the happiness of the immigrant to the happiness of the local population is not complete; the effect of the "footprint" of the country of origin of immigration remains. This effect ranges from 10–25%. This explains why the happiness of the immigrant is less than the happiness of the inhabitants of local countries.

The report also looked at rural-to-urban migration based on the recent Chinese experience, which has been described as the greatest migration in history. The experience of such migration also demonstrates the approach of migrants to the satisfaction with the life of the city dwellers, as in international migration, but the feeling of happiness still remains less than the average for the city.

The importance of social factors

The report also discusses the importance of social factors happiness of both migrants and non-migrants. The positions of the Latin American countries are due to the great warmth of family and other social relations. The final part of the World Happiness Report 2018 focuses on three health problems that threaten happiness: drug addiction and. Despite the global context, much of the evidence and discussion focuses on the United States, where the prevalence of all three issues is growing faster than most other countries.

History of the World Happiness Report

The World Happiness Report was first released in April 2012 by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN).

In July 2011 General Assembly The UN adopted a resolution in which member countries were asked to appreciate the happiness of their people and use it to guide their government policies. On April 2, 2012, the first UN high-level meeting "Happiness and Wellbeing: Defining a New Economic Paradigm" was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Jigme Tinley of Bhutan. It is the only country to have adopted gross national happiness instead of gross domestic product as its main indicator of development.

Six metrics are taken into account when calculating the level of happiness

1. GDP per capita (GDP per capita) adjusted for domestic prices (PPP) in USD 2011 (World Bank, September 2017). The equation uses the natural logarithm of GDP per capita, as this form fits the data significantly better than GDP per capita (pdf, rankings on pages 57-59).

2.Healthy life expectancy (healthy life expectancy) (World organization Health, 2012, Human Development Indicators, 2017). Life expectancy in a given year * (Healthy life expectancy 2012 / Life expectancy 2012) (pdf, ranking on pages 63–65).

3. Social support (social support) - average national answer to the question (about or 1) of the Gallup World Poll (GWP) "If you had a problem, could you count on the help of relatives or friends if necessary?" (If you were in trouble, do you have relatives or friends you can count on to help you whenever you need them, or not?) (Pdf, ranked on pages 60–62).

4. Freedom of life choice(freedom to make life choices). Average National Response to Gallup World Poll (GWP) Question (0 or 1): "Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the freedom to choose what you do with your life?" (Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your freedom to choose what you do with your life?) (Pdf, reviewed on pages 66-68).

5. Generosity (generosity): "Did you spend money on charity last month?" (Generosity is the residual of regressing national average of response to the GWP question “Have you donated money to a charity in the past month?” On GDP per capita.) (Pdf, ranking on pages 69-71).

6. Perceptions of corruption (perceptions of corruption) - average national response to the question (about or 1) of the Gallup World Poll (GWP): "Is government corruption widespread or not?" ("Is corruption widespread throughout the government or not?") And "Is corruption widespread in business or not?" ("Is corruption widespread within businesses or not?"). Where no data on government corruption is available, perceptions of business corruption are used as a general measure of perceptions of corruption. (pdf, ranked on pp. 72–74).

In addition, the outcome was influenced by the subjective feeling of happiness or unhappiness. For example, the answers to the questions about the past day were taken into account: laughing? was there a feeling of happiness? experienced anxiety? anger? Each country is also compared to a hypothetical country called Dystopia. Dystopia presents the lowest national averages for each key variable.

In preparing the publication of TheWorldOnly, the following text was used:
Helliwell, J., Layard, R., & Sachs, J. (2018). World Happiness Report 2018, New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Read about Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.

In fact, the index of happiness is most directly related to the topic of the site, since it reflects the level of satisfaction of the population with their lives, which, in turn, is very closely related to their financial condition.

What is the Happiness Index?

Usually used and continue to apply, let's say, more economic indicators of the standard of living of the population, for example, GDP per capita or something similar. But the scientists of the British center for scientific research New Economic Foundation came to the conclusion that this cannot be considered correct, since the person himself is given little by the size of the GDP that it accounts for, people have different criteria of satisfaction own life... So in 2006, NEF scientists developed a new indicator that would more accurately show the level of well-being of the population in the country, it received the resounding name of the World Happiness Index (or in the original The Happy Planet Index).

World (International) Happiness Index Is a combined indicator that reflects the ability of countries, individual districts, regions, cities and other territorial entities to provide their residents happy life... This indicator is calculated, starting from 2006, once every 2-3 years, for its calculation, statistical data of the largest national and international institutions and organizations.

The exact methodology for calculating the happiness index is not indicated anywhere (perhaps it is kept secret), but it is known that 3 main criteria are taken into account:

  1. People's satisfaction with life;
  2. Average life expectancy;
  3. The ecological situation in the region.

It is these 3 points, according to the developers of the happiness index, that have a primary impact on how happy a person feels. Please note that no country economic indicators are used to calculate the happiness index. That is, no matter how strong and dynamically developing it is, this does not directly affect the happiness index.

Thus, we can say that the happiness index shows how competently a country uses its economic potential and Natural resources to create good living conditions for the population. To put it quite simply, how much the state cares about its citizens, how much the citizens are satisfied with them.

Now let's see which countries are the most and least happy, and which places in international ranking happiness is assigned to our countries.

Ranking of countries according to the index of happiness.

So, according to the latest data, Denmark became the country with the highest happiness index, which was also noted as the country with the lowest level of social inequality. In addition to her, Switzerland (previously ranked 1st), Iceland, Norway and Finland entered the TOP-5 leaders. That is, we can state that the happiest people live in European countries.

Burundi (last, 156th place in the ranking), Syria, Togo, Afghanistan, Benin were recognized as the most unhappy this time.

The countries with the most positive dynamics of the happiness index for the period under study include Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Ecuador, Moldova, Latvia, China, Slovakia, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Russia. And to the countries with the most negative dynamics - Venezuela, Botswana, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Greece.

If we take it in a regional context, then the best way feel the countries of the European continent, Northern and Latin America as well as the Caribbean.

Russia this time took the 56th position in the rating, having significantly improved its indicator. Interestingly, earlier the country was even below 100, and in last years the happiness index in Russia has grown significantly, despite the real drop in living standards and. Paradoxical, but true.

Kazakhstan is located a little higher - by 54 positions, Moldova also - by 55. Uzbekistan is the happiest country in the CIS this time - it takes 49th place in the rating. Belarus ranks 61st, Turkmenistan 65th, Kyrgyzstan 85th.

And Ukraine lags behind the leaders in the CIS by more than 2 times and is in 123 place in the ranking of countries according to the index of happiness, showed negative dynamics. Positions of Georgia turned out to be worse (126th place), Armenia is not far away (121st place). Nearby in the ranking are African countries with low level development.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the international index of happiness is given more and more importance every year, it is given more and more attention. For many countries, the index of happiness has already become a key indicator of the standard of living of the population, taken as a basis, and the number of such countries is growing every year.

Now you know what the World Happiness Index is. It remains only to wish all of you to feel happy and to make your modest contribution to the calculation of the happiness index of your state, raising it in world rankings.

Until next time! See you on the site pages!

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), commissioned by the United Nations, conducted a study that ranked the happiest countries. The publication of the report was timed to International Day happiness, which is celebrated on March 20.

The top six countries whose citizens are considered the happiest in the world include Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, and the Netherlands.

Interestingly, the most happy country last year in the new rating did not make it to the first line. There are also a number of fairly prosperous countries that have surrendered their positions, for example, the United States. The author of the report, Jeffrey Sachs, linked the country's movement in the ranking from 13th to 14th place with new policy held by the 45th American President Donald Trump.

“Trump’s economic measures are aimed at increasing inequality - cutting taxes for the highest category of income, denying financing of health care costs, reducing the allocation for the program to deliver free meals to the weak and poor people in order to increase military spending. I think these are all steps in the wrong direction, ”Sachs said.

On the contrary, Russia's indicators have improved this year: it has risen in the ranking from 56th to 49th place, overtaking Japan and missing several points to 48th place, which was taken by Italy.

The study authors examined the lives of people in 155 countries. When compiling the list, six main criteria were taken into account. Economists took data on two of them from the country's public statistics: GDP per capita and life expectancy. Three more criteria were taken from the data of public surveys: social support of the population in difficult situations, freedom of choice and trust in government. The last aspect to be considered in the rankings was generosity - but here the researchers had to take the respondents' word for it. Each of them was asked the question, what are the recent donations to charity.

Controversial parameters

The parameters on which the research is based are rather controversial, therefore, the results should be taken critically, says Andrey Gribanov, a representative of the Institute for Socio-Economic and Political Research Foundation.

“The parameters by which they determined human happiness are rather strange. I have no questions about generosity in charity. This is understandable to the average person. But the rest of the points are not easy to correlate with the abstract concept of "happiness", - said the expert.

It is difficult to directly link GDP per capita with happiness: after all, you can be economically secure, but at the same time, for example, not have health, Gribanov notes.

  • Reuters

“Life expectancy is also a controversial parameter. After all, statistics are quite a sly thing. Someone in the immediate environment, people die early enough, and someone has long-livers in the family. In Japan, for example, one of the most long durations life, but there are also a lot of stories about how lonely old people commit suicide, ”explained Andrei Gribanov, adding that everyone has their own understanding of freedom of choice.

Patient's happiness in the VIP room

“The countries with a very high rate of depression and suicide are at the top of the rating. How can the people of these countries be happy? Holland is generally the number one country in this sense. These are countries where the climate is rainy enough, there are not many sunny days(Unlike southern countries) plus a certain level of stability and monotonous employment of a person, that is, search activity is not particularly required there. "

The expert compared such happiness with the external well-being of a patient who is in a hospital in a comfortable environment, but at the same time does not cease to be sick.

“You can, for example, ask yourself whether the person who is in the hospital in the VIP room is happy. He has there too good conditions: he is alone in the ward, there is an air conditioner. But is he happy alone with his diagnosis? " - he urged to think.

The psychologist also believes that, taking into account all these parameters, the researchers “did not look into the soul,” but only measured external factors. But after all, very often the feeling of happiness is subjective and is assessed by everyone in their own way.

“All research criteria come from external factor, implying that with all six components, a person should be happy. But here there is not a single subjective criterion, there is no position that would come from the people. That is, it is assumed that they should be happy, because they are given such conditions, ”said the expert.

The elusive well-being of the United States

Older Researcher Institute for the United States and Canada, economist Vladimir Batyuk commented on the decline in the "happiness rating" in the United States compared to last year. According to him, a downgrade by one position is a slight deterioration that should not be given much attention... And the comments of the author of the report, Jeffrey Sachs, that happy people in the United States it has become less due to the policies of the new President Donald Trump, and they have no basis at all.

“Trump took office just two months ago, and it is too early to make any statements about the impact of his policies on the lives of the population. It seems that the author of the report is initially an ill-wisher of Trump, "the expert suggested.

In addition, according to his assessment, on the basis of this report it is hardly possible to judge the real well-being of the countries included in the rating.