The happiest countries in the world

They should ask the children. In UK childhood is taken away with far too early School start and targets. Starting school at 7, like in a lot of 'civilised countries' has many advantages.

But it’s not just asking people their feelings…..it’s based on statistical data about quality of life.

It says for the fifth year in a row ..... and probably many more in a similar position. More important is the countries who have pushed themselves up and why. That would give us clues.

British people tend to be more critical of their country than others so that could be a factor here. Whinging poms ? Or maybe just that they tell it as it is with no rose coloured specs ?

It’s not an index based on just asking people their feelings - it’s based on indices like quality of health care, crime rate, housing etc. We know suicide rates are higher in more open countries , since in more repressed societies suicides are less likely to be reported as such - they are more likely to be recorded as “ accidental deaths” as there is more stigma attached to suicide in say, Catholic countries. So the statistics give a distorted picture. So, countries like Denmark have a more accurate picture of actual suicides. U.K. has more overcrowding, poorer housing, increasing inequality etc so will fall down the list.

Canada is number 15, two higher than the UK.

I’m quite surprised that Canada isn’t on the list. Out of all the countries I’ve visited Canadians seemed the most content.

varian, reluctant as I am to do so, I confess to believing that England has become a less happy country than it was pre-Brexit. It split the country, the remain campaign was poor. The vote to leave was by a very small margin. It’s no consolation to be proved right, it’s a disaster.

I am sorry to disagree Jaye53 but as a Scot living in England, I think that England has become a very unhappy country in the last six years as a slim majority of English voters backed brexit and now realise they were surreptitiously influenced be the Russians and were taken for fools.

Well now I have found that most folk in our country England that is : seem to be happy!![wink

I live in Luxembourg and I sincerely can't understand how it can rank 6th on the list given the high suicide rate in this country.

I think it depends on who is asked, how the questions are framed, which studies are looked at (all have a bias one way or another) and perhaps the cultural aspects that come into play. One poster said that it is socially not really acceptable for Danes to say they’re unhappy for example, whereas in Britain we often seem to fall over ourselves to say how bad everything is. I think all urban areas have difficulties, higher crime and more stark differences between rich and poorer people. It seems to me that there is more racism in some other countries. I deduce this from reports and personal experience. I wouldn’t pay too much attention to these kinds of studies, I think they merely scratch the surface. And may reflect the bias of the people doing the study.

I think you'll find many in Finland are actively considering joining NATO now - and with good reason!

If everyone is so happy in Finland why does it have a high alcoholism rate?

I doubt the Happiness index means much. It's obviously averaged in some way. Every country has people who are happy and not happy some of the time. The two states are common experiences.

Probably the country with no internet connect and no TV

Not Finland?!

The Swiss. They always look as if they have something clenched between their buttocks.
I love the Icelanders, so laid back.

Tina49

I thought the happiest place was Bhutan?

It is ?

You get what you pay for. Scandinavian countries all have much higher taxation. If you want good nationally based services free at point of contact you have to pay for them.

We visited Bhutan 4 yeas ago and everyone smiled and warmly welcomed us. We were told that Happiness was a major country belief and that GNH (Gross National Happiness) was better than our GDP (Gross National Product)
ophi.org.uk/policy/gross-national-happiness-index/

I think most Danes will be surprised to hear that we are supposed to be the second happiest country in the world.

We do have a high standard of living, but prices are high here too, and so is the suicide and the divorce rate!

Presumably, this survey was completed before Russia invaded the Ukraine, as I doubt any European country is feeling particularly happy right now.

As for NZ it used to be a wonderful place to live. I loved it there. Definitely a fabulous country. Now not so much according to relatives and friends.

I thought the happiest place was Bhutan?

silverlining48

Does everyone know that Swiss women were only given the vote in the late 60 s.

yup and there is quite a lot of social compliance there. neighbours will dob people in for not complying with quite minor laws, for instance if someone has a dog, neighbours will REQUIRE to see the relevant training and licensing paperwork and report the person if this is refused. Again this is a friend's personal experience. Now you may say "and quite right too" about that example but its not just dog ownership...neighbours police each other!