A new Colombia University study ranks the countries of the world by the measure of happiness. The 5 happiest countries – in northern Europe and the good news: Israel is ranked as 11th happiest nation.
Sep 09, 2013, 03:17PM | Rina Feingold
Photography: Reuters
Those searching for happiness and fulfillment in life will find their best chances lie in northern Europe. According to a new study in the Earth institute in the University of Columbia, the happiest countries are situated in the north of the continent, but one can’t say Israelis are unhappy – with Israel ranked at 11th.
Denmark (1), Norway (2), Switzerland (3), The Netherlands (4) and Sweden (5) – are the happiest countries in the world according to the study that surveyed 156 countries. On the other hand – Rwanda (156), Brunei (155) The Central African republic (154) Benin (153) and Togo (152) countries that lie south of the Sahara in Africa – are the most miserable.
The US is ranked 17th in the big happiness survey, after Canada (6), Australia (10), The UAE (14) and Mexico (16). Britain which is now enjoying an economic rise but a crisis of leadership - is ranked 22nd. Germany is at 26, Japan 43, Russia ranked at 68th and China is in 93rd place.
A Dutch smile. Photography: Reuters
The biggest fall according to the measure: Italy, Greece and Portugal
“The study is most comprehensive” the institute said, adding that from the study that was done from 2010 until 2012 it appears that “the world has become a happier and kinder place in the last 5 years”. One of the most interesting facts given by the study is the ranking of EU nations – Italy, Greece and Portugal - that have suffered crisis these past few years. Each one dropped at least 10 places since the last survey that was preformed five years ago.
Angola, Zimbabwe and Albania are the countries that have seen the biggest rise. “Countries must invest greatly in health services” the institute’s report said. According to the report, mental illness has the most influence of the measure of happiness: “people can be miserable for various reasons like poverty, unemployment, and illness, but in every society chronic mental illnesses are the cause of the most pain. If we want a happier world, we need a new view concerning mental health”.
A small happy country in the Middle East Photography: Reuters
The happiness measure for 2013 came out at the same time as growing worldwide movement, calling for government and decision makers to place less of an emphasis on economical achievements and economic growth , and instead concentrate on polices that will make improve people’s lives. “It is important to balance the efforts for social progress with the welfare of the individual in order to guarantee economic progress that will lead to improvement in many different aspects of life and not just the improvement of the economic status” the report said.
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