There is now a rising worldwide demand that policy be more closely aligned with what really matters to people as they themselves characterize their lives. More and more world leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, South Korean President Park Geun-hye and British Prime Minister David Cameron, are talking about the importance of well-being as a guide for their nations and the world.
World Happiness Report 2013
edited by John Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sachs
UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
http://unsdsn.org/happiness/
As heads of state get ready for the United Nations General Assembly in two weeks, the second World Happiness Report further strengthens the case that well-being should be a critical component of how the world measures its economic and social development. The report is published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), under the auspices of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Leading experts in several fields – economics, psychology, survey analysis, national statistics, and more – describe how measurements of well-being can be used effectively to assess the progress of nations. The Report is edited by Professor John F. Helliwell, of the University of British Columbia and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research; Lord Richard Layard, Director of the Well-Being Programme at LSE’s Centre for Economic Performance; and Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Director of the SDSN, and Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General.
“There is now a rising worldwide demand that policy be more closely aligned with what really matters to people as they themselves characterize their well-being,” said Professor Jeffery Sachs. “More and more world leaders are talking about the importance of well-being as a guide for their nations and the world. The World Happiness Report 2013 offers rich evidence that the systematic measurement and analysis of happiness can teach us a lot about ways to improve the world’s well-being and sustainable development.”
The first World Happiness Report, released in 2012 ahead of the UN high-level meeting on Happiness and Well-being, drew international attention as a landmark first survey of the state of global happiness. This new Report goes further. It delves in more detail into the analysis of the global happiness data, examining trends over time and breaking down each country’s score into its component parts, so that citizens and policy makers can understand their country’s ranking. It also draws connections to other major initiatives to measure well-being, including those conducted by the OECD and UNDP’s Human Development Report; and provides guidance for policy makers on how to effectively incorporate well-being into their decision making processes.
The report identifies the countries with the highest levels of happiness:
Denmark
Norway
Switzerland
Netherlands
Sweden
The World Happiness Report 2013 reveals fascinating trends in the data judging just how happy countries really are. On a scale running from 0 to 10, people in over 150 countries, surveyed by Gallup over the period 2010-12, reveal a population-weighted average score of 5.1 (out of 10). Six key variables explain three-quarters of the variation in annual national average scores over time and among countries. These six factors include: real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, freedom from corruption, and generosity (Table 2.1).
The Report shows significant changes in happiness in countries over time, with some countries rising and others falling over the past five years. There is some evidence of global convergence of happiness levels, with happiness gains more common in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, and losses more common among the industrial countries. For the 130 countries with data available, happiness (as measured by people’s own evaluations of their lives) significantly improved in 60 countries and worsened in 41 (Figure 2.5).
For policy makers, the key issue is what affects happiness. Some studies show mental health to be the single most important determinant of whether a person is happy or not. Yet, even in rich countries, less than a third of mentally ill people are in treatment. Good, cost-effective treatments exist for depression, anxiety disorders and psychosis, and the happiness of the world would be greatly increased if they were more widely available.
The Report also shows the major beneficial side-effects of happiness. Happy people live longer, are more productive, earn more, and are also better citizens. Well-being should be developed both for its own sake and for its side-effects.
Governments are increasingly measuring well-being with the goal of making well-being an objective of policy. One chapter of the Report, written by Lord Gus O’Donnell, former UK Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, shows just how this can be done. It shows how different are the policy conclusions when health, transport and education are viewed in this light.
Governments worldwide are now measuring subjective well-being or are currently considering whether to do so. In this Report, the OECD explains the thinking behind their new international standard guidelines for measuring well-being, and the office of the UN Human Development Report explains its own approach to the issue.
The World Happiness Report 2013 was launched at a major international workshop on September 8th. A technical workshop on the OECD Guidelines was held in a parallel session.
1 Denmark 7.693
2 Norway 7.655
3 Switzerland 7.650
4 Netherlands 7.512
5 Sweden 7.480
6 Canada 7.477
7 Finland 7.389
8 Austria 7.369
9 Iceland 7.355
10 Australia 7.350
11 Israel 7.301
12 Costa Rica 7.257
13 New Zealand 7.221
14 United Arab Emirates 7.144
15 Panama 7.143
16 Mexico 7.088
17 United States 7.082
18 Ireland 7.076
19 Luxembourg 7.054
20 Venezuela 7.039
21 Belgium 6.967
22 United Kingdom 6.883
23 Oman 6.853
24 Brazil 6.849
25 France 6.764
26 Germany 6.672
27 Qatar 6.666
28 Chile 6.587
29 Argentina 6.562
30 Singapore 6.546
31 Trinidad and Tobago 6.519
32 Kuwait 6.515
33 Saudi Arabia 6.480
34 Cyprus 6.466
35 Colombia 6.416
36 Thailand 6.371
37 Uruguay 6.355
38 Spain 6.322
39 Czech Republic 6.290
40 Suriname 6.269
41 South Korea 6.267
42 Taiwan 6.221
43 Japan 6.064
44 Slovenia 6.060
45 Italy 6.021
46 Slovakia 5.969
47 Guatemala 5.965
48 Malta 5.964
49 Ecuador 5.865
50 Bolivia 5.857
51 Poland 5.822
52 El Salvador 5.809
53 Moldova 5.791
54 Paraguay 5.779
55 Peru 5.776
56 Malaysia 5.760
57 Kazakhstan 5.671
58 Croatia 5.661
59 Turkmenistan 5.628
60 Uzbekistan 5.623
61 Angola 5.589
62 Albania 5.550
63 Vietnam 5.533
64 Hong Kong 5.523
65 Nicaragua 5.507
66 Belarus 5.504
67 Mauritius 5.477
68 Russia 5.464
69 North Cyprus 5.463
70 Greece 5.435
71 Lithuania 5.426
72 Estonia 5.426
73 Algeria 5.422
74 Jordan 5.414
75 Jamaica 5.374
76 Indonesia 5.348
77 Turkey 5.345
78 Libya 5.340
79 Bahrain 5.312
80 Montenegro 5.299
81 Pakistan 5.292
82 Nigeria 5.248
83 Kosovo 5.222
84 Honduras 5.142
85 Portugal 5.101
86 Ghana 5.091
87 Ukraine 5.057
88 Latvia 5.046
89 Kyrgyzstan 5.042
90 Romania 5.033
91 Zambia 5.006
92 Philippines 4.985
93 China 4.978
94 Mozambique 4.971
96 South Africa 4.963
97 Lebanon 4.931
98 Lesotho 4.898
99 Morocco 4.885
100 Swaziland 4.867
102 Mongolia 4.834
103 Zimbabwe 4.827
104 Tunisia 4.826
105 Iraq 4.817
106 Serbia 4.813
107 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4.813
108 Bangladesh 4.804
109 Laos 4.787
110 Hungary 4.775
111 India 4.772
112 Mauritania 4.758
113 Palestinian Territories 4.700
114 Djibouti 4.690
115 Iran 4.643
116 Azerbaijan 4.604
117 Congo Kinshasa 4.578
118 Macedonia 4.574
119 Ethiopia 4.561
120 Uganda 4.443
121 Myanmar 4.439
122 Cameroon 4.420
123 Kenya 4.403
124 Sudan 4.401
125 Tajikistan 4.380
126 Haiti 4.341
127 Sierra Leone 4.318
128 Armenia 4.316
129 Congo Brazzaville 4.297
130 Egypt 4.273
131 Burkina Faso 4.259
132 Mali 4.247
133 Liberia 4.196
134 Georgia 4.187
135 Nepal 4.156
136 Niger 4.152
137 Sri Lanka 4.151
138 Gabon 4.114
139 Malawi 4.113
140 Cambodia 4.067
141 Chad 4.056
142 Yemen 4.054
143 Afghanistan 4.040
144 Bulgaria 3.981
145 Botswana 3.970
146 Madagascar 3.966
147 Senegal 3.959
148 Syria 3.892
149 Comoros 3.851
150 Guinea 3.847
151 Tanzania 3.770
152 Rwanda 3.715
153 Burundi 3.706
154 Central African Republic 3.623
155 Benin 3.528
156 Togo 2.936