The happiest and saddest countries

The happiest countries in the world are those that enjoy peace, freedom, good healthcare, quality education, a functioning political system and plenty of opportunity: Norway, Sweden, Canada and New Zealand. The saddest, least prosperous ones are war-torn countries, ruled by despots and theocrats, where freedom of expression is limited, education non-existent, violence the norm: Chad, Congo, Central African Republic, Afghanistan and Yemen.

To build the index, UK-based Legatum Institute incorporates “a mixture of traditional economic indicators alongside measurements of well-being and life satisfaction.” The result is a list of 142 countries, covering 96 per cent of the world‘s population and 99 per cent of global GDP. 

 

The United States (11^th in the overall ranking) dropped out of the top 20 in the economic sub-index for the first time, passed by New Zealand and South Korea. Meanwhile, Mexico (59th overall), overtook Brazil (46th) in the economic ranking.

In the overall prosperity ranking, Bangladesh (103rd) surpassed India (106th) for the first time, having made material improvements in education and health care in recent years. The United Kingdom fell three positions to 16th, being leap-fropped by Austria (15th), Germany (14th) and Iceland (13th).

Over the five-year period that Legatum has been preparing this index, the biggest improvements have been made in East Asia, where China has climbed in the economic sub-ranking to seventh from 34th five years ago. South America is also up, while Europe is stagnant. Denmark’s economic ranking has plunged from 5th to 23rd. Overall, the world’s lagging areas include “governance” and “safety & security.” The Arab Spring upheaval hasn’t helped either of those.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2013/10/29/the-worlds-happiest-and-saddest-countries-2013/