In photos: The happiest and least happy countries in the world; India’s rank
World Happiness Report 2022: Nordic countries top the list of the happiest nations. Afghanistan, Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Botswana are the least happy.
The World Happiness Report, published by Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a United Nations non-profit, marks its 10th year in 2022.
For the fifth straight year, Finland has been ranked as the happiest country in the world. It is among the five Nordic countries featuring in the top 10 ranks.
The second happiest country is Denmark, followed by Iceland. Sweden ranks seven, while Norway is on the eighth spot.
The World Happiness Report uses global survey data to find out how people evaluate their own lives in more than 150 countries around the world.
Two key ideas of the report are that happiness can be measured through opinion surveys and key determinants of well-being can be identified. “This information, in turn, can help countries to craft policies aimed at achieving happier societies,” the report says.
The 2022 report is based on average data collected over a three-year period. Per capita GDP, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption levels are among the factors taken into account for the report.
Canada, United States and the United Kingdom occupy that 15th, 16th and 17th spots, respectively.
Among the bottom-five countries on the index are conflict-torn Afghanistan, Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Botswana.
India ranks 136 on the 2022 World Happiness Report. It is among the 11 least happy countries.
The World Happiness Report has been released in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, which has disrupted lives across the globe. "Now that we have two years of evidence, we are able to assess not just the importance of benevolence and trust, but to see how they have contributed to well-being during the pandemic," said John Helliwell, one of the authors of the report.
