Denmark is world’s happiest country, Burundi least

The 2016 Happiness Report was released on Wednesday, with Denmark emerging as the world’s happiest place and Burundi as the least happy place.
The report, prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, ranked Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Finland among the 10 most happy places on earth.
Others are Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, and Sweden respectively.
Denmark that was in third place last year, behind Switzerland and Iceland has moved to first position.
According to the report, Syria, Afghanistan and eight sub-Saharan countries were the 10 least happy places on earth to live.
Among the bottom 10 are Madagascar, Tanzania, Liberia, Guinea, Rwanda, Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and Burundi respectively.
The United States came in at 13, the United Kingdom at 23, France at 32, and Italy at 50.
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, head of the SDSN and special advisor to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, explained some causes of the difference in happiness rate.
“Many countries in recent years have achieved economic growth at the cost of sharply rising inequality, entrenched social exclusion, and grave damage to the natural environment.
“When countries single-mindedly pursue individual objectives, such as economic development to the neglect of social and environmental objectives, the results can be highly adverse for human wellbeing, even dangerous for survival.
“The message for the United States is clear. For a society that just chases money, we are chasing the wrong things.
“Our social fabric is deteriorating, social trust is deteriorating, faith in government is deteriorating,” Sachs said.
He noted Costa Rica, which came in 14th and ahead of many wealthier countries, as an example of a healthy, happy society although it is not an economic powerhouse.
The 2016 survey showed that three countries in particular, Ireland, Iceland and Japan, were able to maintain their happiness levels.
This is despite external shocks such as the post-2007 economic crisis and the 2011 earthquake in those countries, because of social support and solidarity.
Five countries – Bhutan, Ecuador, Scotland, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela – now have appointed Ministers of Happiness charged with promoting it as a goal of public policy.
The first report was issued in 2012 to support a UN meeting on happiness and well-being.
The report, now in its fourth edition, ranks 157 countries by happiness levels using factors such as per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and healthy years of life expectancy.