Skiers in Swiss Alps (Photo : Reuters)
Does warm weather or money make nations happy? The happiest country in the entire world is famous for its tasty chocolate and snow-covered mountains. Switzerland topped the United Nations' 2015 Happiness Report, proving that warm weather is not key.
Ranked first among 158 countries, Switzerland is followed by Iceland, Denmark, and Norway, respectively. The top four countries' scores ranged from 7.5 to 7.6 in terms of well-being. The perfect score was 10.
Switzerland is the happiest country due to various factors. They include high Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures, solid social bonds, and a rising life expectancy, according to Daily Mail.
The other respective Top 10 nations in terms of well-being included Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand, and Australia. They all scored a minimum of 7.2 points.
The UN's Happiness Report has been published each year since 2012. It shows that happiness and well-being are major factors in showing a nation's economic and social development.
In a statement, the UN argued that the Happiness Report ought to affect world leaders. It should remind them to consider their citizens' happiness when making policy decisions.
Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute, said that the report shows how to reach "societal well-being." Besides money, other important factors include "fairness" and "honesty," according to Live Science. .
The results of the Happiness Report are from Gallup polling data, from 2012 to 2015. A total of 2,000 to 3,000 people were asked in a poll to rate how pleased they were with life.
The differences in countries' happiness were mostly explained by six factors. Researchers then calculated a score for each factor in each nation.
Social standards and institutions greatly affected people, neighborhoods, and countries. The main factors were different at each level.
The world's least happy nations according to the Happiness Report were Syria, Burundi, and Togo, respectively. War and severe poverty are issues there.
Richard Layard, professor at London School of Economics, said that the UN report stresses the importance of investing in children's lives. That will help them to contribute "socially" and "economically" to their countries.
