Danes are the happiest people in the world
Mar 17, 2016
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Society and living
Denmark once again ranks first in the World Happiness Report 2016 by the UN, reclaiming the top spot position from 2013 and 2014.
Today, the Danes have a reason to smile even broader than usually.
The UN has published the 2016 edition of its World Happiness Report, which reveals that Denmark is once again the world's happiest nation.
Denmark is a well-fare state
This year, for the first time, the World Happiness Report gives a special role to measuring the consequences of inequality in the distribution of well-being among countries and regions.
It finds that people are happier living in societies where there is less inequality of happiness.
Denmark is well known for its generous state welfare and for its egalitarian nature.
People in Denmark enjoy high levels of job security and will receive state support if they lose their jobs or fall ill. The taxes paid are reinvested into free healthcare, schools and universities. Denmark also suffers few natural disasters and has virtually no corruption.
You may also like: Denmark is the least corrupt country in the world.
Happiness is much more than GDP
The World Happiness Report 2016 looks at trends in the data recording how highly people evaluate their lives on a scale running from 0 to 10. The rankings are based on surveys in 156 countries covering the years 2013-2015.
Seven key variables are used: real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, perceived freedom to make life choices, having someone to count on, generosity, and freedom from corruption.
Top 10
- Denmark
- Switzerland
- Iceland
- Norway
- Finland
- Canada
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Sweden
See the full UN World Happiness Report 2016.
