Costa Rica Ranked Happiest Nation
"Happiness doesn’t have to cost the earth,” according to the Happy Planet Index published by the New Economics Foundation, a British think-tank which also considers the ecological footprint and life expectancy of countries.
Out of 143 countries, Costa Ricans report the highest life satisfaction in the world (85% said they were happy). Their life expectancy is the second-highest at 78.5 years. Only Canadians live longer. In addition, Costa Ricans “have an ecological footprint that means that the country only narrowly fails to achieve the goal of ... consuming its fair share of the Earth’s natural resources.” the report stated.
This year’s survey featured Latin American nations in nine of the top 10 spots. After Costa Rica came the Dominican Republic, followed by Jamaica, Guatemala and Vietnam. A total of 143 countries were investigated.
Great Britain ranked 74th and the United States came in at 114, because of its over-consumption and ecological footprint. The United States was greener and happier 20 years ago than it is today, according to the report.
Launched in 2006, the Happy Planet Index is the first index to combine environmental impact with well-being to measure the environmental efficiency with which countries provide long and happy lives.