I did not exactly know where to place this topic but felt it would be most appropriate if it's placed under the politics section since it borders on world politics with Nigeria as a player.

The happiest people in the world may live in Scandinavia, a new study suggests.
The United Nations General Assembly's second World Happiness Report ranks countries based on several measures of well-being and analyzes the factors that contribute to that well-being. Denmark was the happiest country, followed by Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Canada.

Happiness counts

For years, the tiny Himalayan country of Bhutan has tried to measure "gross national happiness" to counter measures such as gross domestic product (GDP), arguing that such simple metrics don't capture what is really meaningful to people.
Taking your life as a whole, how happy are you?
Very happy
Quite happy
Not very happy
Not happy at all

Last year's study showed that whereas rich people are happier on average than poor people, increasing GDP in a country doesn't necessarily boost well-being. For instance, GDP tripled in the United States since the 1960s, yet well-being has stagnated.
To assess world happiness in the new study, the researchers analyzed happiness data starting from 2005. Most of the data came from the Gallup World Poll, which surveyed more than 150 countries around the world.

Worldwide trends:

Scandinavian countries topped the list of happiest countries, with the United States ranking 17th, bested by Mexico, Panama and the United Arab Emirates.

On average, people in more than 150 countries rate their happiness as a 5.1 on a scale of 0 to 10. But happiness hasn't stayed constant over time: 61 countries saw their happiness improve over the years, while 41 countries have become unhappier. Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America are becoming happier overall, while industrial nations report less well-being.
More than three-quarters of the differences in happiness scores were attributable to six key metrics: real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, freedom from corruption and generosity.

The new data could help public policy-makers tweak their policies to impact those factors, such as cracking down on corruption, to boost people's happiness. In addition, mental health problems such as clinical depression and anxiety have a huge impact on people's well-being. Yet mental health issues are often ignored b policy-makers, the study found.

"There is now a rising worldwide demand that policy be more closely aligned with what really matters to people as they themselves characterize their well-being," said study co-author Jeffery Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, in a statement. "More and more world leaders are talking about the importance of well-being as a guide for their nations and the world. The World Happiness Report 2013 offers rich evidence that the systematic measurement and analysis of happiness can teach us a lot about ways to improve the world's well-being and sustainable development."

Happy citizens also make for better countries: The report found that happiness makes people to live longer, become more productive, have higher earnings and makes them better citizens.

Here are the countries rankings, based on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the most satisfied with life. The scores are an average of results between 2010 and 2012.

1. Denmark (7.693)
2. Norway (7.655)
3. Switzerland (7.650)
4. Netherlands (7.512)
5. Sweden (7.480)
6. Canada (7.477)
7. Finland (7.389)
8. Austria (7.369)
9. Iceland (7.355)
10. Australia (7.350)
11. Israel (7.301)
12. Costa Rica (7.257)
13. New Zealand (7.221)
14. United Arab Emirates (7.144)
15. Panama (7.143)
16. Mexico (7.088)
17. United States (7.082)
18. Ireland (7.076)
19. Luxembourg (7.054)
20. Venezuela (7.039)
21. Belgium (6.967)
22. United Kingdom (6.883)
23. Oman (6.853)
24. Brazil (6.849)
25. France (6.764)
26. Germany (6.672)
27. Qatar (6.666)
28. Chile (6.587)
29. Argentina (6.562)
30. Singapore (6.546)
31. Trinidad and Tobago (6.519)
32. Kuwait (6.515)
33. Saudi Arabia (6.480)
34. Cyprus (6.466)
35. Colombia (6.416)
36. Thailand (6.371)
37. Uruguay (6.355)
38. Spain (6.322)
39. Czech Republic (6.290)
40. Suriname (6.269)
41. South Korea (6.267)
42. Taiwan (6.221)
43. Japan (6.064)
44. Slovenia (6.060)
45. Italy (6.021)
46. Slovakia (5.969)
47. Guatemala (5.965)
Malta (5.964)
49
Ecuador (5.865)
50. Bolivia (5.857)

51. Poland (5.822)

52. El Salvador (5.809)
53. Moldova (5.791)
54. Paraguay (5.779)
55. Peru (5.776)

56. Malaysia (5.760)
57. Kazakhstan (5.671)
58. Croatia (5.661)
59. Turkmenistan (5.628)
60. Uzbekistan (5.623)
61. Angola (5.589)

62. Albania (5.550)
63. Vietnam (5.533)

64. Hong Kong (5.523)

65. Nicaragua (5.507)

66. Belarus (5.504)

67. Mauritius (5.477)

68. Russia (5.464)

69. North Cyprus (5.463)

70. Greece (5.435)

71. Lithuania (5.426)

72. Estonia (5.426)

73. Algeria (5.422)

74. Jordan (5.414)

75. Jamaica (5.374)

76. Indonesia (5.348)

77. Turkey (5.345)

78. Libya (5.340)

79. Bahrain (5.312)

80. Montenegro (5.299)

81. Pakistan (5.292)

82. Nigeria (5.248)

83. Kosovo (5.222)

84. Honduras (5.142)

85. Portugal (5.101)

86. Ghana (5.091)

87. Ukraine (5.057)

88. Latvia (5.046)

89. Kyrgyzstan (5.042)

90. Romania (5.033)

91. Zambia (5.006)

92. Philippines (4.985)

93. China (4.978)

94. Mozambique (4.971)

95. Dominican Republic (4.963)
96. South Africa (4.963)

97. Lebanon (4.931)

98. Lesotho (4.898)

99. Morocco (4.885)

100. Swaziland (4.867)

101. Somaliland region (4.847)
102. Mongolia (4.834)

103. Zimbabwe (4.827)

104. Tunisia (4.826)
105. Iraq (4.817)
106. Serbia (4.813)
107. Bosnia and Herzegovina (4.813)
108. Bangladesh (4.804)
109. Laos (4.787)
110. Hungary (4.775)
111. India (4.772)
112. Mauritania (4.758)
113. Palestinian Territories (4.700)
114. Djibouti (4.690)
115. Iran (4.643)
116. Azerbaijan (4.604)
117. Congo (Kinshasa) (4.578)
118. Macedonia (4.574)
119. Ethiopia (4.561)
120. Uganda (4.443)
121. Myanmar (4.439)
122. Cameroon (4.420)
123. Kenya (4.403)
124. Sudan (4.401)
125. Tajikistan (4.380)
126. Haiti (4.341)
127. Sierra Leone (4.318)
128. Armenia (4.316)
129. Congo (Brazzaville) (4.297)
130. Egypt (4.273)
131. Burkina Faso (4.259)
132. Mali (4.247)
133. Liberia (4.196)
134. Georgia (4.187)
135. Nepal (4.156)
136. Niger (4.152)
137. Sri Lanka (4.151)
138. Gabon (4.114)
139. Malawi (4.113)
140. Cambodia (4.067)
141. Chad (4.056)
142. Yemen (4.054)
143. Afghanistan (4.040)
144. Bulgaria (3.981)
145. Botswana (3.970)
146. Madagascar (3.966)
147. Senegal (3.959)
148. Syria (3.892)
149. Comoros (3.851)
150. Guinea (3.847)
151. Tanzania (3.770)
152. Rwand2a4 (3.715)
153. Burundi (3.706)
154. Central African Republic (3.623)
155. Benin (3.528)
156. Togo (2.936)

Fellow nairalander, is this report anything to go by considering the popular notion that Nigerians are the happiest people in the world. Let's discuss.

Pakistan happier than Nigeria









we happy pass most of our neighbors sha

Spotless_babe: Pakistan happier than Nigeria

nigeria and pakistan are brothers always going hand in hand.

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Nigerians should be among top 20, MTF be suffering and smiling at the same time.
Those MTF from Anambra praying and fasting for God's intervention are a disgrace, I'm ashamed am from that state.

To whites Nigeria and Pakistan are the same, that's how they see it, boko haram is as bad as alqaeda to them, coupled with the issue of those animals that hacked a mans head off

na lie!! Tompolo go buy private jet, Nigerians go say " no mind dem", ur neighbour dey halla u wif im new gen set, Nigerians go say" God dey", go soak im garri chop, sleep. nepa go take light, a nigerian will say "mttsewwww". hmmmmmmm these are just a few out of hundreds. Nigerians!!! Twale!!!

This data is wrong! Nigeria is suppose to be among the 20 most happiest people in the world. After all,we are the only country whose citizens are "suffering and smiling"(to borrow Fela's song lyric).

Imagine the likes of Libya, Pakistan, Jamaica and Algeria being happier countries than Nigeria. Corruption and bad governance will not let us have good things of life in this country. Hope our leaders are reading

Danhumprey: This data is wrong! Nigeria is suppose to be among the 20 most happiest people in the world. After all,we are the only country whose citizens are "suffering and smiling"(to borrow Fela's song lyric).

Please let's have your own independent yardsticks to buttress your assumption. Have you considered and juxtaposed our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with the Per Capital Income of the citizenry?.

garnetty:

Please let's have your own independent yardsticks to buttress your assumption. Have you considered and juxtaposed our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with the Per Capital Income of the citizenry?.

What is this one saying, oga here is not where to practise your economics lessons

Promhize:
What is this one saying, oga here is not where to practise your economics lessons

Ode...does my comment look like HEBREW to you?. Read the overriding concept for measuring what qualifies a country as happy country or happiest country from the post. GDP per capita is one of them.

The list seems accurate to me.


First should be either Norway or Denmark.

Norway still maintains two records, the most Progressed country, and the best place to be a Mother on Earth.





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I'm a Nigerian. I am Happy :-) we used to be No 1 sha

Emperor_007: The list seems accurate to me.


First should be either Norway or Denmark.

Norway still maintains two records, the most Progressed country, and the best place to be a Mother on Earth.





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Seconded...