Top >7.9 |
Middle range ± 6.0 |
Bottom <4.3 |
|||
| Costa Rica | 8.5 |
France |
6.6 |
Benin |
3.0 |
| Denmark | 8.3 |
China |
6.4 |
Burundi |
2.9 |
| Iceland | 8.2 |
Iran |
5.8 |
Zimbabwe |
2.8 |
| Switzerland | 8.0 |
India |
5.5 |
Togo |
2.6 |
| Canada | 8.0 |
Phillippines |
5.5 |
Tanzania |
2.6 |
nation1 |
Satisfaction with life 2. 3 |
Number of surveys |
Rank |
| Afghanistan | 4.1 |
1 |
134-135 |
| Albania | 4.6 |
1 |
121-122 |
| Algeria | 5.4 |
2 |
92-95 |
| Andorra | 6.8 |
1 |
37-39 |
| Angola | 4.3 |
1 |
129-132 |
Argentina |
7.3 |
2 |
21-23 |
Armenia |
5.0 |
1 |
106-110 |
Australia |
7.7 |
8 |
11-14 |
Austria |
7.7 |
7 |
11-14 |
Azerbaijan |
5.3 |
1 |
96-100 |
Bangladesh |
5.3 |
2 |
96-100 |
| Belarus | 5.7 |
2 |
78-84 |
Belgium |
7.3 |
5 |
21-23 |
| Belize | 6.6 |
1 |
44-49 |
| Benin | 3.0 |
1 |
144 |
Bolivia |
6.5 |
1 |
50-53 |
| Bosnia | 5.8 |
1 |
74-77 |
| Botswana | 4.7 |
1 |
114-120 |
Brazil |
7.5 |
2 |
18-19 |
Bulgaria |
4.4 |
2 |
127-128 |
| Burkina Faso | 4.4 |
2 |
127-128 |
| Burundi | 2.9 |
1 |
145 |
| Cambodia | 4.9 |
1 |
111-113 |
| Cameroon | 3.9 |
1 |
136-137 |
Canada |
8.0 |
1 |
4-5 |
| Central African Republic4 | 4.6 |
1 |
121-122 |
| Chad | 5.4 |
1 |
92-95 |
Chile |
6.6 |
2 |
44-49 |
China |
6.4 |
2 |
54-55 |
Colombia |
7.7 |
2 |
11-14 |
| Congo-Brazzaville | 3.7 |
1 |
140-141 |
| Congo (Kinshasa)4 | 4.4 |
1 |
134-135 |
| Costa Rica | 8.5 |
1 |
1 |
| Croatia | 6.0 |
1 |
67-70 |
| Cyprus | 7.0 |
3 |
31-33 |
Czech Republic |
6.5 |
4 |
50-53 |
Denmark |
8.3 |
5 |
2 |
| Djibouti | 5.7 |
1 |
78-84 |
Dominican Republic |
7.6 |
2 |
15-17 |
| Ecuador | 6.4 |
1 |
54-55 |
| Egypt | 5.7 |
4 |
78-84 |
| El Salvador | 6.7 |
1 |
40-43 |
| Estonia | 5.9 |
3 |
71-73 |
| Ethiopia | 4.2 |
2 |
133 |
Finland |
7.9 |
5 |
6-8 |
France |
6.6 |
5 |
44-49 |
Georgia |
4.3 |
1 |
129-132 |
Germany |
7.1 |
9 |
28-30 |
| Ghana | 5.2 |
2 |
101-103 |
Greece |
6.3 |
3 |
56-58 |
Guatemala4 |
7.2 |
3 |
24-27 |
| Guinea4 | 4.5 |
1 |
123-126 |
| Guyana | 6.5 |
1 |
50-53 |
| Haiti4 | 3.9 |
2 |
136-137 |
| Honduras | 7.0 |
1 |
31-33 |
| Hong Kong | 6.0 |
1 |
67-70 |
| Hungary | 5.5 |
4 |
87-91 |
| Iceland | 8.2 |
2 |
3 |
| India | 5.5 |
1 |
87-91 |
| Indonesia | 6.1 |
3 |
63-66 |
| Iran | 5.8 |
2 |
74-77 |
| Iraq | 4.7 |
3 |
114-120 |
Ireland |
7.6 |
3 |
15-17 |
| Israel | 6.9 |
3 |
34-36 |
| Italy | 6.7 |
4 |
40-43 |
| Ivory Coast | 4.5 |
1 |
123-126 |
| Jamaica4 | 6.7 |
1 |
40-43 |
| Japan | 6.2 |
3 |
59-62 |
| Jordan | 6.2 |
4 |
59-62 |
| Kazakhstan | 6.1 |
1 |
63-66 |
| Kenya | 3.4 |
1 |
143 |
| Kosovo4 | 5.4 |
2 |
92-95 |
| Kuwait4 | 6.6 |
2 |
44-49 |
| Kyrgezigstan | 5.5 |
2 |
87-91 |
| Laos | 6.2 |
1 |
59-62 |
| Latvia | 5.3 |
1 |
96-100 |
| Lebanon | 4.7 |
1 |
114-120 |
| Liberia4 | 4.3 |
1 |
129-132 |
| Lithuania | 5.5 |
1 |
87-91 |
Luxembourg |
7.7 |
3 |
11-14 |
| Macedonia | 4.7 |
1 |
114-120 |
| Madagascar | 3.7 |
1 |
140-141 |
| Malawi4 | 4.8 |
2 |
114-120 |
| Malaysia | 6.6 |
2 |
44-49 |
| Mali | 4.7 |
2 |
114-120 |
| Malta | 7.1 |
1 |
28-30 |
| Mauritania | 5.0 |
1 |
106-110 |
| Mexico | 7.9 |
2 |
6-8 |
| Moldova | 4.9 |
3 | 111-113 |
| Mongolia | 5.7 |
1 |
78-84 |
| Montenegro | 5.2 |
1 |
101-103 |
| Morocco | 5.3 |
3 |
96-100 |
| Mozambique | 3.8 |
1 |
138-139 |
| Namibia4 | 5.2 |
1 |
101-103 |
| Nepal | 5.3 |
1 |
96-100 |
Netherlands |
7.6 |
5 |
15-17 |
| New Zealand | 7.5 |
2 |
18-19 |
| Nicaragua | 7.1 |
1 |
28-30 |
| Niger | 3.8 |
1 |
138-139 |
| Nigeria | 5.7 |
2 |
78-84 |
| Norway | 7.9 |
4 |
6-8 |
| Pakistan | 5.4 |
3 |
92-95 |
| Palestina | 5.0 |
1 |
106-110 |
| Panama | 7.8 |
1 |
9-10 |
| Paraguay | 6.9 |
1 |
34-36 |
| Peru | 6.3 |
3 |
56-58 |
| Philippines | 5.5 |
2 |
87-91 |
Poland |
6.3 |
5 |
56-58 |
Portugal |
5.7 |
4 |
78-84 |
| Qatar | 6.8 |
1 |
37-39 |
Romania |
5.7 |
4 |
78-84 |
| Russia | 5.6 |
3 |
85-86 |
| Rwanda | 4.3 |
2 |
129-132 |
| Saudi Arabia | 6.5 |
3 |
50-53 |
| Senegal | 4.5 |
1 |
123-126 |
| Serbia | 5.6 |
2 |
85-86 |
| Sierra Leone | 3.6 |
1 |
142 |
| Singapore | 6.7 |
3 |
40-43 |
| Slovakia | 5.8 |
2 |
74-77 |
| Slovenia | 6.9 |
5 |
34-36 |
| South Africa | 6.0 |
4 |
67-70 |
| South Korea | 6.1 |
2 |
63-66 |
| Spain | 7.3 |
9 |
21-23 |
| Sri Lanka | 5.1 |
2 |
104-106 |
| Sudan4 | 5.0 |
1 |
111-113 |
| Sweden | 7.8 |
9 |
9-10 |
| Switzerland | 8.0 |
4 |
4-5 |
| Syria | 5.9 |
1 |
71-73 |
| Taiwan | 6.2 |
1 |
59-62 |
| Tajikistan | 5.1 |
1 |
104-106 |
| Tanzania | 2.6 |
2 |
147-148 |
| Thailand | 6.6 |
2 |
44-49 |
| Togo | 2.6 |
1 |
147-148 |
| Trinidad-Tabago | 7.0 |
1 |
31-33 |
| Tunisia | 5.9 |
1 |
71-73 |
| Turkey | 5.8 |
4 |
74-77 |
| Uganda | 4.5 |
2 |
123-126 |
| Ukraine | 5.0 |
3 |
106-110 |
| United Arab Emirates4 | 7.3 |
1 |
24-27 |
| United Kingdom (Britain) | 7.2 |
6 |
24-27 |
| United States of America (USA) | 7.4 |
2 |
20 |
| Uruguay | 6.8 |
1 |
37-39 |
| Uzbekistan | 6.0 |
1 |
67-70 |
| Venezuela | 7.2 |
1 |
24-27 |
| Vietnam | 6.1 |
3 |
63-66 |
| Yemen4 | 4.8 |
2 |
114-120 |
| Zambia | 5.0 |
2 |
106-110 |
| Zimbabwe | 2.8 |
2 |
146 |
Life-satisfaction is assessed by means of surveys in general population samples. Mean scores may be inflated in some countries. due to under sampling of rural and illiterate population. This distortion is partly corrected by weighting afterwards. but may still affect the scores. This means that the real differences in life-satisfaction are probably somewhat greater than appears in these data.
Data from 2000 up to and including 2009. If the below mentioned questions had been used more than once in this era. the average score is used.
The scores are based on responses to a question about satisfaction with life. the answers to which were rated on a numerical scale ranging from 'dissatisfied' to 'satisfied'. The questions differ slightly in wording and answer format. Most questions are type O-SLW/c/sq/n/10/a (used in the World value Surveys) and O-SLW/c/sq/n/11/a (used in the Gallup World Poll). This classification is explained in section 4/3 of the introductory text. Data were taken from the tables 122D and 122E from this collection of distributional findings on Happiness in Nations. Rating scales ranged from 1 to 10 or from 0 to 10. Scores on this 1-10 scale were transformed linearly to range 0-10. This transformation in explained in the introductory text. chapter 7.3.
Scores of 13 nations are based on responses to a somewhat different question: "Suppose the top of
the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder the
worst possible life. Where on this ladder do you feel you personally stand at the present
time?". The response was rated on a ladder scale ranging from 0 to 10 (question code
C-BW/c/sq/l/11/a and c).Data were taken from the tables 31C en 31D from this database. We transformed the scores using the information of nations in
which both this item and the above question on life-satisfaction had been used in about
the same years. There are 103 such cases. The scores on the two items appears to be
highly correlated: r = +.82 and examination of the scatterplot shows a linear pattern. We computed the
regression equation and used these to estimate the score on 0-10 life-satisfaction. The formula is: Estimated 0-10 life satisfaction = 1.156 x observed score on the
Best-Worst item - 0.457 . These estimates are reported in this table. The 95% confidence interval
around these estimated values is about 1.3 points. which means that these estimates are
not very precise.
This estimation technique is described in more
detail in the Introductory Text. chapter 7 'Comparability
of the data' in section 7/3.1 'Converting scores on measures of different happiness
variants'.
Cite as:
Veenhoven. R.. Average happiness in 148 nations 2000-2009 . World Database of
Happiness. RankReport 2009-1d. Internet: worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl