INEQUALITY OF HAPPINESS IN 131 NATIONS 2000-2008
How much citizens differ in enjoyment of their life-as-a-whole

Top/bottom

Full list

Technical details

Cite as

Top/bottom

Top

SD <1,8

Middle range

SD ± 2,5

Bottom

SD >3
 

Netherlands

1,48

Indonesia

2,34

Dominican Rep

3,04

Pakistan

1,62

Morocco

2,42

Zimbabwe

3,04

Switzerland

1,76

Mexico

2,48

Algeria

3,18

Iceland

1,77

India

2,54

Egypt

3,36

Malta

1,80

China

2,71

Tanzania

3,58

Full list, alphabetic

nation1

Standard deviationSatisfaction with life 2, 3
(scale 0 - 10)

Number of surveys

Rank of 131
Afghanistan4
2,20
1
32-35
Albania
2,50
1
83
Algeria
3,18
1
129
Angola4
1,98
1
11-13

Argentina
2,32
1
50

Armenia4
2,47
1
80-81

Australia
2,02
21
17-18

Austria
2,12
5
23

Azerbaijan4
2,25
1
39-40

Bangladesh
2,42
1
67-69

Belarus
2,46
5
79

Belgium
2,29
2
46-47
Benin4
2,28
1
43-45

Bolivia4
2,37
1
59-61
Bosnia
2,66
1
101-104
Botswana4
2,52
1
84-86

Brazil
2,33
1
51-53

Bulgaria
2,77
3
111
Burkina Faso
2,42
1
67-69
Burundi4
2,15
1
26
Cambodia4
2,30
1
48
Cameroon4
2,40
1
63-64

Canada 
2,06
1
19-20

Chile
2,33
2
51-53

China
2,71
2
107-108

Colombia
2,16
1
27-28
Costa Rica4
2,54
1
89-92
Croatia
2,59
1
95
Cyprus
2,20
2
32-35

Czechia
2,17
3
29

Denmark
2,02
4
17-18

Dominican Republic4
3,04
1
127-128
Ecuador4
2,65
1
99-100
Egypt
3,36
2
130
El Salvador
2,60
1
96
Estonia
2,43
3
70-72
Ethiopia
2,23
1
36-37

Finland
1,91
6
8-9

France
2,19
5
31

Georgia4
2,45
1
75-78

Germany
1,99
8
14
Ghana
2,92
1
123

Greece

2,43
3
70-72

Guatemala4
2,52
2
84-86
Haiti4
2,39
1
62
Honduras4
2,87
2
120-121
Hong Kong
2,14
1
24-25
Hungary
2,71
4
107-108
Iceland
1,77
1
4
India4
2,54
2
89-92
Indonesia
2,34
1
54-55
Iran
2,68
1
105
Iraq
2,69
2
106

Ireland
2,01
3
15-16
Israel
2,41
2
65-66
Italy
2,14
3
24-25
Jamaica4
2,43
1
70-72
Japan
2,10
2
22
Jordan
3,01
2
125
Kazakhstan4
2,37
1
59-61
Kenya4
2,31
1
49
Kosovo4
2,45
1
75-78
Kuwait4
2,28
2
43-45
Kyrgezigstan
2,86
1
118-119
Laos4
1,85
1
6
Latvia
2,66
1
101-104
Lebanon4
2,62
3
97
Lithuania
2,93
1
124

Luxembourg
2,06
3
19-20
Macedonia
3,02
1
126
Madagascar4
2,16
1
27-28
Malawi4
2,54
1
89-92
Malaysia
2,25
1
39-40
Mali
2,88
1
122
Malta
1,80
1
5
Mauretania4
2,44
1
73-74
Mexico
2,48
2
82
Moldova
2,54
1
89-92
Montenegro
2,66
1
101-104
Morocco
2,42
2
67-69
Mozambique4
2,36
1
57-58
Nepal4
2,23
1
36-37

Netherlands
1,48
6
1
New Zealand
2,07
2
21
Nicaragua4
2,86
1
118-119
Niger4
2,26
1
41-42
Nigeria
2,58
1
93-94
Norway
2,26
3
41-42
Pakistan
1,62
1
2
Palestina4
2,65
1
99-100
Panama4
2,66
1
101-104
Paraguay4
2,45
1
75-78
Peru
2,58
2
93-94
Philippines
2,82
1
116

Poland

2,53
1
87-88

Portugal
2,18
4
30

Romania
2,87
4
120-121
Russia
2,78
2
112-114
Rwanda
2,34
1
54-55
Saudi Arabia
2,52
1
84-86
Senegal4
2,20
2
32-35
Serbia
2,53
1
87-88
Sierra Leone4
2,36
1
57-58
Singapore
1,91
1
8-9
Slovakia
2,47
3
80-81
Slovenia
2,28
2
43-45
South-Africa
2,84
3
117
South-Korea
2,37
3
59-61
Spain
1,90
6
7
Sri Lanka4
2,35
1
56
Sweden
1,92
6
10
Switzerland
1,76
6
3
Taiwan
2,29
1
46-47
Tajikistan4
2,24
1
38
Tanzania
3,58
1
131
Thailand
2,01
1
15-16
Togo4
2,33
1
51-53
Trinidad-Tabago
2,40
1
63-64
Turkey
2,80
4
115
Uganda
2,74
1
109
Ukraine
2,76
2
110
United Arab Emirates4
2,41
1
65-68
United Kingdom (Britain)
1,98
6
11-13
United States of America (USA)
1,98
1
11-13
Uruguay4
2,64
1
98
Uzbekistan4
2,45
2
75-78
Venezuela
2,78
1
112-114
Vietnam
2,20
2
32-35
Yemen4
2,44
1
73-74
Zambia
2,78
1
112-114
Zimbabwe
3,04
1
127-128


Technical details

  1. Life-satisfaction is assessed by means of surveys in general population samples. See Rank Report 2009-1c 

  2. In this ranking the focus is not on the level of happiness in the country, but on inequality in happiness among citizens. Inequality in happiness can be measured by the dispersion of responses to survey-questions.
    The degree of dispersion can be expressed statistically in the standard deviation and surveys items rated on a 10 step numerical scale are particularly usefull for that purpose. This method is explained in more detail in W. Kalmijn & R. Veenhoven, Measuring inequality in happiness in nations, in search for proper statistics,Journal of Happiness Studies, 2005, 6:357-396. An application of this method is reported in Veenhoven, R. Return of inequality in modern society? Test by dispersion of life satisfaction across time and nations, Journal of Happiness Studies, 2005, 6:457-487 .

  3. 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, next there are questions type O-Slu/c/sq/n/10/b and O-SLW/c/sq/n/11/c. This classification is explained in section 4/3 of the introductory text. Data were taken from the tables 122C and 122D from this database. 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.

  4. Standarddeviations of 32 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 (item code C-BW/c/sq/l/11/c). 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 83 such cases. The standard-deviations of the responses on the two items appears to be correlated: r = +.48 after deletion of two outliers (Pakistan and Tanzania). Examination of the scatterplot shows a linear pattern. We computed the regression equation and used these to estimate the standard-deviation on 0-10 life-satisfaction. The formula is: Estimated SD 0-10 life satisfaction = 1,384 + 0,547 x observed SD on the Best-Worst item. These estimates are reported in this table. The 95% confidence interval around these estimated values is about 1 point, which means that these estimates are quite rough.

    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'.  

  5. Standard deviations are not yet available for the following countries, of which average happiness is known: Belize, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Guinea, Guyana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mongolia, Nanibia, Somalia, Sudan, Tunesia

  6. This list is included in the datafile 'States of nations' as variable SD_HappinessLSBW10.11_2000.08.  

Cite as:
Veenhoven, R., Inequality of happiness in 131 nations 2000-2008, World Database of Happiness, RankReport 2009-3b, Internet: worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl

Updated report in progress