It’s official. People in Mexico are happier than the denizens of the United States – but only by a tiny margin.
According to the United Nations General Assembly’s second World Happiness Report, Mexico is in 16th place in the table, followed by the United States in 17th.
Neither nation is as happy as Canada, which ranks in fifth place. Denmark is considered the happiest country in the world, followed by Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden.The report ranks countries based on several measures of well-being and analyzes the factors that contribute to this.
Unsurprisingly, the study shows that generally the rich are happier than the poor. The least happy countries were Central African Republic (154th), Benin (155th) and Togo (156th).
Europe’s “big three” nations fared less well than their New World counterparts, perhaps reflecting their economic struggles of recent years. The United Kingdom was in 22nd place, France 25th and Germany 26th.
Criteria used in the study included real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, freedom from corruption and generosity.