Try Copenhagen for a smile
If you want to meet happy people on your travels, try Denmark.
They’re a happy bunch in Finland and Norway, too, according to a ranking of the world’s happiest people released at a UN conference.
New Zealand is rated the 8th happiest place in the world, followed by Australia (9th).
The World Happiness Report has Denmark topping the list, followed by Finland, Norway, The Netherlands, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland.
The 10 least happy countries were Togo, Benin, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Comoros, Haiti, Tanzania, Congo (Brazzaville) and Bulgaria.
The report noted that social factors such as the strength of social support, the absence of corruption and the degree of personal freedom were more important than wealth in making people feel happy.
Japan’s vice-minister for foreign affairs, Joe Nakano, told the conference, “A number of recent studies have shown that, in many developed countries, including Japan, happiness is not proportional to economic wealth.”
The conference was convened by Bhutan, which tops Asia in the first World Happiness Report. The tiny Himalayan nation convened the meeting seeking to develop a new economic model based on principles of happiness and well being.
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Ian Jarrett
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