World Happiness Rankings--What Are The 10 Happiest Nations?

Where in the world do people feel most contented with their lives? Last year, I posted a Forbes article about world happiness. Here is a summary of the 2009 study.

A report released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based group of 30 countries with democratic governments that provides economic and social statistics and data, used a Gallup World Poll conducted in 140 countries around the world. The poll asked respondents whether they had experienced six different forms of positive or negative feelings within the last day. The poll was scored numerically on a scale of 1-100. The average score was 62.4. Denmark ranked # one with a score of 90.1. The US, with a score of 74, did not crack the top ten list.

The study reveals that factors contributing most to contentment are: economic health, work-life balance, and low unemployment.

Here is the top ten list of happiest countries:

Country Score
1.Denmark 90.1
2.Norway 85.9
3.Netherlands 85.1
4.Sweden 82.7
5.Iceland 81.1
6.Canada 78.0
7.Switzerland 77.4
8.New Zealand 76.7
9.Norway 76.5
10.Belgium 76.3

BTW, several research projects around the world that attempt to measure happiness by country all place northern European countries in the top. What’s more, Denmark usually tops the list in all the studies.