These Are The World’s Happiest And Greenest Countries

Unsplash

Where in the world are people the happiest? Believe it or not, the U.S. doesn’t even make the top ten. An article by EcoWatch says, according to the 2016 Happy Planet Index ranking, “Costa Rica was the most environmentally advanced and happiest place on earth last year, followed by Mexico, Colombia, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.”

Unsplash

Costa Rica has always been a trailblazer in the environmental world. In the 1990s the country passed “green culture” laws like the National Forests Law — “a tax-funded law that protects forests, waters, biodiversity, and natural beauty as both tourist attractions and scientific resources,” along with many other green initiatives.  

The Happy Planet Index “tells us how well nations are doing at achieving long, happy, sustainable lives.” As the highest ranking country, the Costa Rican government has made some bold choices like eliminating its army and investing those funds into health and education. The small central American country has made these strides hoping that this growth will put them in the best position when faced with health crises, violence, and climate change. Costa Rica also ranks high on the “Global Index of Happy Workers” and ranks among the most competitive economies in Latin America.

Unsplash

Also on the list of the top ten “happiest” places, are underdeveloped countries like Vanuatu and Bangladesh. This leads to an interesting question — “how can a country that’s eco-happy be underdeveloped?” A low carbon footprint in underdeveloped countries is more a result of lack of industry. Countries like Bangladesh didn’t go through the same economic growth process that more developed countries like the U.S. did. There are also countries like Colombia and Mexico that are characterized by a significant wealth gap, even though they rank high on the Happy Planet Index.

Unsplash

There are a lot of factors at play here when it comes to the general happiness of a nation. The Happy Planet Index doesn’t take into consideration “such indicators as education, income, access to water and electricity or poverty rates.” When the variables keep changing, it’s increasingly difficult to measure happiness, but looking at it from a different perspective is eye-opening and will hopefully lead to more countries viewing happiness in a new way.