Tuesday, October 27, 2009

World's Happiest Countries


Which are world's happiest countries according to Forbes? How is |happiness evaluated?|How does the unemployment rate and the country's GDP affect the degree of "happiness"? Which are the happiest European countries? How about outside Europe? Why did the northern European countries come out looking so good? Read FORBES article and share your thoughts with us - enjoy!

5 comments:

  1. According to the Forbes article, the top's results were rather based on life satisfaction of people from almost 140 countries and not on their wealth. This definitely depends on the economic health of the countries. Northern European countries came out looking so good because, despite the global economic crisis, they score the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Denmark, which is on the 1st rank in the top, is not only a wealthy country, it's also highly productive, with a 2009 GDP per capita of $68,000, according to the International Monetary Fund. Also, a 2005 editorial, published in the British Medical Journal and authored by Dr. Tony Delamothe, shows that individuals typically get richer during their lifetimes, but not happier. Happiness depends on family, social and community networks on a person. This means that people who have a job are much happier than those who don't. this is how unemployment rate contributes to happiness. for instances, Denmark's unemployment rate is just 2%, according the C.I.A.'s World Factbook. Norway's is just 2.6%. The Netherlands- just 4.5%. Many economists concur that a 4% unemployment rate reflects a stable economy. The U.S. unemployment rate is currently 9%. This could be the reason of her not being in the top 10.
    In my opinion, the political, economic and social status of each country depends first of all, on people's relationship, on their happiness in that country and on their joy they get daily living there :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Top 5 world’s happiest countries according to Forbes are:
    1.Denmark with satisfaction of present life 90.1 and unemployment rate 2%
    2.Finland with satisfaction of present life 85.9 and unemployment rate 6.4 %
    3.Netherlands with satisfaction of present life 85.1 and unemployment rate 4.5%
    5.Sweden with satisfaction of present life 82.7 and unemployment rate 6.4%
    5.Ireland with satisfaction of present life 81.1 and unemployment rate 6.2%
    This report was realized by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development that for evaluating the happiness used data from a Gallup World Poll which asked respondents whether they had experienced different forms of feelings within the last day. They concluded that the Norhten European countries are the happiest contries in the world. The country's GDP is impornant for evaluating the degree of "happiness" but wealth alone does not bring the greatest degree, unemployment also plays an important role. Lower is unemployment, people are more happy because they are more satisfied. I think that Northen European countries are much happier because they have a good job, a good salary and i think that the most of them love their job, have good relationship with other people and with members of their family.
    I think that Norhten European countries are the happiest countries because there is a stable economy. And one more remark is that the top happiest countries in the world are also top countries for business.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The new Forbes’s report reveals where people feel most positive about their lives. The European countries: Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands rated at the top of the list, outside Europe, New Zealand and Canada landed at Nos. 8 and 6, respectively. Switzerland placed seventh and Belgium placed tenth. To answer to the main question, the OECD used data from a Gallup World Poll conducted in 140 countries around the world last year. The poll asked respondents whether they had experienced six different forms of positive or negative feelings within the last day. But what is happiness? According to the dictionary, is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment satisfaction, pleasure or joy. Here we can say that money correlates with happiness. One study, when corrected for social status, showed no correlation between income and happiness. However, the amount of spare time people have, as well as their control over how much spare time they have, correlates with happiness. Losing one's job can be a great source of unhappiness, which demonstrates Denmark, which has the rate of unemployment equal to 2% . Such low indicator have also and the other Northern European countries( Finland – 6,4%,Netherlands – 4,5%, Sweden – 6,4%, etc.). This countries came out looking so good & because, despite the global economic crisis, they score the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. But wealth alone does not bring the greatest degree of happiness. Norway has the highest GDP per capita on the list--$98,822--yet it ranked ninth, not first. On the other hand, New Zealand's happiness level is 76.7 out of 100 on the OECD list, but its 2009 GDP per capita is just $30,556. I wonder when our country will be in this top….Here in Moldova we have a high rate of unemployment, a low GDP per capita, due to what we would be in this top, may be to the predicted satisfaction with the future life?!:(

    by Victoria Morari Victoria, FB 28 G

    ReplyDelete
  4. The report looked at subjective well-being, defined as life satisfaction. Did people feel like their lives were dominated by positive experiences and feelings, onr negative ones?
    Denmark ended up at the top to "it's wealth, natural beauty, small size, quality education and good health care".
    At the bottom were the Democratic republic of Congo, Zimbabwe and Burundi.
    The US ended up on the 23rd place, the UK on 41, China is 82, Japan 90, and India an unhappy 125. While the global economic crysis has taken a toll on every nation, the countries that scored at the top still boast some of the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Denmark, which got the highest score, is not only a wealthy country, it's also highly productive, with a 2009 GDP per capita of 68000$, according to the International Monetary Fund, the US GDP per capita by contrast, in 47335$. Though the US got an above-average score of 74, it did not break the top 10.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I want to say something about Finland!
    Finland is far from being a happy nation, it has the second suicide rate in the world.
    Finland has the highest domestic related murders in the world.
    Two years in a row, students open fire at the students in a classroom, killing dozens.
    Old people are found dead in their flats many years later.(Finland holds the world record with 5 years !)
    Finns live isolated, don’t express their emotions, down town Helsinki, it is normal to see people drunk and wasted.
    Maybe Finland is not so happy country!?

    ReplyDelete