Belize is the 52nd Happiest Country in the World

Back in 2012 Belize was fourth on the list of the Happiest Country in the World, but we stand at 52 in the 2016 report that was just released in March. What could be causing our diminishing happiness? We surely still are a happy nation by the Caribbean Sea, that enjoy freedom, sovereignty, unity, cultural diversity, peace and a country that is so magnificent that it is fast becoming a global tourist hot spot.

The top ten happiest countries this year came up to be the same as those in the 2015 report, although the order in which they rank changed. Denmark ranks as happiest country in the world once again with a “happy index” score of 7.526, followed closely by Switzerland, Iceland and Norway.

Puerto Rico ranks as the happiest country in the Caribbean at #15 on the overall list, followed by Belize (52nd), Jamaica (73rd), and the Dominican Republic (89th). The unhappiest countries are Afghanistan at 154th followed by Togo and Syria. Burundi comes in last at 157th.

The survey consisted of polling of about 3,000 people in each country, where they evaluated their life in eleven categories on a scale from 0 to 10. Differences in real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, freedom from corruption, and generosity in each country accounted for the difference in “happy index” scores. A total of 157 countries participated in the survey this year.

The survey is based on polls done by international research and performance-management company Gallup, using the Gallup World Poll methodology. Studies were conducted in more than 160 countries that include 99% of the world’s adult population. Gallup surveys respondents through telephone interviewing using nationally representative lists of phone numbers in more developed countries. In the developing world, face-to-face interviewing is carried out in randomly selected households. Gallup reports that coverage includes rural areas of countries as well, except for cases in areas where the safety of surveyors is threatened.

For the full report click here.