It’s official… Paraguay is the happiest country in the world! On the ‘International Day of Happiness‘ (March 20th), Gallup compiled a list of the world’s happiest countries. Surprisingly, and for the first time in a decade, the top 10 happiest countries are all in Latin America.
To gauge happiness levels around the world, Gallup surveyed about 1,000 people, above the age of 15, in 143 countries in 2014 and asked them five questions about how they felt the day before. The participants were asked if they felt well rested, treated with respect, if they smiled or laughed, if they had learned or done something interesting and if they experienced enjoyment. Gallup then used the answers to calculate each country’s ‘positive experience index score.’
People reported feeling happy even in war-torn countries, “perhaps a testimony of the resiliency of the human spirit,” Gallup officials said in a statement.
Overall, the world has an average index score of 71 out of 100, but all of the Latin American countries that ranked in the top 10 scored above 81. At least 70% laugh/smile a lot, experience enjoyment, are treated with respect and are well-rested in Latin America. For the curious, here is the complete list:
| Countries | Positive experiences index score |
| Paraguay | 89 |
| Colombia | 84 |
| Ecuador | 84 |
| Guatemala | 84 |
| Honduras | 82 |
| Panama | 82 |
| Venezuela | 82 |
| Costa Rica | 81 |
| El Salvador | 81 |
| Nicaragua | 81 |
| Philippines | 80 |
| Singapore | 80 |
| Switzerland | 80 |
| Uruguay | 80 |
| Argentina | 79 |
| Bhutan | 79 |
| Canada | 79 |
| Chile | 79 |
| Dominican Republic | 79 |
| Netherlands | 79 |
| New Zealand | 79 |
| Norway | 79 |
| Rwanda | 79 |
| Sweden | 79 |
| United States | 79 |
| Denmark | 78 |
| Finland | 78 |
| Indonesia | 78 |
| Luxembourg | 78 |
| Puerto Rico | 78 |
| Taiwan | 78 |
| Uzbekistan | 78 |
| Bolivia | 77 |
| Germany | 77 |
| Kenya | 77 |
| Belgium | 76 |
| France | 76 |
| Ireland | 76 |
| Mauritius | 76 |
| Mexico | 76 |
| Nigeria | 76 |
| Sri Lanka | 76 |
| Australia | 75 |
| Austria | 75 |
| China | 75 |
| Peru | 75 |
| South Africa | 75 |
| Thailand | 75 |
| United Kingdom | 75 |
| Brazil | 74 |
| Mauritania | 74 |
| Namibia | 74 |
| Senegal | 74 |
| Spain | 74 |
| Belize | 73 |
| Mali | 73 |
| Portugal | 72 |
| Saudi Arabia | 72 |
| Tanzania | 72 |
| Malaysia | 71 |
| Vietnam | 71 |
| Ghana | 70 |
| India | 70 |
| Italy | 70 |
| Jamaica | 70 |
| Poland | 70 |
| Cambodia | 69 |
| Malawi | 69 |
| Malta | 69 |
| Sierra Leone | 69 |
| Guinea | 68 |
| Myanmar | 68 |
| Slovenia | 68 |
| Zimbabwe | 68 |
| Botswana | 67 |
| Cyprus | 67 |
| Greece | 67 |
| Hong Kong | 67 |
| Jordan | 67 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 67 |
| Madagascar | 67 |
| Zambia | 67 |
| Japan | 66 |
| Niger | 66 |
| Ivory Coast | 65 |
| Kazakhstan | 65 |
| Russia | 65 |
| Slovakia | 65 |
| Turkmenistan | 65 |
| Algeria | 64 |
| Angola | 64 |
| Burkina Faso | 64 |
| Cameroon | 64 |
| Estonia | 64 |
| Latvia | 64 |
| Macedonia | 64 |
| Northern Cyprus | 64 |
| Tajikistan | 64 |
| Uganda | 64 |
| Albania | 63 |
| Burundi | 63 |
| Czech Republic | 62 |
| Lebanon | 62 |
| Chad | 61 |
| Haiti | 61 |
| Hungary | 61 |
| Iran | 61 |
| Israel | 61 |
| Mongolia | 61 |
| Benin | 60 |
| Bulgaria | 60 |
| Congo (Brazzaville) | 60 |
| Ethiopia | 60 |
| Iraq | 60 |
| Montenegro | 60 |
| Romania | 60 |
| Yemen | 60 |
| Armenia | 59 |
| Gabon | 59 |
| Palestinian Territoies | 59 |
| South Korea | 59 |
| Belarus | 58 |
| Egypt | 58 |
| Kosovo | 58 |
| Togo | 58 |
| Congo (Kinshasa) | 57 |
| Croatia | 57 |
| Liberia | 57 |
| Pakistan | 57 |
| Azerbaijan | 56 |
| Moldova | 56 |
| South Sudan | 56 |
| Ukraine | 56 |
| Afghanistan | 55 |
| Bosnia &Herzegovina | 55 |
| Lithuania | 55 |
| Nepal | 55 |
| Bangladesh | 54 |
| Serbia | 54 |
| Turkey | 54 |
| Tunisia | 52 |
| Sudan | 47 |
Right…so a positive experience from one day constitutes a lifetime of happiness. Happiness has to be measured on a far more long-term basis, I can have a bad day yesterday but that doesn’t imply that I’m unhappy. You can’t equate happiness to a positive experience from a single day… If you look at the world happiness report (which is based on far more criteria) for 2013 not a single Latin American country is even in the top 10. Happiness is, if anything, a relative construct; so I highly doubt that Latin America which has relatively high GINI coefficients is the happiest place on Earth. But this is just my opinion…I’ve never been to Latin America so for all I know they could be the happiest people in the world, but I doubt it..
Happiness is a mindset.
Some cultures know how to cultivate it. Fortunately, wealth is not part of the happiness equation. You seem to have expected wealthy European countries to star brightly on this list. Sorry to disappoint. GINI coefficients has nothing to do with self realization.
Yes, it’s quite possible Latin Americans are the happiest people.
Wealth is part of happiness. If you can’t get your basic needs met, bills paid etc, homeless you will be miserable guaranteed.
Studies show poor people are exponentially happier than people with money
What studies? Why do most of the poor people risk their lives to get into a first world country?
Latin American people have a different culture. You’ll have to go and see for your self. Money is important, but, we also value a lot family, union, health happiness and good food. Simple things make us very happy.
Soy de Argentina, tuve la oportunidad de viajar por el mundo. A lo largo de mis viajes pude vivir experiencias maravillosas. Hablo con propiedad cuando digo, que gente malas hay en todo el mundo, pero por alguna razón, la sangre latina lleva energía positiva, camaradería y felicidad. Agradecería que cualquiera que no conozca esta maravillosa tierra que cada vez esta mas unificada, se abstenga de opinar por conjeturas y suposiciones.
También los invito a vivir unos meses en nuestras tierras, y verán porque nos rehusamos a la evolución. Somos una gran comunidad, primitiva si te gusta, pero comunidad en fin.
Yeah maybe try and invade the Falkland Islands again and see if that brings happiness.
Strikes me as all the EU countries are way down the list and with what is going on I shouldn’t wonder. IF the UK votes to get out of the EU we should hold a bank holiday each year and call it INDEPENDENCE DAY HOLIDAY
why dont just write it palestine
Yes, it’s very subjective. I’m surprised Zimbabwe rates higher than Botswana, Every=one here is stressed & depressed. 90% unemployed, so many competing to sell in the streets that noone makes enough to eat decently, in a decaying dictatorship but nobody can say what might follow the crash which adds fear to anxiety and stress. Yes, a lot of people in Zim can smile, but the Batswana are generally less demonstrative so their happiness, which is real, is quieter.
1000 People in 143 countries is…. about 7 Persons per country.
What a representative survey. Wow, science really has to be at its peak
It was a bit ambiguous but if you had followed the link to the survey you would have seen that it was 1000 people in each country.
I’m from Serbia…Sad but it is the true.
Do serbs miss the days with Yugoslavia?
This may be the most accurate happyness survey ever.
Denmark used to rank high here, but we are number 26 now.
I think it is because of the crisis, lots of jobless people, terror, propaganda making people scared for nothing in reality. And the fact that the youth dont know what to do with their lives. And egoism, selfishness and shallowness also dominate the youth more than ever.
That’s because it’s nowhere near the same survey Denmark ranks/ranked number 1 in.
The one Denmark is number 1 on is based on social security, healthcare, wages, whether or not we leave our strollies in the street if we go into a bakery etc.
It wasn’t just based around “SO! How was your day yesterday? I assume that out from that answer I can define your entire population and their lifetime happiness”
Who were they asking ? Another study rated Costa Rica, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Vietnam, Canada, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Australia as the top ten happiest. These seem more likely as many of South Americans live in abject poverty with high mortality rates, not that those are necessarily indicators of unhappiness.
100% agree.
Lol. This is bullshit. This is not really..
Pakistan should be on the top of that list
Yes I always dreamed of moving to Pakistan 🙂
I’m from Asunción, Paraguay. We are also the #1 country in ignorance and corruption. We’ll screw each other for any stupid reason but we are really kind to foreign people, I guess that’s why we are on the top of this bullshit list. So take the blue pill and come to Paraguay
Thanks for your honest reply. Corruption, crime and poverty are the order of the day in South America. How that equals happiness is beyond me. Perhaps a dose of brain damage helps as these same people keep voting for idiotic politicians who screw them blindly.
Yey! Philippines! Inspite of being a poor country with tons of problems, Filipinos are still happy living a simple life.
I’m from tunisia,so mehhh
North Korea is the absolute happiest! Thanks to their glorious leader who cares about all the citizens! Long live the Supreme Kim Jong-Un! xxoo
Money gives you happiness and security. Not to mention possibilities to grow. Don’t believe that these South American countries are happy. They are some of the most dangerous places in the world. Huge outflows of people leave for a better life. I’m guessing the survey could only find idle people to answer the questions. They also have very low expectations which helps. Everyone else is busy getting on with their life rather than to work out if they were happy yesterday.
By the way LATAM people are notoriously short term thinkers. Bit like drug addicts. Make your own conclusions.
By the way the United Kingdom is not a country. The fact that Scotland, Ireland and England aren’t at the bottom of the list is a sure sign its fake 🙂
Venezuela? ROFL
Bullshit…
you just have to love Kenya
Of course the survey cant be very accurate but i can tell latin american people always kopw how to smile and get through life situations with the best attitude. They were invaded and looted by European empires who stole all their gold, brought illnesses (religion as the worst of all) even nowadays are nations bowed by the US CAFTA´s and drugs having USA and Europe as the biggest end consumers.
So now.. despite this, they rank as happy countries? a fucking lesson to us all who complain about the smallest shite everyday
It’s a fake list. South Korea is below Palestine. Bullsh*t! WTF! SK has Samsung and NorthKorea.