Happiness Report : Norway Is the Happiest Place on Earth

Happy Norwegian fans at an international football game in 2009.
United Nations, 21 Jumadil Akhir 1438/20 March 2017 (MINA) – Norway is the happiest place on Earth, according to a United Nations agency report – toppling neighbour Denmark from the number one position.

The World Happiness Report measures “subjective well-being” – how happy the people are, and why, bbc.com reported.

Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and and Finland round out the top five, while the Central African Republic came last.

Western Europe and North America dominated the top of table, with the US and UK at 14th and 19th, respectively.

Countries in sub-Saharan Africa and those hit by conflict have predictably low scores. Syria placed 152 of 155 countries – Yemen and South Sudan, which are facing impending famine, came in at 146 and 147.

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Indonesia was at 81st spot, below three ASEAN peers with Singapore ranked 26th, Thailand 32th and Malaysia 42th.

The World Happiness Report was released to coincide with the United Nation’s International Day of Happiness on 20 March.

The report has been published for the past five years, during which the Nordic countries have consistently dominated the top spots.
The clear dominance of those countries – and Denmark in particular – has encouraged other nations to adopt the Danish concept of “Hygge” – a cultural concept of cosiness and relaxation. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)