According to a new report released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), happiness levels are highest in northern European countries. In their World Factbook the happiest top ten are
1. Denmark
2. Finland
3. The Netherlands
4. Sweden
5. Ireland
6. Canada
7. Switzerland
8. New Zealand
9. Norway
10. Belgium
On average, around 60% of people in OECD countries reported a high satisfaction with their life, and a slightly higher share for their life five years from now. Among OECD countries, the share of people reporting high life satisfaction ranges between 85% or more in the Netherlands, Finland and Denmark, and less than 30% in Turkey, Hungary and the Slovak Republic. The non-OECD countries report lower life-satisfaction but are generally more optimistic about their future. Satisfaction with current life is around 20% or lower in Indonesia, China, India and South Africa, but higher in Brazil.
The only thing that confuses me is that Finland is in second place! I like Finland but I was always told that Finns are generally depressive lot. An article about the OECD report from Forbes.