Accept it Filipinos, our country, The Philippines, is not the happiest country in the world. It never has been. According to the latest report from the Happy Planet Index (HPI), the Philippines scored 52.4 and ranked #25 of all the 151 countries analyzed. The index was based on these three measures, provided by HPI:
Experienced well-being – If you want to know how well someone’s life is going, your best bet is to ask them directly. Experienced well-being was assessed using a question called the ‘Ladder of Life’ from the Gallup World Poll. It asked respondents to imagine a ladder, where 0 represents the worst possible life and 10 the best possible life, and report the step of the ladder they feel they currently stand on.
Life expectancy – Alongside experienced well-being, the HPI included a universally important measure of health – life expectancy. Life expectancy data from the 2011 UNDP Human Development Report was used.
Ecological Footprint – The HPI used the Ecological Footprint promoted by the environmental charity WWF as a measure of resource consumption. It is a per capita measure of the amount of land required to sustain a country’s consumption patterns, measured in terms of global hectares (g ha) which represent a hectare of land with average productive biocapacity.
Here is how the Philippines ranked based on the three measures. We did good on “Ecological Footprint”, placing #17 of 151! (Note: WWF has provided a tool for you to compute your own “Ecological Footprint”.)
Experienced well-being: Score 4.9 – Ranked #90 of 151
Life expectancy: Score 68.7 – Ranked #99 of 151
Ecological Footprint: Score 1.0 – Ranked #17 of 151
Costa Rica did it again for the second year in a row as the happiest country in the world, with a Happy Planet Index Score of 64.0. The United States is at #105. Bangladesh, considered one of the poorest countries in the world (based from the United Nation’s 2010 Human Development Report), ranked at #11. Indeed, financial wealth does not guarantee happiness!
Countries in South American dominated the top 10.
Here is the rest of the top 30:
The Philippines placing at #25 is not bad at all. We Filipinos may consider ourselves poor, but at least we are happy, aren’t we? With the progressive countries down below the list of the happiest country in the world, is happiness really from within?
Also read:
– Why The Philippines Missed World’s Friendliest Countries
– Philippines Ranks Bottom in World’s Most Peaceful Country List
Hey philppines is one of the most happiest country im a pilipino and even theres a bad weather we team up and always smile cause we have faith
Costa Rica is a beautiful country, I’ve been there many times.
Even though there are many contributing factors, happiness (or lack thereof), in the end, depends on the ratio of reality to expectation — achievement and lack of expectation can both drive happiness.
Happiness is relative. How interesting the US is at the bottom when everyone wants to be here to be happy!