You won't believe India's global ranking in world happiness list; Finland tops

Finland is the world's happiest country while troubled Burundi is the most discontent, according to a new UN report released today. India continues to lag behind most of its neighbours, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, ranking 133 in the latest World Happiness Report released by the UN. The report ranked Finland as the happiest country, closely followed by Norway and Denmark. Burundi was listed as the least happy country. According to the report produced by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), India's happiness score fell by 0.698 points, bringing it down from its last year's position of 128.

In the sixth World Happiness Report, released ahead of the International Day of Happiness on March 20, the migration was the central issue under consideration. "Increasingly, with globalisation, the people of the world are on the move; and most of these migrants are seeking a happier life," the report said. There are large gaps in happiness between countries, and these will continue to create major pressures to migrate. Some of those who migrate between countries will benefit and others will lose, according to the report. 

In happiness rankings for immigrants, India was ranked at 91. Finland's immigrants are also the happiest immigrant population in the world, based on the available data from 117 countries, the report said. "Where immigrants are welcome and where they integrate well, immigration works best. A more tolerant attitude in the host country will prove best for migrants and for the original residents," the report said.
In the report that included 156 countries, Pakistan was ranked 75, Bhutan at 97, and China at 86.

Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were ranked 101, 115 and 116 respectively. The US and the UK were in 18th and 19th place respectively.

The results are based on six key factors found to support wellbeing - income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust, and generosity. "The most striking finding of the report is the remarkable consistency between the happiness of immigrants and the locally born," said Professor John Helliwell of the University of British Columbia in Canada, co-editor of the report.

All of the top ten countries for overall happiness 2015-2017 are in the top 11 countries for immigrant happiness based on surveys covering 2005-2015. "Although immigrants come from countries with very different levels of happiness, their reported life evaluations converge towards those of other residents in their new countries," said Helliwell. "Those who move to happier countries gain, while those who move to less happy countries lose," he said.