Pakistan happiest country in region: UN report

Ag Agencies

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan ranked 75 in the global list of the happiest countries ranking at the top of the Saarc nations,while Finland topped the list, according to a UN report released on Wednesday.

The 2018 top-10, as ever dominated by the Nordics, are Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Australia. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s 2018 World Happiness Report has ranked 156 countries based on criteria including per capita income, social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity and absence of corruption.

Pakistanis are happier than all of their neighbors, according to the World Happiness

Report 2018. Pakistan rose from 80th place in 2017 to 75th place this year while all of its neighbors slid from last year's happiness rankings.

Studying happiness may seem frivolous, but serious academics have long been calling for more testing about people’s emotional well-being, especially in the United States.

Pakistanis seem to have benefited from the measurement criteria. It is likely a combination of accelerating income growth and significantly improved security.Karachi, one of world's fastest growing megacities, has seen its crime index ranking improve dramatically from 6 in 2013 to 50 in 2017, according to a survey of 327 world cities conducted by Numbeo. Last year, Karachi was ranked 47. Reduction in violence is helping revive Pakistan's economy, making it the third fastest growing trillion dollar economy among the top 25 world economies by purchasing power parity. As the country's largest city and its financial capital and economic hub, a safe and healthy Karachi bodes well for Pakistan's future.

Among the eight Saarc nations,Bhutan at 97, Nepal at 101, Bangladesh at 115 while Sri Lanka was ranked 116. However, Maldives did not figure in the World Happiness Report. India dropped 11 places from its previous rank of 122 in the list of 156 countries and was behind the majority of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) nations, apart from war-ravaged Afghanistan, that stood at 145. The annual World Happiness Report was released ahead of the International Day of Happiness on March 20.

The 2018 top-10, as ever dominated by the Nordics, are Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Australia.

Finland topped the list that combines economic, health and polling data compiled by economists that are averaged over three years from 2015 to 2017. Taking the harsh, dark winters in their stride, Finns said access to nature, safety, childcare, good schools and free healthcare are among the best things about in their country.

“I’ve joked with the other Americans that we are living the American dream here in Finland,” said Brianna Owens, who moved from the United States and is now a teacher in Espoo, Finland’s second biggest city with a population of around 280,000. “I think everything in this society is set up for people to be successful, starting with university and transportation that works really well,” Owens said. Finland rose from fifth place last year to oust Norway from the top spot.

In 2013, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report recommending that federal statistics and surveys, which normally deal with income, spending, health and housing, include a few extra questions on happiness because it would lead to better policy that affects people’s lives.

The United States came in at 18th, down from 14th place last year. Britain was 19th and the United Arab Emirates 20th. One chapter of the 170-page report is dedicated to emerging health problems such as obesity, depression and the opioid crisis, particularly in the United States where the prevalence of all three has grown faster than in most other countries.