Tuesday Map: The happiest countries in the world

Posted By Blake Hounshell Wednesday, February 21, 2007 - 12:20 AM Share

We've noted before that Danes are the happiest people on Earth. Adrian G. White, a social psychologist at the University of Leicester, has actually made a map of the world in terms of happiness, or, as he calls it, "subjective well being" (SWB). The darker a country, the happier its inhabitants. As you can see, they're dancin' in the streets in Scandinavia, but not so excited about life in Russia and most of Africa:

The top ten in White's list are:

  1. Denmark
  2. Switzerland
  3. Austria
  4. Iceland
  5. The Bahamas
  6. Finland
  7. Sweden
  8. Bhutan
  9. Brunei
  10. Canada

As for the United States, it's number 23. The unhappiest place on the planet, according to White, is the African nation of Burundi.

EXPLORE:TUESDAY MAP, COOL
 

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