These Latin American Countries Rank Among the Happiest Places on Earth Manuel Rueda - Fusion
go to original January 7, 2016

Latin Americans, on a whole, seem to be a much happier crowd than folks living in the United States, a new global survey suggests. And the same is true even for those living in countries known for violent drug wars and sputtering economies.

The Annual End of Year Survey for 2015 by Gallup and WIN, an international market-research association, asked people in 68 countries whether they’re happy with their lives and if they feel optimistic about their nation’s economic situation.

The results might come as a surprise, especially to people in the United States, who tend to think they have things better off than the rest of the world.

But maybe not. The happiest nation in the world, according to the survey’s ranking, is Colombia, which topped the charts with an impressive 87% of respondents saying they’re happy. Only 2% of Colombians say they’re unhappy. That puts the South American nation’s “net happiness score” at 85%.

Colombians aren’t the only ones smiling. Argentina, Ecuador, Panama and Mexico also made the top 10 list of “happiest” countries on earth, with net happiness scores above 70%, according to the survey. Several other Latin American countries that have claimed to be the happiest in the region - specifically Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic - were excluded from the survey, for reasons unknown.

In the United States, where per capita income is five times higher than in Mexico, 59% of people surveyed said they’re happy with their lives, while 16% grumbled that they’re not, giving the U.S. a middle-of-the pack “net happiness” score of 43%.

The creators of this survey, for which more than 60,000 people around the world were interviewed, didn’t provide an analysis of their findings. However, at quick glance their seems to be little correlation between a country’s wealth and its happiness.

Read the rest at Fusion

Photo: BSO

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!