Global happiness index: Bangladesh 7 notches up despite Covid

Amid the global coronavirus pandemic that ravaged the lives and livelihoods of people all around the world, Bangladesh has managed to climb seven notches up in world happiness measurement.

In the 2022 World Happiness Report, Bangladesh ranked 94th, up from 101 in the previous edition.

Finland, meanwhile, ranked as the happiest country in the world for the fifth time in a row. It was followed by two more Scandinavian nations - Denmark and Iceland – according to the 10th edition of the report released on 18 March. 

This year, countries which ranked in the top 10 last year, moved upwards and downwards. Only Austria dropped out from the top 10 list. 

On the flip side, Afghanistan was ranked as the most unhappy country in the world. It was soon followed by Lebanon and Zimbabwe.

Russia and Ukraine, currently at war with each other, have ranked 80 and 98 respectively. The 2022 rankings, however, were compiled much before Russia invaded its neighbour on 24 February.

Bangladesh has been 42 steps ahead of its neighbouring country India which saw a marginal improvement in its ranking this time, jumping three spots to 136 from 139 a year ago.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the World Happiness Report, which uses global survey data to report on how people evaluate their own lives, that ranked 146 countries based on data collected between 2019 and 2021.

Published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the report contains rankings of national happiness based on several factors such as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, perceptions of corruption and primarily on the responses by the individuals.

Bhutan was not included in the rankings this year although the country continues to inspire the world, particularly the World Happiness Report. However, there was a special chapter on Bhutan in the first World Happiness Report. The country made explicit use of the principles of Gross National Happiness in mobilizing the whole population in collaborative efforts to avoid even a single Covid-19 death in 2020

Take a look at the top 10 happiest countries of the world in 2022:

1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Switzerland
5. The Netherlands
6. Luxembourg
7. Sweden
8. Norway
9. Israel
10. New Zealand

Just like previous years, the top 10 list includes most of the Nordic countries. The high rankings for this group of nations was in part attributed to "strong social cohesion, excellent work-life balance and free education and health care."

Pandemic blues

As expected, the report says that the coronavirus pandemic dampened feelings of happiness around the world.

It added that the countries where people trusted their governments and each other experienced lower Covid-19 death tolls and showed a greater tendency for maintaining or rebuilding a sense of common purpose to deliver happier, healthier and more sustainable lives.

The report established a direct link between people's happiness and pandemic, war or acceleration of climate change.