According to the Happy Planet Index (HPI) commissioned by the a non-governmental organization New Economics Foundation, of the 151 countries polled, South Africa was ranked 142 on the unhappy list.
Researchers measured “what mattered” to people, life expectancy, their experience of welfare, the state of their environment and the sustainable use of their resources.
One thousand people older than 15 from each country were asked to fill in questionnaires about their personal happiness. Citizens of a happy country should have a life expectancy of 87, their level of happiness should be 8 out of 10 and their carbon footprint should not be bigger than 1,7 hectares per capita.
South Africans have a life expectancy of 52,8 years, their happiness levels average at 4,7 and their carbon footprint is 2,6 hectares per capita.
Zimbabweans have a life expectancy of 51,4, their happiness levels averaged 4,8 and their carbon footprint was 1,2.
Costa Rica is the happiest country.
Read the full report at www.happyplanetindex.org
