The annual reportExternal link for the year 2018 was published on Wednesday in the Vatican, by the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Switzerland ranked fifth behind the Nordic countries of Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. In 2015, the Alpine nation won first place in the ranking, but subsequently dropped to second in 2016 and fourth last year.
The Swiss result, like the others in the top 10, was largely influenced by healthy satisfaction levels regarding social support networks, life expectancy, life freedom, and (especially, in the Swiss case) GDP per capita.
The world’s unhappiest people all live in African countries, the report states, with Burundi listed at the bottom of the ranking.
Contagion effect
For the first time in its history, the report also took into consideration the happiness levels of a country’s immigrant population.
The top ten nations in the ranking all scored high both in overall happiness and the happiness of immigrants, prompting John Helliwell, a co-editor of the report, to say that “happiness seems contagious.”
“The most striking finding of the report is the remarkable consistency between the happiness of immigrants and the locally born,” Helliwell told the Reuters news agency. “Those who move to happier countries gain, while those who move to less happy countries lose.”
Meanwhile, the US dropped four places from 14th to 18th. While American income per capita has increased markedly over the last half century, happiness has been hit by weakened social support networks, a perceived rise in corruption in government and business, and declining confidence in public institutions, the report found.
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
This content was published on
The two cities have beaten Zurich and Bern onto the shortlist to host the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2025, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) said on Friday.
This content was published on
While construction expenditure in Switzerland rose by 0.3% in nominal terms last year, the price-adjusted situation shows a 2.5% decrease, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
Another body found in southern Switzerland after June storms
This content was published on
A body was found in the Maggia river in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino on Thursday, police said. It is “likely” to be the sixth victim of devastating storms which hit the region at the end of June.
Swiss helicopter rescue pioneers safe autopilot approach system
This content was published on
Swiss air rescue company Rega has received approval for a new kind of instrument flight system for approaching a hospital.
Algerian to face trial in Switzerland for ties to Islamic State
This content was published on
A 51-year-old Algerian man has been charged by the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office for involvement in the banned terrorist group.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland one of the happiest nations
This content was published on
Last year, Switzerland ranked Number 2; in 2015, it took first place. But the drop in the rankings is no reason to frown, according to the World Happiness Report 2017External link. “All of the top four countries rank highly on all the main factors found to support happiness: caring, freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and…
This content was published on
The exhibition explores escapism from daily routine and worries. It features 19th century works alongside contemporary pieces, looking at specific moments or events such as births, family gatherings, dances, or man’s relationship with nature. The show runs until October 28, 2012.
This content was published on
Teens in Switzerland are more satisfied and athletic than most of their peers, and they’re not as ambitious, according to a student well-being study.
This content was published on
Since the beginning of the 20th century life expectancy from birth in Switzerland has almost doubled. In this period, it rose from 49 to 85 for women and from 46 to 81 for men. According the World Health Statistics 2015 report, Switzerland is just behind Japan with an average life expectancy of 83 years. That’s…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.