Pakistan is ranked the 4th saddest country among world countries, an international report said on Thursday.
As for the least happy, least prosperous, saddest countries, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most miserable part of the world, with eight of the bottom 10. This year, the Central African Republic edged out Zimbabwe at the bottom. The two non-African countries in the bottom 10 are Pakistan (107) and Yemen (106), the Legatum Prosperity Index-2011 said.
The index is evolved on attributes, including prosperity, economy, entrepreneurship, governance, education, health, safety, personal freedom and social capital.
Norwegians have the second-highest level of satisfaction with their standards of living, 95 percent say they are satisfied with the freedom to choose the direction of their lives, an unparalleled 74 percent say other people can be trusted. Joining Norway and Australia in the top 10 are their neighbours Denmark, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand. Equally small and civilised Switzerland and the Netherlands are also up there. Rounding out the top 10 is the US at 10th and Canada (sixth). These nations have in common that they are electoral democracies. People are naturally happier when they feel like they have a say in how their countries are run. They also have abundant civil liberties (consider decriminalised drugs and prostitution in the Netherlands), though if your happiness is a warm gun you’ll be happier in the US than in Europe. There are a few restrictions on the flow of capital or of labour. Legatum’s scholars point out that Denmark (2), for example, has little job protection, but generous unemployment benefits. So business owners can keep the right number of workers, while workers can have a safety net while they muck around looking for that fulfilling job.
Legatum’s researchers note that Australia’s rise from fifth in 2009 to third place exemplifies these positive traits. The Aussies have abolished trade protections, freed labor markets, reformed strict immigration laws and become one of the world’s most flexible economies. The US stands out with a fifth-place rank in entrepreneurism and first place in health, thanks to the world’s highest level of health spending, great vaccination levels, clean water, plentiful food and beautiful scenery.
