The Happiest People in the World

Who are the happiest people in the world? According to the World Happiness Report 2013 released Monday, the most content reside in northern Europe, according to a 156-nation survey published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

The 2013 World Happiness Report ranks the happiest countries around the globe, with Denmark, Norway and Switzerland leading the pack. Among North American countries, Canada took sixth place, while Mexico (16) slightly outranked the U.S. (17). Though the U.S. wasn’t in the top 10, they were still more cheerful than the United Kingdom (22nd), France (25th), Germany (26th) and China (93rd). However, Canada (6th), Israel (11th) and Costa Rica (12th) placed higher. Rwanda, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Benin and Togo — all nations in Sub-Saharan Africa — were the saddest.

How are the happiest people in the world determined? Happiness is measured from Gallup World Poll data over the past three years on aspects such as healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices and social resources

In 2012, Denmark also took the top spot, receiving the highest combined score on a scale of zero through 10. This year, scores range from 2.936 (Togo) to 7.693 (Denmark).

For more about the contributing factors of being the happiest people in the world, head here to Nat Geo’s piece 5 Takeaways from UN’s Global Report.