The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Happiness is annually observed across the globe on 20th March to recognise happiness, the fundamental goal of humans and to highlight its importance in the lives of people around the world.
- The theme of International Day of Happiness 2023 is “Be Mindful, Be Grateful, Be Kind”.
Significance:
The International Day of Happiness recognises the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives.
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/66/281 on 21st July 2012 and proclaimed the 20th March of every year as the International Day of Happiness.
- The resolution was initiated by Bhutan, which recognized the value of national happiness over national income since the early 1970s and adopted the goal of Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product.
ii.The first-ever International Day of Happiness was celebrated on 20th March 2013.
Efforts of UN:
i.The UN calls for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes the happiness and well-being of all peoples.
ii.The 17 Sustainable Development Goals(SDG) launched by the UN in 2015 aims to end poverty, reduce inequality, and protect our planet – 3 key aspects that lead the well-being and happiness.
World Happiness Report 2023 – Finland named Happiest Country in the World
According to the 11th edition of World Happiness Report 2023, under the ranking of Happiness based on a three-year-average 2020–2022, Finland remains in the top position for the 6th year in a row, followed by Denmark and Iceland in the 2nd and 3rd spot. India was ranked in the126th position.
- War-torn Afghanistan and Lebanon remain the 2 unhappiest countries in the world.
About World Happiness Report 2023:
The World Happiness Report is a publication of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network of the UN, powered by the Gallup World Poll data.
- World Happiness Report 2023 marks the 11th edition of the annual report which ranks global happiness in more than 150 countries around the world.
- The ranking is based on the data from sources like the Gallup World Poll, leveraging 6 key factors: Gross Domestic Product(GDP) per capita, social support, healthy life expectance, freedom to make life choices, generosity and Perception of corruption.
Ranking – World Happiness Report 2023:
| Rank | Country |
|---|---|
| Top 3 Happiest countries | |
| 1 | Finland |
| 2 | Denmark |
| 3 | Iceland |
| Top 3 Unhappiest Countries | |
| 1 | Afghanistan |
| 2 | Lebanon |
| 3 | Sierra Leone |
Key Highlights:
i.Compared to the World Happiness Report 2022, A few countries dropped in their ranking for 2023 which includes, Luxembourg (down three spots to 9th rank), Ireland (down one spot to 14th rank), Germany (down two spots to 16th rank) and the United Kingdom (UK)(down two to 19th). France fell off the list of the top 20.
ii.Besides the happiest countries in the world, the report also looks at the places where people are the unhappiest.
iii.The 5 unhappiest countries in the world include Afghanistan, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe and Congo.
India is ranked 12th in the list of World’s 20 Unhappiest countries in 2023.
About World Happiness Report:
i.The first ever World Happiness Report was published in 2012.
ii.The Report is supported by Fondazione Ernesto Illy, illycaffè, Davines Group, Unilever’s largest ice cream brand Wall’s, The Blue Chip Foundation, The William, Jeff, and Jennifer Gross Family Foundation, The Happier Way Foundation, and The Regeneration Society Foundation.
iii.The World Happiness Report is written by a group of independent experts acting in their personal capacities.
Note:
Dystopia is an imaginary country with world’s lowest incomes, lowest life expectancy, lowest generosity, most corruption, least freedom, and least social support. It is the country that has the world’s least-happy people.
- The purpose in establishing Dystopia is to have a benchmark against which all countries can be favorably compared.
