The World's 10 Happiest and 5 Unhappiest Countries, Ranked

I don't suppose that most travelers choose their trip destinations based on a country's happiness index. On the other hand, if they knew that Country A scored near the top of the happiness index and Country B scored near the bottom, it seems probable they'd be inclined to book their flights to Country A. Who wants to spend their vacation among unhappy people?

So there could be a place for happiness among the factors to be considered when choosing where to travel.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network today released

World Happiness Report 2018

, which ranks 156 countries according to their relative levels of happiness. The results are based on Gallup World Poll data, in particular responses to the so-called main life evaluation question, where respondents self-assessed the quality of their own lives.



Related: These Are America’s 10 Most Sinful States



According to the report, these are the 10 happiest countries:

1. Finland
2. Norway
3. Denmark
4. Iceland
5. Switzerland
6. Netherlands
7. Canada
8. New Zealand
9. Sweden
10. Australia
    
    
    
    And the bottom five:
    
    
    
11. Burundi
12. Central African Republic
13. South Sudan
14. Tanzania
15. Yemen
    
    
    
    The U.S. ranked 18th of the 156 countries surveyed; it has lost ground in both the last two years.
    
    While these are not the factors used to compile the rankings, the report cited six factors that combined to create a country's overall happiness level: per-capita GDP, social support, life expectancy, freedom to make choices, generosity, and corruption levels.
    
    
    
    Reader Reality Check
    
    
    
    Is a country's happiness something you would factor into your trip planning?