According to the recent World Values Surveys, Denmark tops the list of the happiest countries in the world. It is found that there is an increase in the happiness ratings from 1981 to 2007 in 45 of 52 countries analyzed. Overall, the world is getting happier.

“Ultimately, the most important determinant of happiness is the extent to which people have free choice in how to live their lives,” said Ronald Inglehart, a political scientist at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, who directed the study.

My country is no. 38 on the list. Here is the rank from the happiest to the least happy.  A negative score is an indication that majority of the population is unhappy/dissatisfied with their lives.

1. Denmark (4.24)
2. Puerto Rico (4.21)
3. Colombia (4.18)
4. Iceland (4.15)
5. North Ireland (4.13)
6. Ireland (4.12)
7. Switzerland (3.96)
8. Netherlands (3.77)
9. Canada (3.76)
10. Austria (3.68)
11. El Salvador (3.67)
12. Malta (3.61)
13. Luxemburg (3.61)
14. Sweden (3.58)
15. New Zeland (3.57)
16. U.S.A. (3.55)
17. Guatemala (3.53)
18. Mexico (3.52)
19. Norway (3.50)
20. Belgium (3.40)
21. Britain (3.39)
22. Australia (3.26)
23. Venezuela (3.25)
24. Trinidad (3.25)
25. Finland (3.24)
26. Saudi Arabia (3.17)
27. Thailand (3.02)
28. Cyprus (2.96)
29. Nigeria (2.82)
30. Brazil (2.81)
31. Singapore (2.72)
32. Argentina (2.69)
33. Andorra (2.64)
34. Malaysia (2.61)
35. West Germany (2.60)
36. Vietnam (2.52)
37. France (2.50)
38. Philippines (2.47)
39. Uruguay (2.43)
40. Indonesia (2.37)
41. Chile (2.34)
42. Dominican Republic (2.29)
43. Japan (2.24)
44. Spain (2.16)
45. Israel (2.08)
46. Italy (2.06)
47. Portugal (2.01)
48. Taiwan (1.83)
49. East Germany (1.78)
50. Slovenia (1.77)
51. Ghana (1.73)
52. Poland (1.66)
53. Czech Republic (1.66)
54. China (1.64)
55. Mali (1.62)
56. Kyrgyzstan (1.59)
57. Jordan (1.46)
58. Greece (1.45)
59. South Africa (1.39)
60. Turkey (1.27)
61. Peru (1.24)
62. South Korea (1.23)
63. Hong Kong (1.16)
64. Iran (1.12)
65. Bangladesh (1.00)
66. Bosnia (0.94)
67. Croatia (0.87)
68. Morocco (0.87)
69. India (0.85)
70. Uganda (0.69)
71. Zambia (0.68)
72. Algeria (0.60)
73. Burkina Faso (0.60)
74. Egypt (0.52)
75. Slovakia (0.41)
76. Hungary (0.36)
77. Montenegro (0.19)
78. Tanzania (0.13)
79. Azerbaijan (0.13)
80. Macedonia (-0.06)
81. Rwanda (-0.15)
82. Pakistan (-0.30)
83. Ethiopia (-0.30)
84. Estonia (-0.36)
85. Servian Bosnia (-0.45)
86. Lithuania (-0.70)
87. Latvia (-0.75)
88. Romania (-0.88)
89. Russia (-1.01)
90. Georgia (-1.01)
91. Georgia (-1.01)
92. Bulgaria (-1.09)
93. Iraq (-1.36)
94. Albania (-1.44)
95. Ukraine (-1.69)
96. Belarus (-1.74)
97. Moldova (-1.74)
98. Armenia (-1.80)
99. Zimbabwe (-1.92)