thailand and the happy planet index

[cottmann]

A new survey that measures the success of countries, based on people's happiness and how well they treat the Earth, places the South Pacific country of Vanuatu at No. 1, and Thailand at No. 32 out of 178 countries. In comparison, the UK is at No. 108, the USA is No. 150, and Zimbabwe is last.

China/Hong kong last perhaps?

[cottmann]

China/Hong kong last perhaps?

No; as it says above, Zimbabwe is last. China is ranked 31st and Hong Kong 88th.

The 'Happy Planet Index' was developed by London-based think tank New Economics Foundation (NEF). NEF says that its happiness index did not use gross domestic product (GDP) to measure a country's progress; instead, it combined environmental impact with well-being to measure the environmental efficiency with which countries provide long and happy lives.
To illustrate that money cannot buy happiness (but at least one can be miserable in some degree of comfort), just two days ago Ireland was named the world's second richest country in a Bank of Ireland report but it was a miserable 113th in a new happiness index launched Wednesday. Ireland topped a survey by the Economist magazine earlier in the year that measured the highest quality of life, and the Bank of Ireland survey published Monday showed that mostly because of huge increases in property prices, the Irish are now ranked second only to the Japanese in terms of their personal wealth. Japan ranked 95th. just behind New Zealand.
The report says that islands are generally happier countries than non-islands. Perhaps if Ireland covered the whole island and not just 26/32nds, it might be worth considering as a place to which to retire.

See, e.g., http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/uk108th ... 20706.aspx (http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/uk108thinhappyplanetindex120706.aspx)
http://news.independent.co.uk/environme ... 173235.ece (http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1173235.ece)

[mikelele-old]

I posted the list in the Global Forum just now. =)

A quick Google on "Vanuatu riots" will show just how unreliable surveys of this kind are