In looking at the world’s 25 most content nations, happiness may be more than just a state of mind. The world’s happiest countries are likely to be more affluent, and citizens have greater personal freedom to make life choices, have a strong support network, and have a relatively long healthy life expectancy.

Western European and North American countries tend to have the happiest populations, while residents of countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East are most likely to be unhappy.

To identify the happiest countries in the world, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed The World Happiness Report 2018 produced by the UN-initiative Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Researchers used a range of survey data from the 2015-2017 Gallup World Poll to rank happiness levels in 156 countries. Healthy life expectancy data for each country were obtained from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Click here to see the happiest countries in the world.
Click here to see the most miserable countries in the world.
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