Nepal has topped the list of happiest countries in South Asia in the ‘World Happiness Report-2021’ released by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) on Friday.
According to the survey conducted in 149 countries, Nepal managed to reach the 87th position this year, which is five positions up as compared to 2020’s 92nd position.
After Nepal, Maldives is listed in 89th position, Bangladesh in 101st, Pakistan in 105th, Sri Lanka in 129th and India 139th.
The report showed that Nepal has received higher happiness among all its South Asian peers. It sheds light on the effects of COVID-19 pandemic and how people round the globe responded to the unprecedented threat posed by it.
Nordic country Finland is listed as the happiest country in the world. Similarly, Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland and the Netherlands are in second, third, fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Ninth-ranked New Zealand is the only Asian country in the top-10. The United States ranked 19th on the list, while China ranked 84th.
Facing violent conflict, Afghanistan is at the bottom of the list at 149th place. Lesotho is ranked 148th, Botswana 147th, Rwanda 146th and Zimbabwe 145th.
According to SDSN, the survey was started in order to find out that how happy the people of different countries think they are.
Report was prepared based on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), social support, generosity and healthy life expectancy. Similarly, freedom to make life choices, dystopia and perceptions of corruption were also regarded as the barometers to measure people’s happiness.
