The Happy Planet Index was created to measure the sustainable wellbeing of humans on Earth, while shedding light on how well nations are doing at achieving this goal of sustainability. The Happy Planet Index accounts for three elements to calculate how efficiently people of different countries are using their environmental resources adequately to lead long, happy, sustainable lives. The Index is calculated by taking a country’s well-being, multiplying by their life expectancy, and dividing by their ecological footprint. The Happy Planet Index is a useful tool to aide nations in progressing towards a sustainable future and showcasing how it’s possible to live good lives without jeopardizing the Earth.
You may wonder if there was an impact on the Happy Planet Index since the 2020 pandemic shook the world at its core. Interestingly, most countries saw an increase in their Happy Planet Index score or barely a change at all. The overall global score increased by three points, and here’s why:
- Significantly smaller ecological footprints in 2020 as we changed the way we lived our daily lives. Working from home, reduction in travel, and a slower way of living resulted in the global ecological footprint falling more than 6% from 2019. The high-income countries saw an even greater decrease of their ecological footprint, of closer to 15%.
- Life expectancy rates remained relatively the same, as most deaths were among the elderly. The pandemic did not have a negative impact on the life expectancy of the average person, which would have hurt the Happy Planet Index.
- Wellbeing increased in countries that were typically seen as Communist countries that place work over play, such as China. The Happy Planet Index also saw a rise in overall wellbeing in countries like India and Germany, with a resurgence of social capital and the coming together of people to help one another. It’s likely these countries enjoyed the slower pace of life because of the pandemic, and focused on more social values.
You may be curious to know the top 10 countries, and maybe they’re destinations you’d like to visit. Here are the top 10 most efficient countries, according to the Happy Planet Index:
- Costa Rica
- Vanuatu
- Colombia
- Switzerland
- Ecuador
- Panama
- Jamaica
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Uruguay
For comparison, it’s noteworthy to compare these countries and their rankings to other countries that typically have a strong voice in the world:
14) The U.K.
29) Germany
31) France
41) Sweden
88) Australia
94) China
105) Canada
122) USA
If you’d like to learn more about the Happy Planet Index and read about its structure and purpose, please visit their website.
Enjoy!