* Report urges nations to tackle inequality, environment
* Says happiness can be measured, uses six criteria
By Philip Pullella
ROME, March 16 (Reuters) - Denmark overtook Switzerland as
the world's happiest place, according to a report on Wednesday
that urged nations regardless of wealth to tackle inequality and
the environment.
The report, prepared by the Sustainable Development
Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Earth Institute at Columbia
University, showed Syria, Afghanistan and eight sub-Saharan
countries as the 10 least happy places on earth to live.
The top 10 this year were Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland,
Norway, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia,
and Sweden. Denmark was in third place last year, behind
Switzerland and Iceland.
The bottom 10 were Madagascar, Tanzania, Liberia, Guinea,
Rwanda, Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and Burundi.
The United States came in at 13, the United Kingdom at 23,
France at 32, and Italy at 50.
"There is a very strong message for my country, the United
States, which is very rich, has gotten a lot richer over the
last 50 years, but has gotten no happier," said Professor
Jeffrey Sachs, head of the SDSN and special advisor to U.N.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
While the differences between countries where people are
happy and those where they are not could be scientifically
measured, "we can understand why and do something about it,"
Sachs, one of the report's authors, told Reuters in an interview
in Rome.
"The message for the United States is clear. For a society
that just chases money, we are chasing the wrong things. Our
social fabric is deteriorating, social trust is deteriorating,
faith in government is deteriorating," he said.
Aiming to "survey the scientific underpinnings of measuring
and understanding subjective well-being," the report, now in its
fourth edition, ranks 157 countries by happiness levels using
factors such as per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and
healthy years of life expectancy.
It also rates "having someone to count on in times of
trouble" and freedom from corruption in government and business.
"When countries single-mindedly pursue individual
objectives, such as economic development to the neglect of
social and environmental objectives, the results can be highly
adverse for human wellbeing, even dangerous for survival," it
said.
"Many countries in recent years have achieved economic
growth at the cost of sharply rising inequality, entrenched
social exclusion, and grave damage to the natural environment."
YARDSTICK FOR HAPPINESS
The first report was issued in 2012 to support a U.N.
meeting on happiness and well-being. Five countries - Bhutan,
Ecuador, Scotland, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela - now have
appointed Ministers of Happiness charged with promoting it as a
goal of public policy.
The 2016 survey showed that three countries in particular,
Ireland, Iceland and Japan, were able to maintain their
happiness levels despite external shocks such as the post-2007
economic crisis and the 2011 earthquake because of social
support and solidarity.
Sachs pointed to Costa Rica, which came in 14th and ahead of
many wealthier countries, as an example of a healthy, happy
society although it is not an economic powerhouse.