Uzbekistan ranked 44th, the highest among the ex-USSR countries in the World Happiness Report 2018, published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, an initiative of the United Nations.
The 2018 report was released Wednesday, ahead of the United Nations’ International Day of Happiness.
Happiness Ranking among ex-Soviet countries:
Uzbekistan - 44
Lithuania - 50
Latvia - 53
Russia - 59
Kazakhstan - 60
Estonia - 63
Moldova - 67
Turkmenistan - 68
Belarus - 73
Tajikistan - 80
Azerbaijan - 87
Kyrgyzstan - 92
Georgia - 128
Armenia - 129
Ukraine - 138
Finland is No. 1, edging out Norway, the 2017 champion. Denmark was third, followed by Iceland and Switzerland.
The bottom three in the 156-nation list were Burundi, the Central African Republic and South Sudan — all of which have struggled with conflict and instability.
The statisticians weighed six variables, according to the report: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity and absence of corruption. The data was compiled from the Gallup World Poll, which uses a measure called the “Cantril ladder.”
There were common threads to most of the top-ranked countries on the list. Income is the biggest factor; the GDP per capita in the top 10 nations is 30 times as high as it is in the bottom 10 countries. But Helliwell said that does not always translate to happiness among individuals. Belonging and respect in civil society also play vital roles.
