2015 World Happiness Report: The Top 20 Happiest Countries

This website takes a closer look at the top 20 happiest countries from the 2015 World Happiness Report. Using data collected from thousands of people across the world, each country was scored based on six key factors: economic prosperity (GDP per Capita), family support, health and life expectancy, personal freedom, trust in government, and generosity. Together, these factors paint a picture of what life is really like for the people living in these countries and help researchers identify what factors can contribute to a country's happiness.

[1] GDP per Capita
The total economic output of a country divided by its population, used here as a measure of economic prosperity.
[2] Dystopia Residual
A baseline score that accounts for the lowest possible values in all the other happiness factors, used to make countries more comparable.
[3] Life Expectancy (Health)
The average number of years a person is expected to live, used as a measure of the country's health and quality of life.
[4] Freedom
A score reflecting how much personal freedom and choice citizens feel they have in their lives.
[5] Government Corruption (Trust)
A score measuring how much citizens trust their government and how corrupt or transparent it is perceived to be.
[6] Generosity
A score based on how much citizens donate to charity and support others in their communities.