Myanmar ranks 119th out of 159 countries, between India and Egypt, on the World Happiness Report 2016 produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network

The World Happiness Report 2016 Update, which was released in Rome this week, ranked Myanmar 119th out of 156 countries, between India and Egypt.

Denmark topped the list as the world’s happiest country, while conflict-ravaged Burundi sat at the bottom.

The report, produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, was based on surveys undertaken in each country over three years, 2013-15. Metrics used to understand well-being included GDP per capita, social relations, perceived freedom to make life choices, government corruption and access to medical care. Myanmar’s ranking was affected by a very small GDP and limited healthy life expectancy, but was given a boost by a large generosity factor.

The report urged governments, communities and organisations to “use happiness as [a] primary indicator of the quality of human development”.

“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 well-being, even dangerous for survival,” it said.

American economist and co-author of the report Jeffrey Sachs said that measuring self-reported happiness should now “be on every nation’s agenda.”

“Rather than taking a narrow approach focused solely on economic growth, we should promote societies that are prosperous, just and environmentally sustainable,” Mr Sachs said.

For the first time, this edition of the World Happiness Report examined “happiness inequality”, or inequality in the distribution of well-being within a country.

“Happiness inequality” was found to have increased significantly in many countries and for the population of the world as a whole over recent years. Myanmar ranked number 21 in terms of the inequality of well-being.

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