by Amanda Macias
October 31, 2014

from BusinessInsider Website

Similar report in Spanish
 

 

 


While the wealthy who live in advanced economies claim to be happier with their life situation, those living in emerging economies are close to the same level of satisfaction, according to a new Pew Research Center report (People in Emerging Markets Catch Up to Advanced Economies in Life Satisfaction).

The survey asked respondents of 43 nations to measure their happiness on a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 represents the the highest rung of life's ladder. Those who answered between 7 and 10 were counted as being happy.

Mexico, a country plagued with crime and corruption, had the overall highest score in the survey, measuring in at 79% satisfaction in life. Mexico's response represents a shift in what The Economist called a "fraying link between happiness and income" since

On average, people residing in advanced economies like,

  • Germany

  • France

  • Japan

  • the US,

...answered with a median of 53% of having a comfortable and gratifying life.

 

Of the 10 countries with advanced economies, Israel is the leader of the pack at 75%.

Half of Mexico's counterparts, like Venezuela and Brazil, weren't too far behind by listing their lives as highly satisfying. Meanwhile countries in the Middle East, including Tunisia, Jordan, and Egypt, claimed to be the least satisfied among the emerging nations.

 

The Pew report also noted that few Ukrainians are happy, which may,

"reflect the considerable turmoil in their country."

Representing the developing economies, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya were the most dissatisfied with their lives out of the 43 nations sampled.

Here is the full list of all 43 surveyed countries: