HOW HAPPY IS THE WORLD ?


How happy are humans? Were humans happier in the past? And what can be done to increase a persons overall life satisfaction ? These are tough questions to answer, however by looking at different factors in a persons life we are able to guage how satisfied with thier respective lives.In the field of social science measuring the overall weel-being of the global population is an well researched topic.This visualization focuses on the providing data about the overall life satisfaction and the factors which affect an individuals mental well being.

Ladder Score

The underlying source of the happiness scores in the World Happiness Report is the Gallup World Poll—a set of, nationally representative surveys undertaken in more than 160 countries in over 140 languages. The main life evaluation question asked in the poll is: “Please imagine a ladder, with steps numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?” (Also known as the “Cantril Ladder Score”.)




The above map shows the ladder score for different countries over a span of 15 years from 2005 to 2020. It is visible to us that Western countries tend to score higher on the ladder score throughout the time period. One of the consistently highest scoring countries is considered as Finland. Finland has being considered as one of the happiest countries, with the countries social policies being considered very effective. In 2020 Finland was one of the happeiest country in the world with a score of 7.889 despite challenges the country faced due to the Covid-19 pandemic.However on the other hand Afghanistan is one country which has been scoring the lowest ladder scores compared to the rest of its neighbouring countries. In 2017 Afganistan has scored its lowest score of 2.662 whilst neighbouring countries such as Pakistan and Turkmenistan scoring 5.8 and 5.2 respectively. This is due to the countries political insecurity as well as Afganistans economy performing bad. User the slider provided to see the change in ladder score for different countries over time. Hover over a country you wish to view its ladder score for the selected year.




National GDP vs Ladder Score

One of the main factors which affects a countries ladder score would be its financial capability. As a countries financial capability increases, the more resources the country would have at its disposal for social welfare projects. This includes simple factors as governments investing into its public transportation systems in order to improve the qulality of life for its community. As well as governments investing in social project such as providing cictizens with mental support avenues which are easily accesible. Citizens in financially richer countries also enjoy an abundence of resources, this means that they will not be worried about thier "NEXT MEAL". Citizens in these countries also enjoy higher level of education, job security which reduces the stress its citizens face on a day to day life. As seen by the map, relatively poor countries have a lower ladder score. This is due to the lack of resources its citizen have, which makes life harder on a day to day basis. The ladder scores provided in this map is based on an average for each country, as most countries would show anomalies due to the different financial levels within a country. Data on the map shows that European countries such as Sweden tend to score higher on the ladder score due to a higher GDP.



As seen by the above line chart, over the years in the worlds financially poorest countries the average suicide rates have increased. This is due to the lack of help and guidence the citizens in these countries get the suicide rates year on year have increased. Citizens of these countries also face challenges like food and drinking water shortages, fuel shortages and many more which aid in the statistics shown above.
Click here to view the full dataset.
As seen by the above line chart, the financially richest countries in the world have performed well over time in reducing the overall suicide rates. Due is due to the fact that citizens in these countries have access to mental health resources, guidence and overall is overall more educated about mental health. Apart from the above mentioned factors when it comes to mental health and suicide, there are a lot of factors which we need to take into consideration. Click here to view the full dataset.


Ladder Score and Life Expectancy

As seen here, as the life ladder score increases the life expectancy of a citizen living in that country tends to be higher. Australia which has one of the highest ladder scores, is shown to have a higher life expectancy. Afghanistan which has a low ladder score, has been shown to have a lower life expectancy.
On average it is seen that European countries tend to have a higher life expectancy, with exceptions such as countries like Russia and Ukraine. In order for a country to increase its populations life expectancy, one area of focus should be providing reliable and affordable healthcare. This includes mental and physical healthcare.
Overall people who live a happier and more fullfilled life tend to live longer.


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Ways to improve life satisfaction


Studies have shown that engaging in 30 mins of daily physical activity reduces mental fatigue and stress. This would hence increase the qulaity of life of an individual in the long run and make him happier and satisfied with life.
Meditation is a proven method to reduce the stress levels in a humans body. By focusing on ones breath, for about 2-3 minutes daily an individual is able to reduce his anxiety level and stress levels.
Taking time off ones busy schedule, and focusing on helping ones self is another method which can be used to increase happiness in life. Engaging in healthy activities which brings you joy, can increase ones overall mood.