Maybe it’s all that beer, and maybe, contrary to what the ads say, they are not quite so sorry to see it leave either, because according to study carried out at Leicester University, the Danes are the happiest people on Earth.

It’s a commonly quoted statistic that once GDP rises to the level currently enjoyed in Portugal, there’s no correlation between wealth and happiness. And yet the study, instigated by social scientist Adrian White, found that the four happiest countries in the world were all in the top ten in terms of GDP per capita.

There’s something else these four countries have in common, thy have all got lots of snow. Because number two in happiest rankings is Switzerland, number three Austria and at number four it gets even colder with Iceland. Also in the top ten are Canada, Sweden and Finland, nations which boast lots of money and lots of the white flaky stuff in equal abundance. Maybe snow should be known as white gold, except that this theory seems completely blown by the country that occupies number five. For there, lurking in the fifth spot, is the Bahamas.

But while the Bahamas may lack snow, it doesn’t lack dollars per head. It’s not a very rich country, but with GDP per capita of $20,200 it is still richer than Portugal.

In fact ‘richer than Portugal’ is a mantra that can be applied to most of the countries that figure in the top twenty for happiness, but not all of them. Antigua and Barbuda is way down the rankings for GDP per capita, barely more than half the income per head seen in Portugal, and yet it’s supposedly at number 16. Also way down the wealth per head rankings, but in the happy chart is Malaysia, (17th place). The only Mediterranean country in the top twenty is Malta. While at 20th place, is a country way down the GDP per capita rankings, the Seychelles. So maybe, in the absence of snow and money, golden sands leading up to the sea is a reasonable substitute.

The US managed a creditable 23rd place, Germany was 35th the UK managed 41st, while France languishes in 62nd spot.

Apparently, the analysis was based on the findings of over 100 different studies around the world, which questioned 80,000 people worldwide. And the man himself, Adrian White said: “Further analysis showed that a nation’s level of happiness was most closely associated with health levels (correlation of .62), followed by wealth (.52), and then provision of education (.51).”

“The three predictor variables of health, wealth and education were also very closely associated with each other, illustrating the interdependence of these factors.”

“There is a belief that capitalism leads to unhappy people. However, when people are asked if they are happy with their lives, people in countries with good healthcare, a higher GDP per capita, and access to education, were much more likely to report being happy.”

“We were surprised to see countries in Asia scoring so low, with China 82nd, Japan 90th and India 125th. These are countries that are thought to have a strong sense of collective identity which other researchers have associated with well-being.”

“It is also notable that many of the largest countries in terms of population do quite badly. With China 82nd, India 125th and Russia 167th, it is interesting to note that larger populations are not associated with happy countries.”

“The frustrations of modern life, and the anxieties of the age, seem to be much less significant compared to the health, financial and educational needs in other parts of the World. The current concern with happiness levels in the UK may well be a case of the ‘worried well’.”

For further information

University of Leicester Produces the first ever World Map of Happiness University of Leicester

Richest country’s in the world eneki.com

The world factbookCIA