DR in the Top Thirty Countries!!!!

[Simon & Nicky]

It's True! OK, so it's an odd way of gathering the stats, but I do always say that people here seem to lead contented lives!

Countries Listed in HPI order

More disturbing is the fact that if I had lived in some of the countries in the bottom placings I would have been dead for a number of years.....

[Bronxboy]

Hey AZB!!!!

Colombia is ranked 2nd!!!

[AZB]

Colombia, here I come. My next trip: bogota, armenia, pereira and medellin (if time left over).
AZB

[catcherintherye]

Tajikistan, Tunisia, Kyrgyzstan, Guatemala, Cuba ?????
Plus Columbia and we have a questionable result. I'm not sure every social scientist would agree with the outcome.

[Berzin]

Gee, The Ukraine is 173rd. If any of you have seen the movie "Borat" it is not that far off in certain instances.

I'll call my dad to see how he feels about the motherland being disrespected in such a fashion...

[Manzana]

The formula they use is Ave.Lifespan x Some sort of Life Satisfaction index divided by some measure of Environmental Footprint x a constant.

I noticed that Iceland with great scores for Lifespan and Satisfaction has a red EF so it scores way below the DR or Belize. This despite the fact it generates 100% of it's electricity from geothermal, doesn't generate high levels of greenhouse gases and is generally a very clean environmentally progressive place.

It seems to be a ranking of impoverished but not too unhealthy, reasonably happy places on the theory that small Environmental Footprint = impoverished and the goal should be to live in poverty without too much sacrifice in health or happiness.

Both the DR and Columbia would rank high on that scale (and even higher if they had cheaper cervesa).

[windeguy]

I noticed Sri Lanka was 15th on the list, before circumstances changed radically for me and I ended up the DR, that was going to be my place of retirement.

One of the most beautiful places I have been is Sri Lanka. Great food and people as well.

[guandulera]

I don't know but to me it all bout oneself. The statistics say one thing but reality may say something else. I think that is how one want to live hi/her life. I am not the type of person who suffer or make herself misserable for what don't or can't have. At this moment I wish I could have un coco de agua, but all I can have is an ice tee. so I'm enjoying it............

[Lambada]

There seem to be a few annoying yet telling omissions in how happiness is defined. I'm all in favour of factoring in environmental footprints but what about things like equitable distribution of income spread, Governmental transparency, effects of corruption, protection of human rights, protection of pro-democracy efforts etc etc?

When I see a study which places Burma (Myanmar) at 77 ahead of Belgium at 78 and Haiti at 85 ahead of Spain at 87 I tend to end up scratching my head somewhat................

I mean BURMA?????????? Do they not know what is going on there? 'Life satisfaction'...yeah!

[adrianb]

I lived in Medellin and I think Santiago is better.