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Israel beats UK and US in world happiness rankings

April 28, 2015 09:22
Israel ranks as the 11th happiest country in the world (Photo: Lior Mizrahi)

By

Shira Rubin,

Shira Rubin

1 min read

Israel ranks as the 11th happiest country in the world - ahead of the US, at 15, and the UK, at 21 - according to the 2015 World Happiness Report published last week.

Switzerland triumphed in first place, followed closely by Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Canada and Finland, all of which are also among the richest countries in the world. The ten unhappiest countries are in Saharan or sub-Saharan Africa, as well as Syria and Afghanistan.

Many Middle Eastern countries were placed towards the bottom, with Egypt at 135, the Palestinian Territories at 108, and Lebanon at 103.

The study of 158 nations was compiled by a group of international academics, including Jeffrey Sachs of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, John Helliwell of the University of British and Richard Layard, the director of the Well-Being Programme at London School of Economics.