Costa Rica Blog

It's official, Costa Rica is the happiest place on earth.  According to the New Economics Foundation (nef) a think tank based out of the UK, a good life doesn't have to cost the earth.  nef's second annual Happy Planet Index is based on data from 143 countries representing 99% of the world's population.  The USA ranked 114^th. The index is devised by an equation that weighs life expectancy and people's happiness against their environmental impact. Traditionally progress has been measured by a country's GDP.  However financial wealth doesn't necessarily lead to a fulfilling life. The Happy Planet Index (HPI) provides a clear guide to what ultimately matters to us - our well-being in terms of long, happy and meaningful lives - and what matters for the planet - our rate of resource consumption. 

With more than 85% stating that they are happy with their country Costa Ricans report the highest life satisfaction in the world.  Life expectancy is 78.5 years (slightly higher than the US and the 2^nd highest average life expectancy in the New World), Costa Rica has the 5^th lowest human poverty index in the developing world and the country is nearly perfectly balanced between consumption and preservation of natural resources.  

This is not a matter of chance.  Costa Rica is a haven of democracy and has taken deliberate steps to reduce its environmental impact. Unique in the world for combining its energy and environmental ministries back in the 70's, 99% of its energy comes from renewable sources. Deforestation has been reversed and forests cover twice as much land as 20 years ago.            

Professor Mariano Rojas, a Costa Rican economist at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences in Mexico, is unsurprised by his country's performance and adds a few further explanations: the abolition of the country's army in 1949, freeing up government money to spend on social programs, solid social networks of friends, families and a sensible work-life balance, rich natural capital, equal treatment of women and strong political participation.

To learn more or view the full index click here: http://www.happyplanetindex.org/