The 50 Happiest Countries In The World Gallery

When asked to name the happiest place on Earth, many people say "Disney World" without hesitation. For the past five years, however, the United Nations has gone to great lengths to figure out the true answer to that question. According to the UN, happiness is considered to be the proper measure of social progress and the goal of all public policy.

First published in 2012, The World Happiness Report is a survey of global happiness distributed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The 2017 edition, which ranks 155 countries by their happiness levels, is based on the Gallup World Poll and nationally representative samples from 2014 to 2016. The six categories contributing to the ranking were GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.

"The World Happiness Report continues to draw global attention around the need to create sound policy for what matters most to people — their well-being," said Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and co-editor of the report. Although has Denmark held the top spot for three out of the last four years, a new winner has been crowned for 2017. Read on to find out which country took the top spot among the 50 happiest countries in the world.

Like Belize, Russia's highest scores also came from social support and GDP per capita. Although Russia's economy is quite small, that doesn't mean Russians aren't happy with the growth they've had, as seen in the happiness report.

The happiest of all the countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States, Uzbekistan jumped two places despite the overall happiness score dropping slightly this year. Strong social support pulled through for the win.

Coming in one spot higher this year, El Salvador scored the best in GDP per capita. It makes sense, since GDP in El Salvador reached an all-time high in 2016.

A slight increase from last year's score brings Nicaragua up five spots to No. 43. A decent score in each of the categories used to determine scores didn't hurt, either.

A minor decrease in overall happiness didn't negatively affect Bahrain's place in the top 50. In fact, Bahrain is one spot closer to the top compared to last year. Bahrain's capital, Manama, is also one of the safest cities in the world.

Kuwait may be No. 39 on the list, but it's the fifth happiest among countries in the Middle East. This comes with a minor decrease in overall happiness, but a solid score in GDP per capita helped a lot.

Saudi Arabia is the first country on this list to have fallen several spots since last year — three, to be exact. Despite the fall, the country still boasts one of the higher GDP per capita scores. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital, also made it to the list of the safest cities in the world.

Qatar regained its position as the third happiest country in the Middle East, moving up just one spot. It now places two spots ahead of Saudi Arabia, whereas last year it was two spots behind.

Among Southeast Asian nations, Taiwan finished behind only Singapore in (No. 26) and Thailand (No. 32). Home to the best ramen in the world, the country's favorable scores in each category helped it keep up with Thailand as both moved up the happiness index this year.

Over the past year, France saw a small decrease in overall happiness. Decent scores across the board, however, especially GPD per capita and social support, helped the country climb one spot this year.

The second best jump on the list belongs to Guatemala. Guatemala has seen small increases in GDP per capita and social support over the past year, leading it to rise an impressive ten spots.

With an increasing GDP per capita and social support, Malta has become more and more popular with foreign travelers who want make their stays on a beautiful island permanent. Gaining three positions on the world happiness index, Malta's growing economy only adds to its Mediterranean appeal.

Mexicans are not as happy as they were last year, slipping four spots on the happiness index. However, thanks to the establishment of universal healthcare in 2012, as well as a host of other steps taken to improve the country's health over the years, Mexico is one of the healthier and happier countries on the list.

Happiness in Czech Republic continues to rise, as the country jumped four positions in this year's World Happiness Report. This slot is considerably higher than its neighbors, Slovakia (No. 45) and Poland (No. 57).

The United Arab Emirates has seen its happiness ranking decline over the years, but the overall mood is improving. The recovery in the country's ranking is impressive, climbing seven spots in the last year alone. Two of its cities made our list of the safest in the world, notably its capital which came in as the absolute safest.

Happiness declined slightly in the United Kingdom over the past year. Despite a recently tense political climate, thanks in large part to the issue of Brexit, the United Kingdom moved up four spots on the World Happiness Report.

With complete access to Belgian beer and chocolate, it's no wonder than the people of Belgium are among the happiest in the world. Belgium's happiness across all categories is improving, helping it keep up with its neighbor, Germany.

Jumping four spots on the happiness index, Ireland is in a much better place than the country was a decade ago. According to this year's World Happiness Report, the country is a prime example of happiness maintenance after the economic crash of 2008. It also recently overtook the United States as the most food-secure nation in the world.

Austria performs well in many areas of measurable happiness compared to other countries in the world. The country's happiness results in most categories are better than average, and it probably helps that they have a beer-filled spa.

For the fourth year running, Israel maintains its spot at No. 11 on the World Happiness Report. That makes it the list's highest ranked country located in the Middle East.

Australia received the same overall happiness score as Sweden, but the people from Down Under edged out the Swedes in several categories including social support, healthy life expectancy, and generosity. We bet their ranking will only go up next year now that they're getting burritos air-dropped by drones.

While Canada dropped one spot on the happiness index, it is still ahead of the United States. In fact, Canada performed better than the U.S. in every category except for GDP per capita,in which the country is only 0.067 points behind. Perhaps Americans would do well to learn these 12 etiquette lessons from their neighbors to the north.

Staying in the top five, Finland recorded a small increase in overall happiness this year. The country also scored high in freedom make choices and healthy life expectancy. We think that has something to do with the fact that they have a Burger King spa and a vegan McDonald's.

Iceland remains the third happiest country on the happiness index, perhaps in part because of its resilience. According to this year's World Happiness Report, Iceland also did a great job of maintaining happiness after the post-2007 economic crisis. And despite having a cuisine that even Anthony Bourdain couldn't stomach, it continues to be one of the absolute healthiest countries in the world.

Norway is officially the happiest country in the world (and Scandinavia!), according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. With record salmon sales and a tourism boom due to the popularity of the hit movie Frozen, Norway moved up three places to claim the top spot. If you're looking for happiness a bit closer to home, check out our list of the 50 happiest cities in America.