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Where Does The U.S. Fall On Gallup’s List Of Countries Best For Well-Being?

By JenniferP
Published on: 03:01 PST, Jun 25, 2015

Gallup has released their updated findings on the countries that are best for well-being in their yearly Gallup-Healthways Country Well-Being Report. So where did the U.S. fall?

Surprisingly, the U.S. is not number one. Taking the top spot is Panama for the second year in the row. So is the U.S. second? Not quite. The second country ranked best for well-being was Costa Rica.

The top European country that is best for well-being was Switzerland, which came in fourth place. So, where exactly did the U.S. fall?

According to NPR, the U.S. was ranked No. 23 on Gallup’s list of countries best for well-being. The U.S. “is one spot behind Israel and one ahead of Canada.” Also, the U.S. dropped 11 places from their ranking last year, from No. 12.

Dan Witters, who compiled the Index for Gallup, explained the reason for the decline in the rankings.

“The decline reflected fewer people reporting they were satisfied with their feelings of community, including safety, as well as reporting less positive social ties.”

Witters also added, “The addition of 11 more countries and areas in 2014’s index also contributed to the United States’ lower ranking.”

So how many countries were ranked, and how exactly were they ranked?

According to Reuters, there was a total of “145 countries, territories, and areas tracked by Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index.”

The Gallup Index polls residents to see which countries have the highest percentages of people who are “thriving in three or more areas of well-being, measures that include a person’s sense of purpose, financial well-being, and physical health.”

Also, the Gallup Index for countries that are best for well-being was “based on interviews with more than 146,000 people aged 15 and older.”

That being said, the people of Panama reported 53 percent of residents experiencing that well-being… and a lot of daily enjoyment, without a lot of stress and worry.”

So while the United States wasn’t the highest, they certainly weren’t the lowest. Afghanistan ranked last on the list, “with zero percent of residents thriving in well-being areas,” with sub-Saharan Africa following closely behind.

While Europe seemed to lead the index when it came to thriving the most in regards to financial well-being, the Americas were found to be ranked highest in terms of “thriving in well-being areas.”

Latin American countries seemed to be the best for well-being, though, topping seven out of the top ten positions.

[Photo Courtesy of Mariordo]

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