Hate going up, happiness down; India way behind Pakistan, Nepal in happiness index

India has recorded a worrisome fall in its position in the happiness index again, says World Happiness Report.

Ranked 144, India is way behind Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh.

India has dropped down four spots in the happiness rankings as compared to its 2019 ranking. In 2019, India was placed on 140 position while in in 2018, India was placed on 133 position. The position went up to 122 in 2017 but again it saw a steep fall.

According to the report, Nepal is ranked 15, Pakistan is at the 29, Bangladesh at 107 and Sri Lanka at 130.

Finland is the happiest country, according to the report that was released by the United Nations.

The Nordic country has again been declared as the happiest country in the world for the third consecutive year by the United Nations, followed by Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand and Austria.

Canada is ranked 11, Australia at 12 and the United Kingom at 13. The US is at the 18th spot.

“The happiest countries are those where people feel a sense of belonging, where they trust and enjoy each other and their shared institutions,” John Helliwell, one of the authors of the report, said in a statement.

“There is also more resilience, because shared trust reduces the burden of hardships, and thereby lessens the inequality of well-being,” he added.

Analysts believe rising communal hatred towards Muslims, unemployment and social tensions have attributed to the fall of the country in happiness index.

According to the report, the countries at the bottom of the list were those hit by violence and poverty.

Zimbabwe, South Sudan, and Afghanistan have been classified as the least happy countries in the world.

The data for this year’s World Happiness Report was collected in 2018 and 2019. The authors of the report believe that lockdown in many countries can boost happiness in the future.