This year, for the first time, the World Happiness Report gives a special role to the measurement and consequences of inequality in the distribution of well-being among countries and regions. In previous reports the editors have argued that happiness provides a better indicator of human welfare than do income, poverty, education, health and good government measured separately. In a parallel way, they now argue that the inequality of well-being provides a broader measure of inequality. They find that people are happier living in societies where there is less inequality of happiness. They also find that happiness inequality has increased significantly (comparing 2012-2015 to 2005-2011) in most countries, in almost all global regions, and for the population of the world as a whole.
Appendices & Data
- Our work is public. Data for Figure 2.1 for each corresponding year are freely downloadable. The survey measure of SWB (Subjective Well-being) is from the Gallup World Poll (GWP). Please reference the report accordingly (see Citation).
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Online Data on Chapter 2
- Statistical Appendix
- NSO Data Collections
- Special Rome Edition
Editors
John Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sachs
Citation
Helliwell, J., Layard, R., & Sachs, J. (2016). World Happiness Report 2016, Update (Vol. I). New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Acknowledgments
World Happiness Report management by Sharon Paculor and Anthony Annett, copy edit by Jill Hamburg Coplan, Aditi Shah and Saloni Jain, design by John Stislow and Stephanie Stislow, cover design by Sunghee Kim.
ISBN
978-0-9968513-3-6