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Bahrain ranks high on global happiness list

MANAMA, September 18, 2014

Bahrain is one of the happiest countries in the world, according to a new report.

In its State of Global Well-Being Index for 2013, pollsters Gallup Healthways concluded that Bahrain ranked joint 13th in the world - alongside Australia, Malta and the UK - for percentage of the population who were 'thriving in three or more elements of well-being,’ said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Wealth was the key factor in awarding Bahrain such a high ranking, according to the report, as it was found to be 10th in the world for the percentage of people who are well-off - giving it a high score in so-called 'financial well-being'.

The other types of 'well-being' measured by the report were 'purposed', social, community and physical.

“Financial well-being is much higher in Israel, where 42 per cent of the population are thriving, and the GCC countries of Bahrain, 48 per cent, Kuwait, 44 per cent, the UAE, 37 per cent, and Saudi Arabia, 37 per cent, than regionally, at 25 per cent,” said the report.

“The percentage of people thriving in these five countries is roughly double that found in Egypt, 18pc, and the Palestinian Territories, 19pc, where jobs are scarce, the economic climate is shaky, and the national mood is volatile.

“A disparity also exists in community well-being throughout the region.”

Although the report described the Mena region as a wealthy one overall, it cautioned that most countries had failed to keep pace with their growing populations.

“Economic growth in the Mena region overall has failed to keep pace with the region's rapidly expanding population, resulting in the highest regional unemployment rate in the world,” said the report.

“More than half of the Mena population is younger than 25, and joblessness is pervasive among young people who often lack the connections, training, and skills to compete for the relatively few positions available.

“Mena's low thriving percentage in purpose well-being, at 13 per cent, reflects this widespread lack of work, which can lead to social unrest and political instability.”

The report described 48 per cent of Bahrain's population as financially 'thriving', while 39 per cent were said to be 'struggling' and 13 per cent 'suffering'.

Leading the world financially is Sweden with 72 per cent of the population described as 'thriving', followed by Austria with 64 per cent and Denmark with 59 per cent.

At the bottom of the list is Afghanistan, where not even one per cent of the population is thriving financially, closely followed by Guinea and Mali.

Overall, Panama was ranked as the happiest country in the world, with 61 per cent of the population adjudged to be thriving in 'three or more elements of well-being'.

While the UAE was tied for 10th place overall with Mexico, Chile and Saudi Arabia came in at 12 with Nicaragua, and Kuwait was at 15th place with Iceland, Honduras and Ecuador.

Oman and Qatar were not surveyed for the poll. - TradeArabia News Service




Tags: Bahrain | Rank | List | countries |

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