Is the Caribbean happy? 6 highlights from 2024 World Happiness Report
Written by tropixx105 on March 20, 2024
(Caribbean Loop) – Finland has again topped the 2024 World Happiness Report as the happiest country in the world, but what about the Caribbean region?
According to the 2024 World Happiness Report, the happiest country in the Latin American/Caribbean region might be Costa Rica, which entered the top 20 for the first time, along with Kuwait.
Meanwhile the US and Germany have dropped out of the top 20 in a surprising turn.
Although data for all Caribbean countries was not available in the report, here are five takeaways for the Latin American/Caribbean region in determining the happiest countries:
1. Older = less happy in Latin America, the Caribbean
According to the report, populations that grow older become less happy in the Latin American-Caribbean region.
“In Latin America and the Caribbean, there is a general downward trend across ages less than 60, with an increase thereafter for females. Male and female happiness is equal under the age of 30, with a growing age gap thereafter favouring females.”
2. Women are generally unhappier
Across the board, women reportedly were unhappier than men, a trend that was also apparent in the Latin American-Caribbean region.
“Females have more frequent negative emotions at all ages. For the world as a whole, the average frequency of the selected negative emotions is higher for females than males, with the gender gap growing slightly from the young to the old.”
“In Latin America and the Caribbean, negative emotions are more frequent for females than males, especially in the middle age groups, and generally rise with age.”
3. Equal access to amenities a key indicator of happiness
“Inequality in the distribution of happiness reflects inequalities of access to any of the direct and indirect supports for well-being, including income, education, health care, social acceptance, trust, and the presence of supportive social environments at the family, community and national levels.
“People are happier living in countries where the equality of happiness is greater.”
4. Millenials, GenZ more likely to help others
The report noted that when analysed by age range, people belonging to the Millenial and Gen Z generations were more likely to help others, another key indicator of happiness.
See the full report here: https://bit.ly/3xcEP71
