Here is a list of TOP 10 happiest countries in the world. The basis of this list is research done by professor Ruut Veenhoven who runs the World Database of Happiness at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

How is happiness measured?

Happiness can be very subjective. Some people are happy when it rains, others are happy when the sun is shining. So how is it measured? Apparently the people at World Database of Happiness take into account a number of different things such as average life expectancy and most importantly the answer to the following multiple choice question “How happy are you?” (Although the actual question has varied a bit throughout the years). Having all the variables they run it through a computer and get a number from 1 to 10. The bigger the number, the happier the country

Happiest countries in the world

10. Luxembourg – 7.6 points

Living in the worlds richest country inevitably puts a smile on your face! This small landlocked European country has an army of 800 people (yes, 800). They don’t have a navy nor an air force but together with Belgium they can afford to own 1 military cargo plane. Beat that US!

According to the Guinness Book of World Records Luxembourg holds the world record as the country that consumes most alcohol in the world per citizen.

9. Guatemala – 7,6 points

This Central American country borders with Mexico in the north and is located between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. This location makes it a very difficult country to stay happy in – Guatemala is frequently ravished by hurricanes and earthquakes that often kill thousands of people. Main exports of Guatemala include coffee, sugar and bananas. The latter is probably why they are so happy – have you ever seen someone that can stay sad while eating a banana? 56% of all Guatemalans live in poverty. If you ask me, they can use the cheap bananas!

8. Canada – 7,6 points

Many people have no idea that Canada’s head of state is actually Queen Elizabeth II – the head of the British Monarchy. This meant that when Britain declared war on Germany in World War I, Canada was automatically at war with the soon to be Nazi country. Unlike the neighboring US, Canada has never cancelled its relations with Cuba and has declined to take part from the Iraq War – instead, it has played a leading role in the United Nations peacekeeping missions and helped to launch a $1.5 billion initiative to help develop vaccines that could save millions of people in poor countries. It seems that happy people make a happy country!

7. Sweden – 7,7 points

This “welfare state” model is an excellent example of effective national taxes.  Among other things the state provides universal tax-funded childcare, parental leave, health care, education (including university), retirement pensions and sick leave. Including value added tax (VAT – kind of like sales tax), it is possible to pay up to 80% of your income as taxes. Contrary to popular belief, Swedes are quite OK with their high taxes – after all it gives them tons of high quality services and they almost never need to take drastic action like taking quick payday
loans just to make ends meet. In fact, most of the services for the public are free, so what’s not to be happy about?

Sweden is also the home of IKEA – the worlds largest furniture store. IKEA’s founder Ingvar Kampard is famous for being the 7th richest person in the world (Net worth $31 billion) and driving a 15 year old Volvo station wagon. It has been claimed that more people read the Ikea catalogue than the Bible – and that one in ten Europeans have been conceived on an Ikea bed.

6. Australia – 7,7 points

The name “Australia” comes from the Latin word “Australis”, meaning “Southern”. Australia is the only country in the world, that consists of an entire continent. Between 1788 and 1868 the British used Australia as a colony to deport their convicted criminals – these people are the predecessors to many of today’s citizens. Australians are famous for playing rugby and calling each-other “mates”.

5. Finland – 7,7 points

This is the country that brought us Nokia – the worlds largest manufacturer of mobile phones. In 2003 Nokia accounted for about a quarter of Finland’s exports and in 2006 it generated more revenue than the entire budget of Finland.  Before starting to make mobile phones Nokia made (yes, it’s true) rubber boots!  Finland was also home to Simo Häyhä – considered to be the most deadly sniper through history with 542 kills. According to World Economic Forum Finland has the most competitive economy in the world. Plenty to be happy about!

4. Iceland – 7,8 points

This geologically active country is rich in volcanoes and geysers (A geyser is a hot spring that erupts water in certain intervals). Thanks to geothermal power Iceland gets its electricity and hot water dirt cheap. There have been occasions where steel has been shipped for processing from Australia or Africa and when finished shipped back to the originating country. Cheap local energy actually makes this cost effective. According to the Human Development Index, Iceland (together with Norway) is the world’s most developed country.

3. Austria – 8,0 points

Austria is the home to the popular energy drink Red Bull. This country is also one of the few in the world, that allows legal voting beginning from age 16. Upon turning 18, all Austrian males have to take part of a 6 month military service. The country has declared itself formally a neutral country or a  “perpetual neutrality” as they say it, but in reality it has taken part of various peacekeeping missions and also took part of the UN sanctions against Iraq. Thanks to the wide use of wind-, solar- and hydropower Austria produces around 80% of its energy from renewable resources. Education is mostly free, with the exception of an average semester fee of 583 dollars (370 eur) in universities. As you probably guessed – student loan debts are not an issue in Austria.

2. Switzerland – 8,1 points

This cheese and chocolate producing land is the world’s 10th richest country. Switzerland’s neutrality helped their banks to raise some serious cash – for decades it was possible to open a bank account without having to identify yourself. Upon opening an account, you were given a special number that anyone could use to deposit or withdraw money. This law was later changed since it attracted illegal money. Switzerland is also one of the top garbage recyclers in the world (66% to 96% recyclable materials recycled). They achieve this by keeping recycling free, but asking money for regular garbage – thus giving people a financial incentive to recycle.

1. Denmark – 8,2 points

Just like Sweden, Denmark is a Nordic welfare state with most of its services free to the citizens. Expect to pay 72% of your money to the government on the highest income tax bracket. According to Wikipedia Denmark has the worlds highest taxes! When buying a car in Denmark one has to pay 25% VAT to the import price of the vehicle and then a 180% registration tax on top. That means when a car sells for $20 000, you have to pay an additional $45 000 as taxes for the government (total of $65 000). That’s why people in Denmark ride bikes or use one of the best public transport systems in the world. Denmark also has 2 autonomous provinces – the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The latter is over 50 times larger than Denmark but has about 100 times less people.

Other notable countries

• USA – 7.4 points – 17th place
• Great Britain – 7.1 points – 22nd place
• France – 6.5 points – 39th place
• China – 6.3 points – 44th place
• India – 6.3 points – 45th place
• Japan – 6.3 points – 46th place

I’ve been to 4 out of 10 happiest countries in the world – Luxembourg, Sweden, Finland and Denmark! What’s your score?

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Since I am a small fan of science and also fiction I decided to post some of Arthur C. Clarke’s predictions that he made for the 21st century. in 1999.

Who is Arthur C. Clarke?

Arthur C. Clarke is a fiction writer who among other things is the person who was first to come out with the crazy idea that you can use satellites in order to send and receive radio signals – something that made possible continent-to-continent phone calls and later also internet.

Predictions

2009 - A city in a Third World Country is devastated by an accidental explosion of an atomic bomb. All Atomic bombs will be destroyd after a debate in the UN.

2010 – The first quantum generators are developed. Since they get their energy from space they can produce electricity indefinitely. Central power stations close down!

2013 - Prince Harry is the first member of the English royal family to fly into space!

2016 - All existing money currencies are abolished. The megawatt-hour becomes the new unit of exchange.

2020 - Artificial intelligence (AI) reaches the level of humans. From now on there are two intelligent species on Earth and one of them is evolving far faster than biology would ever permit.

2021 – Humans land on Mars – and have some unpleasant surprises.

2023 - Dinosaurs are cloned from computer-generated DNA. Disney’s “Triassic Zoo” opens in Florida. Despite some unfortunate initial accidents, mini-raptors start replacing guard dogs.

2024 – Infra-red signals are detected coming from the centre of the galaxy. They are the product of a technologically advanced civilisation but attempts to decipher them fail.

2040 – The “Universal Replicator”, based on nano-technology, is perfected: any object, however complex, can be created – given the raw material and the appropriate  “recipe”. Diamonds or gourmet meals can be made from dirt. As a result, agriculture and industry are phased out, ending that recent invention in human history called work! There is an explosion in arts, entertainment and education. Huge areas of the planet, no longer needed for food production, are allowed to revert to their original state.

2050 – “Escape from Utopia”. Bored by life in this peaceful and unexciting era, millions decide to freeze themselves in order to be unfrozen in the future. These people are in search of adventure. Vast “hibernation zone’s” are established in the Antarctic and on the moon.

2095 - “The development of a true “space drive” – a propulsion system reacting against the structure of space-time – makes rockets obsolete and permits velocities close to that of light. The first human explorers set off to nearby star systems that robot probes have already found promising.

You can find these and some more predictions here. To tell you the truth, most of Arthur C. Clarke’s predictions for years 2000 to 2008 have not come true, so I only posted the ones that can still become true

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Most people who are looking to cut costs don’t think to look at their utilities bill. In most cases, it is the shopping and leisure budgets that get the axe instead. While such actions are certainly commendable, focusing at least part of your attention on your utility bills can result in considerable savings off your monthly expenditures.

Sounds easy enough to be sure, but you may just be surprised at how much money this simple action can shave off your utility bills every month.

Check out these tips to see how you can cut costs in specific areas.

Cutting Electricity Costs

Fans can do a lot to cool down your home if you set them up properly. In order to provide the maximum cooling effect, you will want to set up your fan to pull in cool air into your home and direct it into the warmer parts of the house. If possible use fans instead of air conditioning- fans use more than 10 times less energy than or regular air conditioning unit.

Tell everyone to turn off ALL the lights that aren’t being used in the house! It is easy enough to just leave the lights on for mood or atmosphere, but get into the habit of turning off unnecessary lights and you will be rewarded with a generous cut in your electric bill at the end of the month.

While you’re at it, turn the TV off when it is not being used as well. Studies have shown that a TV left on is one of the biggest wasters of electricity in the world. Shut it off when no one is around, and make sure that you set the timer to turn it off if you have the tendency to fall asleep while watching!

Putting A Stopper On Your Water Bill

Do periodic checks around your home to find out if any faucets or pipes are leaking. Every drop wasted is just a little bit more that is added to your monthly water bill, and as insignificant as this amount may seem, it does have a way of adding up over time. In fact, even a tiny drip can add up to more than two gallons of water in as little as an hour!

If you absolutely have to water your lawn, do it according to a schedule, and do most of your watering early in the morning so as to reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation.

Keep Things Warm and Cheap

In the winter, you may consider lighting up the fireplace or wood-stove instead of turning up the central heating. Not only does this add a bit of charm to the room, it is also a bit cheaper than using up gas.

Keep warm as needed. Get used to wearing the appropriate clothing for the weather. In the winter, sweaters and pants are recommended, and wearing these even while lounging around the home will help reduce your dependence on your gas-powered central heating unit.

What other ideas for cutting utility costs have you pursued?