Losing Out On Happiness

Why Bangladesh doesn’t lead as world’s happiest country and why it matters

- Wafiur Rahman

The recent newspaper headlines are turning out to be morose in its subject matters with every passing day – violence between law enforcement agencies and students over quota reforms, rape, traffic gridlocks, political instability and such. It is best left to be said that the overall happiness factor is certainly on the lower scales. But according to the last Happy Planet Index report, Bangladesh was ranked eighth greenest and happiest country among 140 nations.

UK-based New Economics Foundation (NEF) released its ‘World Happiness Report’ in 2016, where it said Bangladesh has scored 38.4 points. Costa Rica topped the index with a score of 44.7 points while Chad at the bottom with 12.8 points. “The Happy Planet Index measures what matters: sustainable well-being for all. It tells us how well nations are doing at achieving long, happy, sustainable lives,” read the website developed by NEF for the report.

The report said that Bangladesh has made ‘sustainable progresses’ in human development in the last 25 years. Bangladesh was in the top 10 countries worldwide in 2014, employing people in the renewable energy sector, it said. “Bangladesh’s wellbeing and life expectancy scores are fairly low, yet they are significantly higher than those of countries with similar levels of GDP per capita.”

The UK ranked at 34, Germany 49, Japan 58, China 72, Australia 105 and the US 108. Bangladesh topped the list among South Asian countries with Sri Lanka at 28, Pakistan 36, Nepal 42, India 50, Bhutan 56 and Myanmar 81.

“Does it matter whether I am happy or not?” said Nurul Miah, a CNG driver who took me to an assignment coverage last week, “as long as I am making money, I don’t care whether I’m happy or depressed.” Needless to say, he was spewing profanities at vehicles and other fellow CNG drivers – those who crossed his path on the road.