Fifteen High Happiness Index Countries

For a good chance at a happy life, head to Australia, which one again topped the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Better Life Index, which looks at the quality of life in member countries.

The (OECD) — an international economic organization —analyzed 34 countries in 11 categories, including income, housing, jobs, community, education, environment, civic engagement, health, life satisfaction, safety, and work-life balance.

We looked at the countries with the highest overall scores, and highlighted a few of the criteria on the following slides.

15 Ireland

The Irish have a strong sense of community — 96% of people believe they know someone they could rely on in a time of need(higher than the OECD average of 90%).

They also rate highly in work-life balance, where the average employee works 1, 543 hours a year, less than the OECD average of 1, 776.

14 Luxembourg

Luxembourg rates well in both health and environment, with anaverage life expectancy of 81 years and a low level of atmosphericPM10.

Citizens also have a high participation rate in the politicalprocess, with 91% of the population turning out for recentelections.

13 Austria

Austria has a high rate for education. 82% of Austrian adultsages 25-64 have earned the equivalent of a high school degree.

Austrians also have a strong sense of community, with 94% ofthe population reporting they know someone they could rely on in atime of need.

12 Finland

Finland performed extremely well on the OECD's Programme forInternational Student Assessment — the average student scored 543in reading literacy, math, and science, whereas the average OECDscore was 497.

They also have a high level of life satisfaction with 82% ofthe population saying they have more positive experiences thannegative ones in an average day.

11 NewZealand

New Zealand has one of the best rates of renewable energy ofany OECD country with 36.47%.

Students also scored 524 in reading literacy, math, andscience on the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment— higher than the average of 497.

And New Zealand girls outperformed boys by 15 points, higherthan the average OECD gap of 9 points.

10 UnitedKingdom

85% of the English population say they have more positiveexperiences in an average day than negative ones.

They also have a high life expectancy of 81 years, and 97% ofthe people say they are satisfied with the quality of theirwater.

9 Iceland

Iceland has high levels of civic participation — 98% of peoplebelieve they know someone they could rely on in a time of need.

97% of the Iceland population are also extremely satisfiedwith their water quality, and Iceland has less air pollutantparticles per cubic meter than the OECD average.

8 Netherlands

People in the Netherlands only work 1, 379 hours a year, significantly less than the OECD average of 1, 776 hours.

They also test extremely high on the OECD's Programme forInternational Student Assessment with an average of 519 (the OECDaverage is 497).

7 Denmark

Denmark has one of the highest life satisfaction rankings, with 89% of the population reporting they have more positive experiences in an average day than negative ones.

The Danish also know how to balance their work life with their personal life — only 2% of employees say they work very long hours, much lower than the OECD average of 9%.

6 UnitedStates

The U.S. has the highest average household disposable incomeon the list at $38, 000 a year — much higher than the OECD averageof $23, 000.

It also ranks as one of the best countries for housing conditions, with good basic facilities and general feelings of safety and personal space.

5 Switzerland

86% of adults in Switzerland have earned the equivalent of a high school degree, and students scored 517 on the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment — higher than the average of 497.

The Swiss also have a high life expectancy at 83 years of age, and 95% of the population say they are satisfied with the quality of their water.

4 Norway

There is a strong sense of community and high levels of safety in Norway, where 93% of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in a time of need.

Norwegians also tend to have a good work-life balance, with only 3% of employees working very long hours, compared to the OECD average of 9%.

3 Canada

Canadians work only 1, 702 hours a year — less than the OECD average — with 72% of the population working at a paid job.

There is little difference in voting levels across society too, suggesting there is broad inclusion in Canada’s democratic institutions.

2 Sweden

Having a good education is extremely important in Sweden, where 87% of adults aged 25-64 have earned the equivalent of a high school degree.

They also ranked highly in all environmental categories. Their level of air pollutant particles is 10 micro grams per cubic meter — considerably lower than the OECD average of 21 micro grams per cubic meter — and 95% of the population is satisfied with their water quality.

1 Australia

For the second year in a row, Australia is the number one happiest country in the world. And it's not hard to see why —they rank extremely well in health, civic engagement, and housing.

The life expectancy at birth in Australia is 82 years, two years higher than the OECD average.

Australia also has exceptional voter turnout at 93% during recent elections, which is far above the OECD average of 72%.