Panama tops the rankings for well-being around the world, according to a report released by Gallup-Healthways.
The decline reflected fewer people reporting they were satisfied with their feelings of community, including safety, as well as reporting less positive social ties, said Dan Witters, who compiled the index. The United States was pushed ten places farther since the previous survey, while Afghanistan finished last.
Topping the list for the second year is Panama, with 53% of respondents saying they are thriving in at least three of the elements.
Residents from the Americas usually, in the meantime, thought-about themselves “thriving” in three or extra of the weather, whereas these in Sub-Saharan Africa are “struggling” or “struggling“.
Since 2008, Gallup and Healthways have partnered to understand the well-being of both individuals and populations. The report attributed this to Panama’s Latin American constructive predisposition, in addition to within the relative political stability and rising financial system of the nation.
Other GCC countries included in the report are the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which was ranked 21st with 30.8 percent of its residents thriving in three or more elements of well being, Saudi Arabia on the 27th spot with 28.5 percent and Bahrain at 31st with 27.6 percent.
The lowest ranking country, Afghanistan, had 0 percent of residents thriving in at least three aspects of their well-being, according to the findings.
Meanwhile, the USA has fallen in its well-being ranking, dropping to No. 23 of 145 countries, territories and areas tracked by the index. Europe led the world in financial well-being, Gallup said.
America has a strong presence in the countries with the highest well-being score, with seven countries in the continent making their way in the top 10. Guatemala is a poor country, but made it to the top 10 list in 2014.
Well-being is an important measure to consider, because studies show that people with higher well-being are healthier, more productive and more resilient in the face of challenges, Gallup says.
“Through scientific and peer-review analysis, we all know that enhancing a inhabitants’s well-being has a big impression on growing efficiency and decreasing healthcare prices”, stated Peter Choueiri, president of Healthways worldwide, in a launch. “There are proven interventions that these leaders can and should leverage to improve the health and well-being of their population”, Choueiri said. Employers might also find ways to coax people to be healthier, such as providing health insurance incentives, or replacing unhealthy food in the lunchroom with healthy food, he said.
