In the Global Happiness Index (GHI) 2015 released recently by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network of the United Nations, India ranks 117 out of 158 countries. India’s rank is below that of neighbours like Pakistan (81) and Bangladesh (109). In GHI 2013 ,India ranked 111th out of 158 nations. India’s low rank is attributed mainly to endogenous factors on which India has control. According to the latest GHI report, India’s neighbours like Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan are happier nations to live in.
The GHI, first computed in 2013, is a yearly exercise to measure the relative position of nations in the levels of happiness. Its measurement is based on indicators such as the GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom to make life choices, generosity and perceptions of corruption. The data is sourced from a wide range of sources including information gathered via the Gallop World Poll covering over 160 countries.
According to the Global Happiness Report 2015, Switzerland is the happiest country in the world followed by Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Canada. The bottom five are Togo, Burundi, Syria, Benin and Rwanda.
India’s low rank in the GHI is attributed to our poor performance in social capital, freedom to make life choices, generosity and perception of growing corruption. According to a recent report on employee engagement in India by Dale Carnegie Training, a leader in improving workplace performance, though Indian employees are significantly more engaged than their global counterparts with 46 per cent employees fully engaged compared to the global average of 34 per cent, 54 per cent of them are unhappy. This unhappiness is attributed mainly to poor work ethics and strained employer-employee relationships.
In the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2014 released by Transparency International, India was ranked 85th out of 175 countries. India’s low score in 2014 and lower scores in earlier years are attributed to the various scams and episodes of corruption in the public sector.
If the existing legislative and regulatory measures are implemented strictly, India will be a happier place.
In 2013, India ranked 138th out of 142 on the social capital measure of the Legatum Prosperity Index (LPI)—the only global index that measures national prosperity based on both wealth and well-being. India’s score in social capital sub-index of the LPI has been consistently falling during the last five years. “Social capital is a reflection of the strength and cohesion of a society,” explains Nathan Gamester, programme director for the prosperity index. “When societies are well-connected and highly trusting, the benefits spill over into many other parts of life, including the economy. India’s low ranking on this measure is a worrying sign for India’s future development.”
As noted US economist and principal author of GHI 2015 Jeffry Sachs says, “Social capital has as much impact as economics. We have to pay attention to the strength of society as well as the strength of economics when we consider well-being. The aspiration of society is the flourishing of its members. This report gives evidence on how to achieve societal well-being. It’s not by money alone, but also by fairness, honesty, trust, and good health.”
In the freedom to make life choices, too, India performs poorly. There are many inherent inhibitions in this freedom, mainly for women. Richard Layard, director of the Well-Being Programme at the London School of Economics Centre for Economic Performance and one of the study’s editors, says: “A positive outlook during the early stages of life is inherently desirable, but it also lays the foundation for greater happiness during adulthood. As we consider the value of happiness in today’s report, we must invest early on in the lives of our children so that they grow to become independent, productive and happy adults, contributing both socially and economically.”
In the context of India’s poor ranking in the GHI there need to be serious introspection by all stakeholders, especially the government and civil society. When we consider and project ourselves as a country with great promise and a bright future, this poor ranking should be a matter of great concern. For the people to be happy, the civil society and government should be more proactive in initiating people-centric programmes. There should be solid programmes addressing the welfare of women, children and the elderly.