Bangladesh 8th happiest country in the world

Amid the growing concern over target killing and terrorists attacks Bangladesh has been named as 8th most happy country in the world.

The Happy Planet Index report, published by the New Economics Foundation, seeks to move away from purely economic measures of happiness and instead ranks countries by how much happiness they get from the amount of environmental resources used.

The tiny South American republic of Costa Rica has been named the most sustainably happy country in the world in the report.

Happiness is calculated by measuring a country’s happiness in relation to the wellbeing, life expectancy and social inequality and then dividing it by its ecological footprint.

While the list is topped by many Latin American countries, larger western countries perform less well. The UK comes in at just 34, while the USA ranks at 108.

Costa Rica sealed first place, with 99% of its electricity coming from renewable sources - meaning its population uses a fraction of the resources used by other countries in the West.

Top 10 happiest countries

1. Costa Rica

2. Mexico

3. Colombia

4. Vanuatu

5. Vietnam

6. Panama

7. Nicaragua

8. Bangladesh

9. Thailand

10. Ecuador