{"id":69031,"date":"2014-09-20T03:55:45","date_gmt":"2014-09-20T01:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=69031"},"modified":"2014-09-20T03:55:45","modified_gmt":"2014-09-20T01:55:45","slug":"happiest-and-saddest-countries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/trending\/69031\/happiest-and-saddest-countries\/","title":{"rendered":"Happiest and saddest countries"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>South Africans are struggling and suffering more than other African nations when it comes to minding their own physical, social and financial well-being, according to a new report.<\/p>\n<p>The Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index (Global Well-Being Index) is a global barometer of individuals\u2019 perceptions of their own well-being.<\/p>\n<p>The results are based on telephone and face-to-face interviews on the Gallup World Poll, from a random sample of approximately 133,000 adults, aged 15 and older, living in 135 countries and areas in 2013.<\/p>\n<p>The Index assesses five elements of well-being:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Purpose:<\/strong> Liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Social:<\/strong> Having supportive relationships and love in your life;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Financial:<\/strong> Managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Community:<\/strong> Liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Physical:<\/strong> Having good health and enough energy to get things done daily.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Globally, only 17% of the population are thriving in three or more elements.<\/p>\n<p>The highest percentage of thriving is found in community well-being, with 26% of survey respondents falling into this category. Survey respondents are least likely to be thriving in purpose well-being, at 18%.<\/p>\n<p>Regionally, the Americas is the most thriving area in the world, with 33% of people from the region indicating they are thriving in three or more elements.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, sub-Saharan Africa is the region of the world that is suffering the most, with only 9% respondents from the region thriving.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">Top 10 thriving countries<\/h3>\n<div class=\"table-responsive\"><table class=\"table\" border=\"1\" width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>#<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>Country<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>% Thriving<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<td>Panama<\/td>\n<td>61%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>Consta Rica<\/td>\n<td>44%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>Denmark<\/td>\n<td>40%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>Austria<\/td>\n<td>39%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<td>Brazil<\/td>\n<td>39%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>6<\/td>\n<td>Uruguay<\/td>\n<td>37%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>7<\/td>\n<td>El Salvador<\/td>\n<td>37%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>8<\/td>\n<td>Sweden<\/td>\n<td>36%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>9<\/td>\n<td>Guatemala<\/td>\n<td>34%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<td>Canada<\/td>\n<td>34%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">Top 10 suffering countries<\/h3>\n<div class=\"table-responsive\"><table class=\"table\" border=\"1\" width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>#<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>Country<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>% Thriving<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<td>Syria<\/td>\n<td>1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>Afghanistan<\/td>\n<td>1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>Haiti<\/td>\n<td>3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>DRC<\/td>\n<td>5%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<td>Chad<\/td>\n<td>5%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>6<\/td>\n<td>Madagascar<\/td>\n<td>6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>7<\/td>\n<td>Uganda<\/td>\n<td>6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>8<\/td>\n<td>Benin<\/td>\n<td>6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>9<\/td>\n<td>Croatia<\/td>\n<td>7%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<td>Georgia<\/td>\n<td>7%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">South Africa<\/h3>\n<p>South Africans sampled in the index showed that only 7% of the country are actually thriving in three or more of the categories covered by Gallum &#8211; just below the regional average of 9%, and far below the global average of 17%.<\/p>\n<p>With high rates on unemployment (over 25%), labour market struggles, and a severely slow economic performance, South Africa is ranks as one of the least thriving countries in the world.<\/p>\n<p>Further, South Africa\u2019s vast income disparities are clearly reflected in access to healthcare, and poorer residents are much more vulnerable to the country\u2019s HIV and tuberculosis pandemics, the report said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These conditions help explain why, in most aspects, South Africans\u2019 well-being results are similar to those among sub-Saharan Africans overall,&#8221; Gallup said.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">South Africa&#8217;s well-being<\/h3>\n<div class=\"table-responsive\"><table class=\"table\" border=\"1\" width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>Category<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>Thriving<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>Struggling<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>Suffering<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>Regional Thriving<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>Global Thriving<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Community<\/td>\n<td><strong>14%<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>59%<\/td>\n<td>28%<\/td>\n<td>18%<\/td>\n<td>26%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Financial<\/td>\n<td>13%<\/td>\n<td>52%<\/td>\n<td>35%<\/td>\n<td>9%<\/td>\n<td>25%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Purpose<\/td>\n<td>12%<\/td>\n<td>35%<\/td>\n<td><strong>53%<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>15%<\/td>\n<td>18%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Social<\/td>\n<td>11%<\/td>\n<td>46%<\/td>\n<td>42%<\/td>\n<td>16%<\/td>\n<td>23%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Physical<\/td>\n<td>11%<\/td>\n<td><strong>71%<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>17%<\/td>\n<td>20%<\/td>\n<td>24%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<p>Specifically, South Africans thrive less than in all but one of the categories, compared to the regional average. The country&#8217;s well-being compares even worse to the global average.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s only when it comes to financial well-being that South Africans are better off than the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, though Gallum points out that this it only the employed population that are &#8220;somewhat more&#8221; likely to be thriving, financially.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;[This] underscores the idea that growth in Africa\u2019s second-largest economy is not benefiting most segments of the population,&#8221; Gallum said.<\/p>\n<p>According to the index, South African&#8217;s are outright suffering in terms of purpose (53% of the population) and social well-being (42%), while the bulk of responses indicated that they were struggling across all categories.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">Well-being in Africa<\/h3>\n<div class=\"table-responsive\"><table class=\"table\" border=\"1\" width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>#<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>Country<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><strong>% Thriving<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<td>Ethiopia<\/td>\n<td>15%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>Malawi<\/td>\n<td>13%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>Congo<\/td>\n<td>13%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>Ghana<\/td>\n<td>12%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>Angola<\/td>\n<td>12%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>Rwanda<\/td>\n<td>12%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>7<\/td>\n<td>Sierra Leone<\/td>\n<td>11%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>7<\/td>\n<td>Tunisia<\/td>\n<td>11%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>9<\/td>\n<td>Niger<\/td>\n<td>10%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>9<\/td>\n<td>Nigeria<\/td>\n<td>10%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>9<\/td>\n<td>Egypt<\/td>\n<td>10%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>10<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Sub-Saharan Africa<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>9%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>11<\/td>\n<td>Zimbabwe<\/td>\n<td>8%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>12<\/td>\n<td>Gabon<\/td>\n<td>7%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>12<\/td>\n<td>South Africa<\/td>\n<td>7%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>12<\/td>\n<td>Kenya<\/td>\n<td>7%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>12<\/td>\n<td>Botswana<\/td>\n<td>7%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>12<\/td>\n<td>Cameroon<\/td>\n<td>7%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>19<\/td>\n<td>Madagascar<\/td>\n<td>6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>19<\/td>\n<td>Uganda<\/td>\n<td>6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>20<\/td>\n<td>Chad<\/td>\n<td>5%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>20<\/td>\n<td>DRC<\/td>\n<td>5%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">More on South Africa<\/h3>\n<p><strong><a title=\"Permalink to Where South Africa\u2019s multi-millionaires live\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/general\/68923\/where-south-africas-multi-millionaires-live\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Where South Africa\u2019s multi-millionaires live<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a title=\"Permalink to New dollar billionaires in South Africa\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/international\/68734\/new-dollar-billionaires-in-south-africa\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">New dollar billionaires in South Africa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a title=\"Permalink to South Africa\u2019s best university\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/general\/68566\/south-africas-best-university\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">South Africa\u2019s best university<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a title=\"Permalink to The best e-commerce site in South Africa\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/internet\/67576\/the-best-e-commerce-site-in-south-africa\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The best e-commerce site in South Africa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Africans are struggling and suffering more than other African nations when it comes to minding their own physical, social and financial well-being, according to a new report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":67550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8851,26,6832,7705],"class_list":["post-69031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trending","tag-gallum-healthways","tag-headline","tag-index","tag-well-being"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69031"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69039,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69031\/revisions\/69039"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}