UK is 14th on the Happy Planet Index

The new Happy Planet Index (HPI) rankings has been revealed to compare how well nations are creating human wellbeing using their limited ecological resources.

The UK landed at number 14 out of 152 countries, scoring highly for wellbeing and life expectancy. The UK ranking improved by two places since 2018 – largely as a result of successful steps to reduce ecological footprint by replacing fossil fuels with renewable resources – becoming the highest ranking G7 nation.

The Happy Planet Index turns the old world order on its head by highlighting how rich Western nations are often inefficient at creating wellbeing for their people. Costa Rica has again been ranked in first place for a fourth times due to its commitment to health, education and environmental protection. In contrast, the USA was placed as the lowest scoring G7 nation at 122^nd place, ranking low on both wellbeing and ecological footprint.

Aston spoke to statistician Nic Marks.