Colombia is the happiest country in the world this 2021, according to Gallup

Colombia is the happiest country in the world. This is what the experts of the Gallup pollster say, who place Afghanistan at the totally opposite extreme.

Colombia was in the first box of a list of 44 territories that participated in the survey.

The person who makes this statement is Kancho Stoychev, who is consulted by DW about how was 2021 and what do you expect from 2022.

“I only remember the good things, so every year is good for me. As for the future: if I’m not mistaken, it was Einstein who said that if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. There is only one thing we know for sure and that is, luckily, we cannot know what our future will look like, even when we think we can. So I feel more comfortable talking about wishes rather than expectations. I have five wishes for the future: we should stop being afraid of death; we should rebalance the world in a more pragmatic way; we should bring the EU back to the tables where global decisions are made; we should fight for our freedom and not keep giving up our rights, and we should get away from climate hysteria a bit.

What does Gallup International’s traditional year-end poll tell us about the years 2021 and 2022?

It tells us that world public opinion is very concerned about the economic outlook and expects a deepening of the crisis. Europe is leading the way, especially Eastern Europe, where an average of close to two-thirds expect the situation to worsen. Unprecedented state support, both personally and corporately, played a determining role and, in a way, limited the spread of pessimism. However, it seems that the worst is yet to come. Last year was marked by the hope that vaccines would end the pandemic. This year, however, ends with more questions than answers. Inflation growth was predictable given the record money printing. Instead of a few months, this will last for several years. With the disruption of global supply chains and the explosion of energy prices, widespread discontent and political tensions will increase, not only – and not even predominantly – in less developed countries.

What is the happiest country in the world?

Traditionally – we have been doing this global study for more than 40 years – the most developed or richest countries are not the happiest. This year the first is Colombia, with 79 percent. Usually countries with a younger population top the list. More developed societies tend to have a larger population and are less happy. But acknowledging that you are happy or unhappy includes various cultural, psychological and national prejudices and stigmas. Happiness is often perceived as an absence: the absence of disease, poverty, or oppression. It is something very subjective that cannot be measured with a microscope, but it does play an important role in our lives.

His home country, Bulgaria, is the second most pessimistic in the world, even more so than Afghanistan. Why?

By measuring optimism and pessimism, what we do is register public attitudes, not personal ones. The traditional pessimistic mood of Bulgarians is mainly due to mistrust in elites, especially in politics. Pessimism in Bulgaria is realism, not broken public dreams. It is rather a condemnation of the way society works and, from that point of view, it is a positive and productive attitude. Our measure of happiness is a self-assessment. And here we can see that the Bulgarians are quite happy, or at least exactly as happy as, for example, the Germans, with the difference that at the end of this year a slightly higher percentage of Germans declare themselves unhappy and a slightly higher percentage eldest of the Bulgarians declares himself happy.

And what does the study reveal about Germany?

Germans seem considerably less optimistic than they claimed to be in previous years, and in that sense, they are below the European Union average. Anxiety about the economy is also greater. Almost 50 percent say they are happy, a rate that is comparatively much higher in other developed countries, such as Japan and the United States. What the poll shows is that the German “conscience” is somewhat upset, tired and self-wary. At the bottom of this can be a complex uncertainty related to lockdowns, vaccines, the complicated formula of the new government, the weak performance of the EU, the tough confrontation between the West and Russia or concerns about China.

How does the coronavirus pandemic influence hope and happiness?

All over the world people are getting tired. Planning for the future used to be the main thing: where to go on vacation, what new car to buy, and so on. We had those answers. Now we are back in “normal”, in the true normality of not knowing how the future is coming, and we perceive this new reality as something anomalous. We are losing our illusions and, at the same time, trying to replace them with “new religions”, such as climate change or the cult of the body.

How can hope, happiness and optimism be measured?

Pollsters always measure subjective traits, because human consciousness is subjective. But through this exercise we managed to reflect something very strong and objective, public opinion, which is a powerful tool in democratic societies. Through surveys, we do not see your individual preferences, but rather try to reflect public perceptions.

After so many years of measuring happiness, expectations and hope, are you optimistic, Mr. Stoychev?

Some of the best-known thinkers say that it is incompatible to be optimistic and wise. That is why I prefer not to be optimistic.

Top five of the happiest countries

• Colombia (+79)
• Kazakhstan (+76)
• Albania (+74)
• Malaysia (+73)
• Azerbaijan (+70) (I)

Kancho Stoychev is President of the Gallup International Association (GIA). Since 1979, Gallup pollsters have measured hopes, happiness, and economic expectations around the world. This year’s study shows that Indonesia is the most optimistic country and Turkey the most pessimistic. Colombia, meanwhile, is the happiest country, and Afghanistan the most unhappy.