The ranking is compiled using data from the Gallup World Poll, in which respondents are asked to evaluate the happiness of their own lives on a scale of one to 10. Using the survey results, the ranking also shows the estimated extent to which six different factors impact happiness:
Gross Domestic Product per capita
Life expectancy
Generosity
Social support
Freedom
Corruption
All countries involved in the ranking are then compared to the benchmark set by the imaginary country Dystopia, which has the world’s least-happy people.