Costa Rica Ranked “Greenest and Happiest” Country in the World

Costa Rica has been winning many global accolades and recognition. Already this year, Costa Rica was ranked the 8th Most Stable Country in the world by The Economist, the 5th Cleanest Country in the world by Yale’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI), the first country to be designated a “BioGem” by the Natural Resource Defense Counsel. Now, Costa Rica has been recognized as the “Greenest and Happiest” country on the Planet by the British independent research group New Economics Foundation.

The report, The Happy Planet Index 2.0: Why good lives don’t have to cost the earth, published Saturday 4 July 2009, by NEF (the new economics foundation) presents the results of the second global study of the Happy Planet Index (HPI). The new Index is based on comprehensive data for 143 countries around the world, representing 99 per cent of the world’s population, and Latin American nations featured nine of the Top 10 spots.

In a report released Saturday, the group ranks nations using the “Happy Planet Index,” which seeks countries with the most content people. In addition to happiness, the index by the New Economics Foundation considers the ecological footprint and life expectancy of countries.

“Costa Ricans report the highest life satisfaction in the world and have the second-highest average life expectancy of the new world (second to Canada),” the organization said in a statement.

They “also have an ecological footprint that means that the country only narrowly fails to achieve the goal of … consuming its fair share of the Earth’s natural resources.”

The Central American country, tucked between Nicaragua and Panama, touts its lush rain forests and pristine beaches. Its president, Oscar Arias Sanchez, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for trying to help end civil wars in several Central American countries.

The runner-up was the Dominican Republic, followed by Jamaica, and Guatemala. The United States sunk to the 114th spot, while Britain ranked mainly due to its hefty consumption and massive ecological footprint. The United States was greener and happier 20 years ago than it is today, the report said.

“As the world faces the triple crunch of deep financial crisis, accelerating climate change and the looming peak in oil production, we desperately need a new compass to guide us,” said Nic Marks, founder of the foundation’s center for well-being.

The world is finally realizing Costa Rica as more than just a vacation spot. Costa Rica’s excellent stance on the environment, political and economic stability, perfect climate, and lower cost of living continue to draw foreign retirees from across the globe.

To read the study visit:

Costa Rica Happy