According to the Happy Planet Index, Philippines ranks 17th, way above other first-world countries such as Japan and the United States.
What exactly is the Happy Planet Index? According to the site, it’s “an innovative new measure that shows the ecological efficiency with which human well-being is delivered.” It represents “the average years of happy life produced by a given society, nation or group of nations, per unit of planetary resources consumed. Put another way, it represents the efficiency with which countries convert the earth’s finite resources into well-being experienced by their citizens.”
We are accustomed to comparing countires in terms of crude riches or what they trade. Some countries earn, or are given, reputations for music, sporting excellence, food, or as holiday destinations. There are international league tables for performance on a range of issues from corruption to football. This website introduces a measure of something more fundamental. It addresses the relative success or failure of countries in supporting good life for their citizens, whilst repecting the environmental resource limits upon which our lives depend.
Thanks to Dvorak for pointing out this site.