Costa Rica is the happiest country

High levels of social support and low levels of perceived corruption help make Costa Ricans the happiest people in Latin America, according to the 2017 World Happiness Report.

The 12th happiest country in the world, Costa Rica is followed in Central America, by Guatemala, 17 positions down.

Nicaragua, in 43rd spot globally, had one of the highest gains in happiness.

Norway is first in the list of 155 countries, while the Central African Republic is last.

The report, prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network of the United Nations, measures GDP per capita, life expectancy, generosity, and the perception of corruption, among other factors (numbers in brackets indicate the global position of each country).

1            Costa Rica (12)
2            Guatemala (29)
3             Panama (30)
4            Nicaragua (43)
5            El Salvador (45)
6            Honduras (79)