10. Luxembourg – 7.6 points
Living in the worlds richest country inevitably puts a smile on your face! This small landlocked European country has an army of 800 people (yes, 800). They don't have a navy nor an air force but together with Belgium they can afford to own 1 military cargo plane. Beat that US!
According to the Guinness Book of World Records Luxembourg holds the world record as the country that consumes most alcohol in the world per citizen.
盧森堡公國 —— 7.6分
住在全球最富有的國家,必然讓你臉上笑靨如花!這個被陸地包圍的歐洲的小國家,擁有一支800人的陸軍(是的,只有800)。他們既沒有海軍,也沒有空軍,但是和比利時一起,他們可以買下一軍用運輸機。打倒美國!
根據吉尼斯世界紀錄大全的記載,盧森堡公國是世界上人均消費酒精飲料最大的記錄保持者。
9. Guatemala – 7.6 points
This Central American country borders with Mexico in the north and is located between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. This location makes it a very difficult country to stay happy in – Guatemala is frequently ravished by hurricanes and earthquakes that often kill thousands of people. Main exports of Guatemala include coffee, sugar and bananas. The latter is probably why they are so happy – have you ever seen someone that can stay sad while eating a banana? 56% of all Guatemalans live in poverty. If you ask me, they can use the cheap bananas!
危地馬拉 —— 7.6分
這個中美洲國家北接墨西哥,并與太平洋和加勒比海相臨。危地馬拉經常被颶風和地震襲擊,經常有數千人遇難,按理說,這樣的地理環境可能導致當地居民生活得不幸福,但事實卻非如此。危地馬拉出口咖啡、糖和香蕉等商品 —— 也許這就是他們覺得幸福的原因吧。你有見過誰一邊吃香蕉一邊傷心嗎?56%的危地馬拉居民生活困苦。如果你問我他們怎么生活,我會說,他們可以吃便宜的香蕉!
8. Canada – 7.6 points
Many people have no idea that Canada's head of state is actually Queen Elizabeth II – the head of the British Monarchy. This meant that when Britain declared war on Germany in World War I, Canada was automatically at war with the soon to be Nazi country. Unlike the neighboring US, Canada has never cancelled its relations with Cuba and has declined to take part from the Iraq War – instead, it has played a leading role in the United Nations peacekeeping missions and helped to launch a $1.5 billion initiative to help develop vaccines that could save millions of people in poor countries. It seems that happy people make a happy country!
加拿大 —— 7.6分
很多人不知道加拿大的國家元首其實是女王伊麗莎白二世,即英國的君主。也就是說,當英國在第一次世界大戰向德國宣戰的時候,加拿大也就自動加入了對抗未來納粹政府的隊伍中。與其鄰居美國不同,加拿大從未斷絕與古巴的關系,而且也拒絕加入伊拉克戰爭。相反地,加拿大在聯合國維護和平任務中起了主導作用;同時,加拿大主動投資十五億美元來開發疫苗,此舉拯救了貧困國家的數百萬人。由此看來,是快樂的人創造了這個幸福的國家!
7. Sweden – 7.7 points
This "welfare state" model is an excellent example of effective national taxes. Among other things the state provides universal tax-funded childcare, parental leave, health care, education (including university), retirement pensions and sick leave. Including value added tax (VAT – kind of like sales tax), it is possible to pay up to 80% of your income as taxes. Contrary to popular belief, Swedes are quite OK with their high taxes – after all it gives them tons of high quality services and they almost never need to take drastic action like taking quick payday loans just to make ends meet. In fact, most of the services for the public are free, so what's not to be happy about?
Sweden is also the home of IKEA – the worlds largest furniture store. IKEA’s founder Ingvar Kampard is famous for being the 7th richest person in the world (Net worth $31 billion) and driving a 15 year old Volvo station wagon. It has been claimed that more people read the Ikea catalogue than the Bible – and that one in ten Europeans have been conceived on an Ikea bed.
瑞典 —— 7.7分
這個“福利國家”是有效征收國稅的優秀典范。在其他方面,瑞典用稅收為其國民提供普遍的兒童保育金、育兒假、醫療保險、教育(包括大學)、養老金和病假等。其國稅,包括增值稅(VAT——有點兒像營業稅)在內,占到個人財富的80%。與普通觀點相反,瑞典人對于他們國家的高稅收很認同——畢竟,他們國家為他們提供了高質量的服務,而且他們不需要為了生活而采取快速貸款這樣的極端行為。事實上,國家提供的大部分服務都是免費的,他們怎么不幸福呢?
宜家家居——世界上最大的家居廠,也是瑞典的。宜家的創始人Ingvar Kampard是世界排名第七的富翁(凈資產達31億美元),開一輛沃爾沃豪華旅行汽車。據說,看宜家產品目錄的人比看圣經的人還多,而且有十分之一的歐洲人都買了宜家的床。
6. Australia – 7.7 points
The name "Australia" comes from the Latin word "Australis", meaning "Southern". Australia is the only country in the world, that consists of an entire continent. Between 1788 and 1868 the British used Australia as a colony to deport their convicted criminals – these people are the predecessors to many of today’s citizens. Australians are famous for playing rugby and calling each-other "mates".
澳大利亞 —— 7.7分
“Australia”這個詞源于拉丁詞“Australis”,是“南方的”的意思。澳大利亞是世界上唯一一個獨占一個大陸的國家。在1788至1868年間,澳大利亞是英國的罪犯流放殖民地,因此澳大利亞人的祖先大多是英國以前流放的罪犯。澳大利亞人熱衷于打橄欖球,球員叫彼此做“mates”。
5. Finland – 7.7 points
This is the country that brought us Nokia – the worlds largest manufacturer of mobile phones. In 2003 Nokia accounted for about a quarter of Finland's exports and in 2006 it generated more revenue than the entire budget of Finland. Before starting to make mobile phones Nokia made (yes, it's true) rubber boots! Finland was also home to Simo Häyhä – considered to be the most deadly sniper through history with 542 kills. According to World Economic Forum Finland has the most competitive economy in the world. Plenty to be happy about!
芬蘭 —— 7.7分
這個國家為我們帶來了諾基亞——世界最大的手機生產商。2003年,諾基亞出口占芬蘭總出口的四分之一;然后在2006年,諾基亞的創造的收益甚至超過了芬蘭整個國家的總預算。在制造手機之前,諾基亞是生產橡膠靴的(沒錯,是真的)!芬蘭同時也是西蒙海耶的故鄉,西蒙海耶是歷史上最強的狙擊手,他一共射殺534名敵人。世界經濟論壇數據表明,芬蘭是世界上最具競爭力的經濟體。芬蘭確實有很多讓人感到幸福的方面!
4. Iceland – 7.8 points
This geologically active country is rich in volcanoes and geysers (A geyser is a hot spring that erupts water in certain intervals). Thanks to geothermal power Iceland gets its electricity and hot water dirt cheap. There have been occasions where steel has been shipped for processing from Australia or Africa and when finished shipped back to the originating country. Cheap local energy actually makes this cost effective. According to the Human Development Index, Iceland (together with Norway) is the world’s most developed country.
冰島 —— 7.8分
這個地質活躍的國家有很多火山和間歇泉(間歇泉就是間斷噴發的溫泉)。由于這些地熱動力,冰島的電和熱水特別便宜。很多時候,鋼鐵從澳洲或非洲運到冰島加工,加工完成后再運回去。冰島便宜的能量讓這生意非常劃算。根據人類發展指數,冰島(與挪威)是世界上最發達的國家
3. Austria – 8.0 points
Austria is the home to the popular energy drink Red Bull. This country is also one of the few in the world, that allows legal voting beginning from age 16. Upon turning 18, all Austrian males have to take part of a 6 month military service. The country has declared itself formally a neutral country or a "perpetual neutrality" as they say it, but in reality it has taken part of various peacekeeping missions and also took part of the UN sanctions against Iraq. Thanks to the wide use of wind-, solar- and hydropower Austria produces around 80% of its energy from renewable resources. Education is mostly free, with the exception of an average semester fee of 583 dollars (370 eur) in universities. As you probably guessed – student loan debts are not an issue in Austria.
奧地利 —— 8.0分
奧地利是受歡迎的功能飲料紅牛的產地。這個國家也是世界上為數不多的規定投票法定年齡為16歲的國家之一。到18歲的時候,每個奧地利男人都必須服兵役6個月。這個國家已經宣布其為中立國,或者按他們的說法“永久中立”。但事實上,奧地利參加了聯和國的維和任務,也參加了制裁伊拉克行動。由于對風力、太陽能和水力的充分利用,奧地利80%的能量是由可再生資源產生的。除了大學要花費583美元(370歐元)外,教育基本上是免費的。你可能已經猜到了,那就是學生貸款在奧地利是很容易的。
2. Switzerland – 8.1 points
This cheese and chocolate producing land is the world’s 10th richest country. Switzerland’s neutrality helped their banks to raise some serious cash – for decades it was possible to open a bank account without having to identify yourself. Upon opening an account, you were given a special number that anyone could use to deposit or withdraw money. This law was later changed since it attracted illegal money. Switzerland is also one of the top garbage recyclers in the world (66% to 96% recyclable materials recycled). They achieve this by keeping recycling free, but asking money for regular garbage – thus giving people a financial incentive to recycle.
瑞士 —— 8.1分
這個奶酪和巧克力之國是世界上第十富有的國家。瑞士的中立立場助其銀行增加了足夠的金錢,因此在幾十年內,瑞士人無需身份認證就可在銀行開戶。開戶后,銀行會給你一個特別的號碼,任何人都可以用這個號碼存錢或取錢。后來因為這項法規導致很多非法錢而被取締。瑞士也是世界上為垃圾回收作出巨大貢獻的國家之一(66%至96%的可循環再用的材料均被重復利用)。瑞士的垃圾回收是免費的,但隨意投放垃圾會被罰款,給其人民以財政激勵,來保證垃圾回收在全國范圍的施行。
1. Denmark – 8.2 points
Just like Sweden, Denmark is a Nordic welfare state with most of its services free to the citizens. Expect to pay 72% of your money to the government on the highest income tax bracket. According to Wikipedia Denmark has the world’s highest taxes! When buying a car in Denmark one has to pay 25% VAT to the import price of the vehicle and then a 180% registration tax on top. That means when a car sells for $20 000, you have to pay an additional $45 000 as taxes for the government (total of $65 000). That’s why people in Denmark ride bikes or use one of the best public transport systems in the world. Denmark also has 2 autonomous provinces – the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The latter is over 50 times larger than Denmark but has about 100 times less people.
丹麥 —— 8.2分
正如瑞典一樣,丹麥也是一個北歐福利國家,其大部分服務都是免費提供給國民的。丹麥的最高稅率為個人收入的72%。維基百科的數據顯示,丹麥是世界上稅率最高的國家!如果一個人要在丹麥買車,他必須按該車的進口價支付25%的增值稅,然后加上最高180%的注冊稅。也就是說,如果一輛車的價格是20,000美元,你必須額外支付45,000美元的稅收給政府(總共65,000美元)。這就是丹麥人騎自行車的原因,也就是丹麥擁有世界上最好的公共交通系統的原因。丹麥也有2個自治區——法羅群島和格陵蘭。格陵蘭的面積是丹麥的50倍,但是人口比丹麥少100倍。
Other notable countries
USA – 7.4 points – 17th place
Great Britain – 7.1 points – 22nd place
France – 6.5 points – 39th place
China – 6.3 points – 44th place
India – 6.3 points – 45th place
Japan – 6.3 points – 46th place
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