Government initiates ‘Happiness Index’ to determine population’s happiness and wellbeing

The government of Maldives has begun the initiative of gauging the general population’s happiness and wellbeing by determining a ‘happiness index’.

Minister of Cities, Local Government and Public Works Adam Shareef announced the initiative today, during a press conference held in the afternoon. Detailing the announcement, he said that while Maldives is a developing country, it is important to understand the happiness, satisfaction, and expectations of the people in each island.

As such, the government has decided to launch this special initiative to determine the happiness index of the Maldives in a meaningful way, he said.

“This effort is to understand how the people of islands gauge their situation, [and] happiness,” said Minister Shareef.

“We have organized this work in such a way that it is done within a framework or index formulated in a broad scale, under a consultative process with discussions with many parties, in a very open manner, such that [we] can understand the situation of the islands properly, and also award those who get good outcomes,” the Minister added.

He also said that the indicators used to determine the happiness index will also be decided after public consultation as well as discussions with experts in the field.

Globally, happiness index in countries is often based on crime rates, sustainable development efforts, cleanliness, friendliness and unity within the community. Other factors such as familial bonds, child and elder safety, hospitality, quality of education and healthcare, awareness levels, religious, cultural, and traditional values as well as caring for the less fortunate are also taken into consideration.

Minister Shareef assured that the implementation of efforts to determine the happiness index in Maldives will also follow suit and will be carried out in accordance with global best practices.

He also said that the goal is to have the first happiness index of Maldives declared by 2025.

The ‘World Happiness Index’ is marked annually in countries under a 2011 decree by the United Nations (UN) and seeks to assess the happiness, wellbeing, and aspects of sustainability and resilience within the community.

For the past seven consecutive years, Finland has maintained first place in this index globally.