NEW YORK, March 20, (Agencies): The World Happiness Report 2017 produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative launched by the United Nations in 2012, said among the GCC states Kuwait (6.105) sits at 39th position, the UAE (6.648), at 21, Qatar (6.375) at 35, Saudi Arabia (6.344) at 37 and Bahrain (6.087) at 41, respectively among the 155 listed countries. The ranking for another GCC country, the Sultanate of Oman is not available. (The report is rated on a 1 to 10 scale).However, Norway displaced Denmark as the world’s happiest country. The report called on nations to build social trust and equality to improve the well-being of their citizens. The Nordic nations are the most content, according to the report.Countries in sub-Saharan Africa, along with Syria and Yemen, are the least happy of the 155 countries ranked in the fifth annual report released at the United Nations. “Happy countries are the ones that have a healthy balance of prosperity, as conventionally measured, and social capital, meaning a high degree of trust in a society, low inequality and confidence in government,” Jeffrey Sachs, the director of the SDSN and a special advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General, said in an interview.The aim of the report, he added, is to provide another tool for governments, business and civil society to help their countries find a better way to well-being. Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden rounded out the top ten countries. South Sudan, Liberia, Guinea, Togo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Central African Republic were at the bottom. Germany was ranked 16, followed by the United Kingdom (19) and France (31). The United States dropped one spot to 14. Sachs said the United States is falling in the ranking due to inequality, distrust and corruption.Economic measures that the administration of President Donald Trump is trying to pursue, he added, will make things worse. “They are all aimed at increasing inequality — tax cuts at the top, throwing people off the healthcare rolls, cutting Meals on Wheels in order to raise military spending. I think everything that has been proposed goes in the wrong direction,” he explained. The rankings are based on six factors — per capita gross domestic product, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, social support and absence of corruption in government or business.“The lowest countries are typically marked by low values in all six variables,” said the report, produced with the support of the Ernesto Illy Foundation. Sachs would like nations to follow United Arab Emirates and other countries that have appointed Ministers of Happiness. “I want governments to measure this, discuss it, analyze it and understand when they have been off on the wrong direction,” he said.Ranking of Happiness 2014-2016 1. Norway (7.537); 2. Denmark (7.522); 3. Iceland (7.504); 4. Switzerland (7.494); 5. Finland (7.469); 6. Netherlands (7.377); 7. Canada (7.316); 8. New Zealand (7.314); 9. Australia (7.284); 10. Sweden (7.284). 11. Israel (7.213); 12. Costa Rica (7.079); 13. Austria (7.006); 14. United States (6.993); 15. Ireland (6.977); 16. Germany (6.951); 17. Belgium (6.891); 18. Luxembourg (6.863); 19. United Kingdom (6.714); 20. Chile(6.652). 21. United Arab Emirates (6.648); 22. Brazil (6.635); 23. Czech Republic (6.609); 24. Argentina (6.599); 25. Mexico (6.578); 26. Singapore(6.572); 27. Malta (6.527); 28. Uruguay (6.454); 29. Guatemala(6.454); 30. Panama (6.452). 31. France (6.442); 32. Thailand (6.424); 33. Taiwan (6.422); 34. Spain (6.403); 35. Qatar (6.375); 36. Colombia (6.357); 37. Saudi Arabia (6.344); 38. Trinidad and Tobago (6.168); 39. Kuwait (6.105); 40. Slovakia(6.098). 41. Bahrain (6.087); 42. Malaysia (6.084); 43. Nicaragua (6.071); 44. Ecuador (6.008); 45. El Salvador (6.003); 46. Poland(5.973); 47. Uzbekistan (5.971); 48. Italy (5.964); 49. Russia( 5.963); 50. Belize (5.956). 51. Japan (5.920); 52. Lithuania (5.902); 53. Algeria (5.872); 54. Latvia (5.850); 55. Moldova (5.838); 56. South Korea (5.838); 57. Romania (5.825); 58. Bolivia (5.823); 59. Turkmenistan (5.822); 60. Kazakhstan (5.819). 61. North Cyprus (5.810); 62. Slovenia (5.758); 63. Peru (5.715); 64. Mauritius (5.629); 65. Cyprus (5.621); 66. Estonia (5.611); 67. Belarus (5.569); 68. Libya (5.525); 69. Turkey (5.500); 70. Paraguay (5.493). 71. Hong Kong (5.472); 72. Philippines (5.430); 73. Serbia (5.395); 74. Jordan (5.336); 75. Hungary (5.324); 76. Jamaica (5.311); 77. Croatia (5.293); 78. Kosovo (5.279); 79. China (5.273); 80. Pakistan (5.269). 81. Indonesia (5.262); 82. Venezuela (5.250); 83. Montenegro (5.237); 84. Morocco (5.235); 85. Azerbaijan (5.234); 86. Dominican Republic (5.230); 87. Greece (5.227); 88. Lebanon (5.225); 89. Portugal (5.195); 90. Bosnia and Herzegovina (5.182). 91. Honduras (5.181); 92. Macedonia (5.175); 93. Somalia (5.151); 94. Vietnam (5.074); 95. Nigeria (5.074); 96. Tajikistan (5.041); 97. Bhutan (5.011); 98. Kyrgyzstan (5.004); 99. Nepal (4.962); 100. Mongolia (4.955). 101. South Africa (4.829); 102. Tunisia (4.805); 103. Palestinian Territories (4.775); 104. Egypt (4.735); 105. Bulgaria (4.714); 106. Sierra Leone (4.709); 107. Cameroon (4.695); 108. Iran (4.692); 109. Albania (4.644); 110. Bangladesh (4.608). 111. Namibia (4.574); 112. Kenya (4.553); 113. Mozambique (4.550); 114. Myanmar (4.545); 115. Senegal (4.535); 116. Zambia (4.514); 117. Iraq (4.497); 118. Gabon (4.465); 119. Ethiopia (4.460); 120. Sri Lanka (4.440). 121. Armenia (4.376); 122. India (4.315); 123. Mauritania (4.292); 124. Congo (Brazzaville) (4.291); 125. Georgia (4.286); 126. Congo (Kinshasa) (4.280); 127. Mali (4.190); 128. Ivory Coast (4.180); 129. Cambodia (4.168); 130. Sudan (4.139). 131. Ghana (4.120); 132. Ukraine (4.096); 133. Uganda (4.081); 134. Burkina Faso (4.032); 135. Niger (4.028); 136. Malawi (3.970); 137. Chad (3.936); 138. Zimbabwe (3.875); 139. Lesotho (3.808); 140. Angola (3.795). 141. Afghanistan (3.794); 142. Botswana (3.766); 143. Benin (3.657); 144. Madagascar (3.644); 145. Haiti (3.603); 146. Yemen (3.593); 147. South Sudan (3.591); 148. Liberia (3.533); 149. Guinea (3.507); 150. Togo (3.495). 151. Rwanda (3.471); 152. Syria (3.462); 153. Tanzania (3.349); 154. Burundi (2.905); 155. Central African Republic (2.693).