For a Better Life, Head to...

...Australia, once again
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 28, 2013 12:41 PM CDT
For a Better Life, Head to...
Want to be happy? Consider moving to Australia, which is ranked as the happiest developed nation for the third year running, according to the Better Life Index.   (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

If you're in search of a "better life," consider moving to Australia, which is ranked atop the Better Life Index for the third year running. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development compiles the annual list by looking at areas including the economy, income levels, health, safety, housing, and life expectancy, the BBC reports. (The OECD doesn't explicitly name a No. 1, but Australia's cumulative score puts it there.) The rest of the top 10:

  1. Sweden
  2. Canada
  3. Norway
  4. Switzerland
  5. United States
  6. Denmark
  7. The Netherlands
  8. Iceland
  9. UK

Among Australia's rosiest measures: the economy (unemployment was at 5.5% in April) and life expectancy (82 years). "There is no one under the age of 40 now who has experienced a recession as an adult member of the workforce," an economist tells the Wall Street Journal (which notes there are a few pockets of gloom, among them, indications that the country's mining boom is petering out). So, do the people who live there feel happy? They rank life satisfaction at 7.2 out of 10, an above-average score, but also a lower one than the scores enjoyed by Mexico, Norway, and New Zealand. (In similar news, Hawaii has been ranked as the least-stressed US state for five years running.)

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