1. Strong family and social
networks help Costa Ricans
thrive in the social scale, but
concerns about rising un-
employment and inflation have
affected financial well-being.
National and cultural values
support a well rounded view
of personal well being. This
contributes to Denmark’s
high thriving percentages. A
notable demographic
difference between men and
women in the social element
should be further examined.
Panama’s positive outlook
may be contributed to high
levels of positivity common to
Latin American culture. Lower
rates of financial well-being
could be addressed through
helping Panaman women
achieve financial stability.
Financially, there is a notable
disparity. Men are more likely
to be thriving than women.
Despite an economic boom in late
2013, the unemployment rate in
Costa Rica has been steadily rising.
Socially, there is a well-being
disparity, Men are less likely to
be thriving than women.
stable/
growing
economy
highly
educated
population
The State of Global Well-Being
A VISUALIZATION OF DATA FROM GALLUP-HEALTHWAYS 2013 GLOBAL SURVEY
A global comparison
What percentage of the population is thriving in 3+ elements?
Thriving: well-being that is
strong and consistent.
Struggling: well-being that
is moderate or inconsistent.
Suffering: well-being that is
low and inconsistent.
DENMARK 40%
PANAMA 61%
COSTA RICA 44%
AUSTRIA 39%
BRAZIL 39%
stable
government
access
to basic
services
relative
safety
social
safety
nets
positive
attitude
Panama
CostaRica
Denmark
Austria
Brazil
ElSalvador
Uruguay
Sweden
Canada
Guatemala
Trinidad&Tobago
Argentina
TheNetherlands
UnitedStatesofAmerica
Colombia
Chile
Mexico
UnitedArabEmirates
NewZealand
Venezuela
Nicaragua
SaudiArabia
Australia
Bahrain
Malta
UnitedKingdom
Germany
Ireland
Paraguay
Ecuador
Honduras
Iceland
Kuwait
Israel
Jamaica
Kosovo
Malaysia
Philippines
Spain
Turkmenistan
Belgium
Bolivia
Finland
Morocco
Thailand
Kyrgyzstan
Luxembourg
NorthernCyprus
Portugal
DominicanRepublic
France
Lebanon
Hungary
Mongolia
Slovenia
Taiwan
Vietnam
Mauritania
Poland
SriLanka
Peru
Russia
Slovakia
Bangladesh
Cyprus
Estonia
Ethiopia
India
Indonesia
Iraq
Japan
Kazakhstan
Myanmar(Burma)
Iran
Jordan
Macedonia
Moldova
NagornoKarabakh
Romania
SouthKorea
Belarus
CzechRepublic
Malawi
RepublicofCongo
Angola
Bulgaria
China
Ghana
Pakistan
Rwanda
Tajikistan
Cambodia
IvoryCoast
Mali
Nepal
SierraLeone
Tunisia
Turkey
Yemen
Bosnia&Herzegovina
Egypt
Greece
Latvia
Montenegro
Niger
Nigeria
Palestine
Serbia
Azerbaijan
Guinea
Lithuania
Albania
Armenia
Bhutan
Italy
Tanzania
Ukraine
Zimbabwe
Botswana
BurkinaFaso
Cameroon
Croatia
Gabon
Georgia
Kenya
Senegal
SouthAfrica
Benin
Madagascar
Uganda
Chad
DemocraticRepublicoftheCongo
Haiti
Afghanistan
Syria
>40% 30-40% 20-30% 10-20% ≤10% Not surveyed
in 2013
The five elements of well-being
physical
In the last seven days, you have felt active and productive every day.?
Your physical health is near-perfect.?
Having good health and enough energy to get things done daily
community
The city or area where you live is a perfect place for you.?
In the last 12 months, you have received recognition for helping to improve the city or area where you live.?
Liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community
$ financial
You have enough money to do everything you want to do.?
In the last seven days, you have worried about money.?
Managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security
social
Someone in your life always encourages you to be healthy.?
Your friends and family give you positive energy every day.?
Having supportive relationships and love in your life
purpose
You like what you do every day.?
You learn or do something interesting every day.?
Liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals
The world is becoming easier to understand through numbers. They can tell us how much an
individual makes in a country, how many people are in that country, and how long these people can
expect to live on average. But what about the more subjective concepts? How do we measure and
understand happiness? Success?
The statisticians at Gallup and Healthways have been struggling to do the same, and they’ve
summarized these subjective ideas under “Well-Being”. So how can “Well-Being” be measured? The
Global Well-Being Index has broken it down to people’s perception of five key elements in their life.
G&H added ten simple questions to their global poll with a goal of measuring just how satisfied
people are in these five key elements. These questions make up the Global Well-Being Index.
Why does this well-being index matter if all the ideas that fall within it are subjective? Well, G&H have
determined that higher well-being correlates with healthier, more productive, and more resilient people.
So it makes sense to investigate and keep track of it on top of GDP, population, and life expectancy to see
if people are thriving or suffering.
SCORING THE RESULTS
ON PAR WITH ON PAR WITH ON PAR WITH ON PAR WITH ON PAR WITH
So what helps people thrive? Some key factors play into
achieving high percentages in these elements.
Putting it in perspective: percent of the global population thriving in each element.
18% 23% 25% 26% 24%
PURPOSE SOCIAL FINANCIAL COMMUNITY PHYSICAL
Poland Morocco China France Greece
$
Who are the top three and what makes them so special?
Let’s take a closer look at those statistics.
Still curious? Find out all the details in Gallup and Healthways full report:
CREATED BY STINSON DESIGN
WWW.STINSONDESIGN.COM
Source: Data retrieved from http://www.tradingeconom-
ics.com/costa-rica/unemployment-rate
PURPOSE SOCIAL FINANCIAL COMMUNITY PHYSICAL
COSTA RICAPANAMA DENMARK
68%
66% 63%
$
59%
51% 45%
58%
50% 45%
of the global
population is thriving
in 3+ elements
17%
on average:
1%
worst:
61%
best:
38%
27%
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
25% 34%
9%
10%
2013
2014
JOB!
worldwide
for ease
of doing
business!
FIFTH
www.well-beingindex.com/
More resources
for infratructure
due to no
standing army.
96.3%
Highest literacy rate in
Latin America!
Source: Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index (2014). 2013 State of Global Well-Being.
Retrieved February 24, 2015 from http://www.well-beingindex.com/subscribe.