HPI. Happy Planet Index.

Ever heard of HPI? It stands for Happy Planet Index.
I was shocked to see that my sunny island Singapore was ranked 131 (out of 178 countries) in a study known as The Happy Planet Index <-- (click here to read all about it). You can even find out your own personal HPI at the site. To see how this study actually works, I’ve picked Costa Rica and Singapore to be my examples:

Ranking (HPI)
Singapore: 131
Costa Rica: 3

Life Satisfaction
S: 6.9
C: 7.5

Life Expectancy
S: 78.7
C: 78.2

Ecological Footprint
S: 6.2
C: 2.1

HPI =
Life satisfaction x Life expectancy
Ecological Footprint

Comparing Singapore and Costa Rica, Costa Rica is able to achieve a higher life satisfaction and a similar life expectancy with just a third of the resources that Singapore uses, i.e. using inverse proportion Costa Rica is more efficient in generating happiness!


Maybe it’s time to really ask ourselves what really contributes to our happiness. Do we really need so much material things, food, electricity, at the expense of the environment?


Nat.