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REVEALED: Who are the happiest people in Spain?

The Local Spain
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REVEALED: Who are the happiest people in Spain?
Are women or men happier on average in Spain? 68.4 percent of male respondents reported they were happy, while 66.2 of women percent did.(Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)

Data from Spain's national statistics body has revealed the profile of the happiest people in Spain, despite the country falling overall in recent international happiness rankings.

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A recent study by Spain's national statistics body, the National Statistics Institute (INE), has revealed that 70 percent of Spaniards considered themselves to be happy in 2022, the highest figure in a decade.

Yet despite the findings, another international ranking recently reported that Spain as a country overall had fallen in the global happiness league tables.

You might've noticed that Spaniards are generally quite a cheerful bunch, happiest when laughing and socialising with friends.

And there are lots of reasons why they might be, of course. Whether it be the wonderful weather, the gentle pace of life, or the world famous gastronomy, Spaniards just seem to have things sussed when it comes to the work-life balance: something that would, you might think, make all Spaniards happy.

But are some Spaniards happier than others? According to the INE data, happiness varies within Spanish population.

READ ALSO: 12 very good reasons to be happy you live in Spain

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Spaniards are getting happier

The INE calculated its results by analysing answers to the survey question: "How often do you feel happy?"

Overall, happiness in Spain is increasing. There were more positive responses than in the 2021 survey, largely because the percentage of people living in poverty has decreased slightly and society has moved on from the social and psychological upheaval of the pandemic period.

Seventy percent of Spaniards polled said they were happy overall, a figure slightly below the international average. According to an IPSOS poll conducted for World Happiness Day, 73 percent of the world's adult population describe themselves as happy.

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Who are the happiest Spaniards?

The results revealed interesting demographic splits in the data, with men slightly happier on average. 68.4 percent of male respondents reported they were happy, while 66.2 of women percent did.

Age also played a role. Of respondents over 65 years old, just 62.5 percent said they were 'completely happy', the age cohort with the lowest score and a somewhat surprising figure as older people are more likely to be retired and have more free time.

67.3 percent of total respondents over the age of 16 reported that they 'always' or 'almost always' felt happy, with young people (16 to 29 years old) scoring the highest happiness rating: 76.4 percent. In fact as age increased, the percentage of people who described themselves as happy declined.

Unsurprisingly, there was also a financial factor underpinning the results. Of those answering that they were "always" or "almost always" happy, there was a correlation with income level: 70.7 percent of respondents with a high income level described themselves as happy, but just 61.3 percent with low incomes.

Therefore, according to the INE's findings, the happiest people in Spain are likely to be young men in their twenties with high-level incomes.

READ ALSO: ¡Qué risa!: Ten Spanish expressions to talk about laughing like a local

67.3 percent of total respondents over the age of 16 reported that they 'always' or 'almost always' felt happy, with young people (16 to 29 years old) scoring the highest happiness rating: 76.4 percent. Photo: Pixabay.
 

Global rankings

Yet despite the fact that almost three quarters of Spaniards describe themselves as happy, Spain has fallen to 32nd place in the international happiness league tables.

The recent World Happiness Index prepared by the Gallup Institute crowned Finland the happiest country in the world, for the sixth consecutive year, citing the good health system, income levels, freedoms, generosity that exists in the country, and an absence of corruption in society as reasons.

The other happy countries that came out on top were Denmark, Iceland, Israel, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg and New Zealand.

Spain's 32nd position placed it just behind Estonia and slightly above Italy.

Unsurprisingly, countries with poor human rights records, as well as high levels poverty, war, and poor or lacking public health systems were the lowest ranked in the index, with Afghanistan, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Botswana and Malawi, and Venezuela among the world's unhappiest countries.

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What constitutes happiness?

It should be said that despite Spain's relatively low international ranking, this could have something to do with the index's criteria and what constitutes 'happiness'.

A focus on income inequality, freedoms, and an absence of corruption in society, for example, generally favour the wealthier Scandinavian countries that have had several generations of uninterrupted social democratic government, despite several of them, including the world's so-called 'happiest' country, having higher suicide and depression rates.

Perhaps if the global rankings were based on a criteria of work-life balance, relaxation, health, and social life - rather than income inequality and corruption - Spain would likely be far higher up the league tables and in a position more reflective of the jovial, laidback people lifestyle many Spaniards live.

As with so many things, Spaniards measure things with their own metrics. For many, they have their different standards when it comes to measuring happiness with less of a focus on money and careers and more emphasis on their free time and social lives.

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