Misc
Global Happiness: Which Countries are the Most (and Least) Happy?
How much happier would you be if were given a 10% raise?
While money can be a crucial indicator of happiness at lower income levels, studies have found that as incomes rise, money becomes a less important part of the overall happiness equation.
In fact, researchers see happiness as a complex measure that involves many variables outside of material wealth, including social support, freedom, and health.
Measuring Global Happiness
Today’s chart uses data from the World Happiness Report 2018 to measure and understand which countries report feeling the most and least happy.
What Contributes to Happiness?
The six key variables used by researchers in this report on global happiness include:
- GDP per capita
- Healthy life expectancy
- Social support
- Freedom of choice
- Generosity
- Perceptions of corruption
While average income and life expectancy definitely carry their weight in explaining happiness levels, what’s more interesting are the Gallup World Poll (GWP) questions about the other, more subjective variables.
- Social support
“If you were in trouble, do you have relatives or friends you can count on to help you whenever you need them?” - Freedom to make life choices
“Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your freedom to choose what you do with your life?” - Generosity
“Have you donated money to a charity in the past month?” - Perceptions of corruption
“Is corruption widespread throughout the government or not?”
“Is corruption widespread within businesses or not?”
How Happy is the World?
The top tier of happiest countries happen to be Nordic, with Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland making it into the top five. Aside from having a common geographic location, these countries are also well-known for their social safety nets, using a high tax burden to fund government services such as education and healthcare.
A surprising entry near the top of the list might be Costa Rica. It’s the happiest country in the Latin American region, despite persisting income inequality issues. Although it has a lower GDP per capita than other high-ranking entries, the country has more than made up for it through social support; Costa Rica has invested significantly in education and health as a proportion of GDP, and the nation is also known for housing a culture that forms solid social networks of friends, families and neighborhoods.
On the other hand, 18 of the least happy countries are concentrated on the African continent. GDP per capita varies intensely among the bottom countries, and many report a lack of freedom overall. A silver lining is that social support is relatively stable, and there have been steady improvements over time.
Finally, the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis has had a ripple effect on global happiness. The report demonstrates where the most and fewest advances have been made.
- Togo
Happiness is on the upswing, as the West African nation climbs 17 places to demonstrate the most improvement. - Venezuela
Meanwhile, the South American country plummeted even further, in part from socio-political changes and dramatic hyperinflation.
Where does your country fare on this scale?
Eudaimonia [happiness] is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.
― Aristotle
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Misc
Iconic Infographic Map Compares the World’s Mountains and Rivers
This iconic infographic map is an early and ambitious attempt to compare the world’s tallest mountains and longest rivers.

Today, highly detailed maps of our planet’s surface are just a click away.
In times past, however, access to information was much more limited. It wasn’t until the 1800s that comparison diagrams and maps became widely accessible, and people found new ways to learn about the world around them.
The image above, published by J.H. Colton in 1849, is believed to be the first edition of the iconic mountains and rivers infographic map. This comparison chart concept would see a number of iterations over the years as it appeared in Colton’s world atlases.
Inspiring a Classic Infographic Map
A seminal example of this style of infographic was produced by Alexander von Humboldt in 1805. The diagram below is packed with information and shows geographical features in a way that was extremely novel at the time.
In 1817, the brothers William and Daniel Lizars produced the first comparative chart of the world’s mountains and rivers. Breaking up individual natural features into components for comparison was a very innovative approach at that time, and it was this early French language prototype that lead to the Colton’s versions we’re familiar with today.
Digging into the Details
As is obvious, even at first glance, there is a ton of detail packed into this infographic map.
Firstly, rivers are artificially straightened and neatly arranged in rows for easy comparison. Lakes, mountain ranges, and cities are all labeled along the way. This unique comparison brings cities like New Orleans and Cairo side by side.
Of course, this visualization was based on the best available data at the time. Today, the Nile is widely considered to be the world’s longest river, followed by the Amazon and Yangtze.
Over on the mountain side, there are more details to take in. The visualization includes volcanic activity, notes on vegetation, and even the altitude of selected cities and towns.
Above are a few of South America’s high-altitude population centers, including La Paz, which is the highest-elevation capital city in the world.
In the legend, many of the mountains are simply named “peak”. While this generic labeling might seem like a throwback to a time when the world was still being explored, it’s worth noting that today’s second tallest mountain is still simply referred to as K2.
What details do you notice while exploring this iconic infographic map?
Demographics
Mapped: A Decade of Population Growth and Decline in U.S. Counties
This map shows which counties in the U.S. have seen the most growth, and which places have seen their populations dwindle in the last 10 years.

A Decade of Population Growth and Decline in U.S. Counties
There are a number of factors that determine how much a region’s population changes.
If an area sees a high number of migrants, along with a strong birth rate and low death rate, then its population is bound to increase over time. On the flip side, if more people are leaving the area than coming in, and the region’s birth rate is low, then its population will likely decline.
Which areas in the United States are seeing the most growth, and which places are seeing their populations dwindle?
This map, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, shows a decade of population movement across U.S. counties, painting a detailed picture of U.S. population growth between 2010 and 2020.
Counties With The Biggest Population Growth from 2010-2020
To calculate population estimates for each county, the U.S. Census Bureau does the following calculations:
From 2010 to 2020, Maricopa County in Arizona saw the highest increase in its population estimate. Over a decade, the county gained 753,898 residents. Below are the counties that saw the biggest increases in population:
Rank | County | Point of Reference | State | Pop. Growth (2010–2020) |
---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Maricopa County | Phoenix, Scottsdale | Arizona | +753,898 |
#2 | Harris County | Houston | Texas | +630,711 |
#3 | Clark County | Las Vegas | Nevada | +363,323 |
#4 | King County | Seattle | Washington | +335,884 |
#5 | Tarrant County | Fort Worth, Arlington | Texas | +305,180 |
#6 | Bexar County | San Antonio | Texas | +303,982 |
#7 | Riverside County | Riverside, Palm Springs | California | +287,626 |
#8 | Collin County | Plano | Texas | +284,967 |
#9 | Travis County | Austin | Texas | +270,111 |
#10 | Hillsborough County | Tampa | Florida | +264,446 |
Phoenix and surrounding areas grew faster than any other major city in the country. The region’s sunny climate and amenities are popular with retirees, but another draw is housing affordability. Families from more expensive markets—California in particular—are moving to the city in droves. This is a trend that spilled over into the pandemic era as more people moved into remote and hybrid work situations.
Texas counties saw a lot of growth as well, with five of the top 10 gainers located in the state of Texas. A big draw for Texas is its relatively affordable housing market. In 2021, average home prices in the state stood at $172,500—$53,310 below the national average.
Counties With The Biggest Population Drops from 2010-2020
On the opposite end of the spectrum, here’s a look at the top 10 counties that saw the biggest declines in their populations over the decade:
Rank | County | Point of Reference | State | Pop. Growth (2010–2020) |
---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Cook County | Chicago | Illinois | -90,693 |
#2 | Wayne County | Detroit | Michigan | -74,224 |
#3 | Cuyahoga County | Cleveland | Ohio | -50,220 |
#4 | Genesee County | Flint | Michigan | -20,165 |
#5 | Suffolk County | Long Island | New York | -20,064 |
#6 | Caddo Parish | Shreveport | Louisiana | -18,173 |
#7 | Westmoreland County | Murrysville | Pennsylvania | -17,942 |
#8 | Hinds County | Jackson | Mississippi | -17,751 |
#9 | Kanawha County | Charleston | West Virginia | -16,672 |
#10 | Cambria County | Johnstown | Pennsylvania | -14,786 |
The largest drops happened in counties along the Great Lakes, including Cook County (which includes the city of Chicago) and Wayne County (which includes the city of Detroit).
For many of these counties, particularly those in America’s “Rust Belt”, population drops over this period were a continuation of decades-long trends. Wayne County is an extreme example of this trend. From 1970 to 2020, the area lost one-third of its population.
U.S. Population Growth in Percentage Terms (2010-2020)
While the map above is great at showing where the greatest number of Americans migrated, it downplays big changes in counties with smaller populations.
For example, McKenzie County in North Dakota, with a 2020 population of just 15,242, was the fastest-growing U.S. county over the past decade. The county’s 138% increase was driven primarily by the Bakken oil boom in the area. High-growth counties in Texas also grew as new sources of energy were extracted in rural areas.
The nation’s counties are evenly divided between population increase and decline, and clear patterns emerge.
Pandemic Population Changes
More recent population changes reflect longer-term trends. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the counties that saw the strongest population increases were located in high-growth states like Florida and Texas.
Below are the 20 counties that grew the most from 2020 to 2021.
Rank | County | Point of Reference | State | Pop. Growth (2020–2021) |
---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Maricopa County | Phoenix | Arizona | +58,246 |
#2 | Collin County | Plano | Texas | +36,313 |
#3 | Riverside County | Riverside, Palm Springs | California | +35,631 |
#4 | Fort Bend County | Sugar Land | Texas | +29,895 |
#5 | Williamson County | Georgetown | Texas | +27,760 |
#6 | Denton County | Denton | Texas | +27,747 |
#7 | Polk County | Lakeland | Florida | +24,287 |
#8 | Montgomery County | The Woodlands | Texas | +23,948 |
#9 | Lee County | Fort Myers | Florida | +23,297 |
#10 | Utah County | Provo | Utah | +21,843 |
#11 | Pinal County | San Tan Valley | Arizona | +19,974 |
#12 | Clark County | Las Vegas | Nevada | +19,090 |
#13 | Pasco County | New Port Richey | Florida | +18,322 |
#14 | Wake County | Raleigh | North Carolina | +16,651 |
#15 | St. Johns County | St. Augustine | Florida | +15,550 |
#16 | Hillsborough County | Tampa | Florida | +14,814 |
#17 | Bexar County | San Antonio | Texas | +14,184 |
#18 | Ada County | Boise | Idaho | +13,947 |
#19 | Osceola County | Kissimmee | Florida | +12,427 |
#20 | St. Lucie County | Fort Pierce | Florida | +12,304 |
Many of these counties are located next to large cities, reflecting a shift to the suburbs and larger living spaces. However, as COVID-19 restrictions ease, and the pandemic housing boom tapers off due to rising interest rates, it remains to be seen whether the suburban shift will continue, or if people begin to migrate back to city centers.
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