World Happiness Report 2019: These are the world's 10 happiest countries

Nope, South Africa didn't make it to the top 10. We came in at number 106. Even Nigeria beat us with its fancy 85th spot.

Gallup, a US analytics company, teamed up with the UN to survey the state of global happiness. They published the findings in the World Happiness Report.

Gallup reviewed 156 countries and took factors such as income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust and generosity into account. There's room to improve, South Africa.

10. Austria Scenic view over old town centre of Salzburg, Austria, and the river from castle hill Austria kicked Australia off the top 10 list this year, down to the 11th spot. The country has a stable government, and family values are cherished.

In addition, they have a generous healthcare system and even visitors can get free basic healthcare. Austrians also have smaller houses meant for smaller families of two or three members.

9. Canada Man hiking in the Canadian mountains. Hike is the popular recreation activity in North America. There are a lot of picturesque trails. The only country in the Americas to make it the Top 10 list. Quite telling, isn't it? One of the reports co-authors Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, said addiction and depression are on the increase in the United States.

Canada, on the other hand, fared significantly better than its neighbours down south. Canadian citizens have a life expectancy of 81.7 years, and a 7.4 out of 10 score for wellbeing. And only 9% inequality!

8. New Zealand Beautiful New Zealand landscape. Despite the recent terror attacks on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand still bags the eighth spot. It's not about the attacks, per se, but the response of New Zealand's citizens.

Report co-editor John Helliwell, a professor emeritus of economics at the University of British Columbia, says:

What stands out about the happiest and most well connected societies is their resilience and ability to deal with bad things. After the 2011 earthquake and now the terrorist attack in Christchurch - with high social capital, where people are connected - people rally and help each other and (after the earthquake) rebuild immediately.

7. Sweden An image of a Stockholm capital city of Sweden These guys have plenty of reasons to be happy. The lower class section of their population is tiny compared to other parts of the world, and the middle class is virtually everybody else.

Their salaries may be lower but they still earn more than the average North American family and do not care so much for excessive consumption and consumerism. Taxes are high but they get really good healthcare in return.

6. Switzerland Famous covered wooden footbridge in Lucerne, Switzerland The Swiss are rich, they live longer and they have chocolate. Fun fact, they only work 35.1 hours per week and they're clever too.

Switzerland has produced 25 Nobel laureates out of a population of around eight million. You need to be that smart to understand what's going on the Large Hadron Collider, I guess.

5. Netherlands Silhouette of windmills at sunrise in Kinderdijk, Netherlands. Rustic landscape with wooden pier against traditional Dutch windmills near the canals and colourful clouds in the sky reflected in water In the Netherlands, they value the younger generation. Hey, that may explain why the millennium-bashing United States has never made it to the Top 10 list, hey? Take note, South Africa. Take note.

While teens in Britain are battling with depression, anxiety, peer pressure and abuse, teens in the Netherlands are getting the support they need from family, friends and teachers.

Dr Simone de Roos, a researcher at the Netherlands Institute for Social Research explains:

Dutch parents give a lot of support and have mild control. There's an egalitarian climate, teachers are not authoritarian but accept the feelings of pupils, and pupils trust teachers.

4. Iceland Iceland, beautiful sunset landscape of Vik Myrdal village, Kurkirka church against the snowy mountains, South coast of Iceland These guys are resilient. Eric Weiner explains that Icelandic culture, shaped over centuries of hardship and shared suffering, reminds us of the importance - and the power - of resilience.

Generous, too. People care about each and will stop in the dead of night on a deserted road to help a stranger because that's just who they are.

It also helps that Iceland has less inequality and a smaller gap between the very rich and the very poor.

3. Norway Beautiful yellow rorbuer and houses in Sarkisoy village, Lofoten islands, Norway. Winter landscape with traditional Norwegian rorbuer, sea, snowy mountains in fog at night. Old fishermen's houses Ah, Norway. Beautiful, mysterious Norway. Norwegians are rich and have a high GDP per capita. But it's not just what they do with their riches, but their attitude towards it and how they spend it.

Community spirit is strong and thanks to their economic security, they stress less. Also, they have crappy weather, which apparently makes them happier? Helliwell explains:

There is a view which suggests that historically communities that lived in harsher weather were brought together by greater mutual support.

They have a saying, and it shows that their heads are screwed on straight and their attitude always positive: Det er ikke noe som heter d rlig v r, bare d rlig kl r. (There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.)

2. Denmark Dramatic landscape before a storm on the Island of Langeland, Denmark In Denmark, there's an age-old belief in Hygge.' It's pronounced hoo-ga' and basically means freedom and cosy contentment.

Hygge, used as both a noun and adjective in Denmark, can describe anything from a cosy afternoon in bed watching TV, or enjoying a meal next to a fi

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