We’ve found through our MYIA research that the key motivations for Americans moving abroad are adventure and new cultural experiences. But life satisfaction clearly is another important motivator and tops the life satisfaction index.
The folks at the Paris, France-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) just updated their Better Life Index, which measures 11 factors considered most important for achieving a better life. Life satisfaction topped the list this year, as it has every year since the Better Life Index was created in 2011. Other factors considered are: housing, income, jobs, community, education, environment, civic engagement, health, safety and work/life balance.
If you’re looking for life satisfaction, though, you better buy some nice warm clothes. Switzerland was ranked number one followed by Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, Canada, Austria and Mexico. As a warm weather fan, I chose Mexico for seven years and was, indeed, very satisfied.
When you consider all 11 factors, the rankings change a bit. Warm weather Australia tops the overall Better Life Index. Many of the top life satisfaction countries also appear on this list. Sweden, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, the United States, Denmark, the Netherlands, Iceland and the United Kingdom round out the top 10.
The Better Life Index is very consumer-friendly because it allows you to weight each factor to produce your own personal quality of life index. It must be working because the OECD says over 2 million people from 196 countries have visited the website. The OECD gets its data from a wide range of sources including its own 34-member countries, the United Nations, Gallup Research and others.
For a more in-depth look at a number of quality of life studies, you should check out our article Where Is the Best Quality of Life Abroad.