I bet you won’t find many global statistics where the top 3 are Costa Rica, Guatemala and Tajikistan. Well, they are in the Happy Planet Index 2026. It’s an interesting attempt at measuring «sustainable wellbeing». It evaluates countries by how efficiently they deliver long, happy lives for their residents using our limited environmental resources. I like how it uses a much simpler formula than, say, GDP, but manages to include the key question GDP leaves out: at what cost to the planet?

From Weekly Filet #582, in August 2026.