Costa Rica Is 'Happiest Place' In World

July 6, 2009 5:20 p.m. EST

London, U.K. (AHN) - A research group in Britain has chosen Costa Rica as the happiest place in the world citing its content people, long life expectancy and tiny carbon footprint due to the use of renewable energy.

The Central American country topped the Happy Planet Index published on Monday by the New Economics Foundation, a British think-tank. The index measured the ecological footprint, life-satisfaction and life-expectancy of 143 countries.

According to the HPI, life expectancy in Costa Rica is 78.5 years and 99 percent of its energy comes from renewable resources.

NEF started conducting the survey for the HPI in 2006.