Want to live in a country where the people are happy, healthy, and have a positive outlook on life? Of course you do! Who wouldn’t? Well, look no farther than Panama, which ranks 1st in global well-being according to a recent Gallup-Healthways poll. This is after ranking 1st in the same poll last year.
The poll takes into consideration 5 fa ctors: satisfaction with one’s purpose, social life, financial stability, sense of community, and physical health. Respondents were asked to rank how they felt about each of these factors on a scale of 1-10.
In all of the individual factors except for financial, Panama ranked either 1st or 2nd. The United States, by contrast, did not rank in the top 10 of any of the individual factors, and came in at 12th globally in over all well-being. Canada ranked 10th globally.
This news may surprise you, but it shouldn’t. Latin American countries have consistently ranked highly in international polls of happiness and well being. A similar study released in 2012, which ranked how “up beat” citizens were, had Latin American countries occupying 7 of the top 10 spaces. Panama tied with Paraguay for the top spot on that list. In the global well-being poll, Latin American countries occupied 6 of the top 10 spaces. Other recent life style satisfaction surveys have ranked Latin American countries highly, such as a survey by the Happy Planet Index, which ranked Costa Rica as the happiest country in the world.
One of the reasons Latin American countries could be ranking so highly is the incredible economic growth happening there. The average annual GDP growth rate for Panama since 2006 is 8.36%! Average annual GDP growth rates since 2006 have been similarly impressive for neighboring countries, such as 3.7% in Nicaragua, 4.4% in Costa Rica, and 2.3% in Belize. The US average annual GDP growth rate since 2006 is 1.3%.
Panama is an amazing country to move to part time or permanently. In addition to ranking first in global well-being and having one of the best GDP growth rates in the Americas, Panama is an extremely modern country. The capital of Panama City has all of the amenities you would expect from a highly developed city. It has a thriving business district and world-class utilities, such as some of the best internet connectivity around.
Panama is also unique in that it does not suffer from the types of natural disasters common to other countries in the region. Panama has only ever had one tropical cyclone make landfall within its borders, Hurricane Martha in 1969. In addition, Panama rarely if ever is affected by major earthquakes.
Panama is also home to a thriving expatriate community. Over 50,000 Americans have taken up permanent residence in this up-beat nation. Panama City has been described as a “second Miami”, but with more Americans and more people who speak English.
There’s a reason that Panama ranks first in global well-being. Explore for yourself all of the advantages that a life in Panama has to offer. Move to Latin America, the region with the best well-being for its people in the entire world.
