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Are these really the world’s happiest countries?

Who are the happiest people in the world? According to the World Happiness Report, it’s the residents of Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Israel and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, Palestinians, who have lived for decades under Israeli military occupation, rank 99th. But critics have pointed out glaring contradictions, blind spots and biases, including a seeming inclination towards rich Western nations – the Global North – that ignores centuries of colonial exploitation that enabled them to gather that wealth.