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Malta has beaten France (31), Spain (34), Poland (46) and Italy (48) when it comes to being the “Happiest Country” in the world.
The World Happiness Report 2017 was released late in March, showing the world’s happiest countries.
Malta placed 27th from 155 countries, moving up three places from 30th out of 157 countries surveyed last year.
The Report
The World Happiness Report, an initiative of the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network, was carried out by a group of experts including economist Jeffrey Sachs.
A group of people from 156 countries were interviewed in order to to find out how highly they evaluated their lives on a scale from 0-10.
The report considered different factors, of which 6 were deemed most important:
- GDP per capita
- Healthy years of life expectancy
- Social support ( as measured by having someone to rely on during hard times)
- Trust (as measured by the absence of government corruption),
- Freedom to make life decisions
- Generosity (as measured by recent donations)
Reasons Why Malta’s Ranking Improved
Malta’s ranking was especially elevated because of its GDP per capita and social support.
With an ever increasing GDP per capita and social support, Malta is becoming more and more popular with foreigners who want to live and work on the islands.
Furthermore, unemployment is also at record lows, and many internationally-renowned companies in various industries have moved to Malta.
Such industries range from the top iGaming operators like Cherry, Betsson, Unibet and Mr Green to financial institutions like HSBC, Mediterranean Bank and Novum Bank.
Betsson for instance, was one of the first large internet companies to relocate their operational HQ in Malta, and remains one of the fastest-growing and dynamic operations to this day, having welcomed its 1,000th employee in the last few weeks.
Malta’s Individual Investor Programme
The Individual Investor Programme of the Republic of Malta (IIP) has also attracted many foreigners to Malta since its introduction in 2014.
The IIP is a programme that grants citizenship by a Certificate of Naturalization, to individuals who contribute to the economic and social development of Malta. The IIP can also be extended to include families of applicants.
In November of last year, the IIP claimed to have received over 800 passport applications on behalf of investors from more than 40 different countries. The IIP program is firmly capped at 1,800 participants, and therefore it is highly recommended that potential applicants act fast so as not to miss out on this wonderful opportunity.
With great climate, gorgeous beaches, breathtaking views and ancient historic sites, it is no wonder that many have found this island to be a haven for a new life on the land of sun, sand and sea.
Read more about our beautiful Maltese Islands and browse our official Frank Salt Real Estate website for information on buying or renting a property in Malta.
