Agency Bloomberg released the Misery Index 2017, which, based on criteria such as inflation and unemployment, ranks the countries of the world from the poorest and most unfortunate to the most successful. In total, the list includes 65 economies of the world.
For the third year in a row, Venezuela is in the top ten. Economic woes have plagued this country for years. Low oil prices - the country's only significant export commodity - are fueling a crisis that has left grocery shelves empty, hospitals lacking essential medicines, and a rampant rise in violent crime.
The strongest negative shifts in the rating are in Poland, which jumped from 45th place in the last year's rating to 28. And the higher the line in the rating, the more problematic is the country's economy. Although Poland has seen a steady decline in the unemployment rate, due to the financial crisis, inflation rose to 1.8 percent in January 2017 after a long period of deflation.
Poverty is also on the rise in Mexico, according to Bloomberg data. Compared to 38th place in 2016, the country climbed to 31st place. Combination of ending government fuel subsidies and depreciating the peso by 11 percent against the dollar after the US presidential election in November has a negative impact on prices in Mexico.
The UK will also suffer economically in 2017 due to Brexit. The beginning of the country's exit from the European Union drove the pound to below a 30-year low, led to an increase in the cost of imports and, along with this, inflation. But the rise in prices in the UK was low, as oil prices fell at the end of 2014.
Top 13 most unhappy countries in the world
And Thailand has once again become the least poor and disadvantaged country, largely due to its uniquely high employment rate. Also, positive dynamics is noted in countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Netherlands, China, Ecuador and Russia. Each of them moved down 9 points or more on Bloomberg. In the Misery Index of 2017, Russia ranks 21st. As for the United States, the country remained among the 20 least unhappy countries in the world (in 49th place), although it is behind China (52nd).
The happiest countries economically in 2017
