OECD reports Australia the happiest nation 25 May 2012 Australia has topped Norway and the United States as the world’s happiest nation in the just-released OECD Better Life Index ranking. The OECD identified eleven topics as essential to well-being – from health and education to local environment, personal security and overall satisfaction with life – as well as the more traditional measures, such as income. Australians have a life expectancy at birth of almost 82 years – two years higher than the OECD average; and over 72 per cent of Australians in the 15 to 64 age bracket are in paid work, compared to the OECD average of 66 per cent. Australia is also reported as among the top performing countries in the quality of its educational system. In the OECD’s International Student Assessment (PISA), the average Australian student scored 519 in reading literacy, mathematics and science. Australia’s score is considerably higher than the OECD average of 497, making the nation one of the strongest OECD countries in students’ skills. More information |