Pakistan is among the top 20 gainers on the World Happiness index this year, ranked at 67th place, a jump of eight spots from last year's ranking at 75.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network's annual World Happiness Report ranked 156 countries based on six indicators: income per capita, life expectancy, social support, freedom, generosity and corruption.

Finland was once again ranked as the happiest country in the world. Denmark, Norway and Iceland clinched the second, third and fourth positions, respectively. South Sudan took the last spot in the ranking.

Pakistan ranks highest among all of its neighbours again this year. India ranks at 140 — seven spots lower than last year, while China is at 93, Iran at 117, Iraq at 126 and Afghanistan at 154 — just two spots above the last place. Bangladesh is ranked 125.

Pakistan is among the top 20 gainers on the index, joined by the Philippines, and countries from Europe, Africa and Latin America. Among the 20 largest losers are countries from the Middle East, Africa, Western Europe, India, Malaysia, Venezuela and Ukraine.

The report also highlights the percentage of respondents in different countries that report donating to charity or doing volunteer work over the past month. In Pakistan, around 32.8 per cent of respondents reported donating to a charity, while 14.2pc reported volunteering within the 30-day period.

Focus on happiness and community

The seventh World Happiness Report focuses on happiness and community. The central questions being asked in this year's report revolve around how happiness has been changing over the past decade, and how information technology, governance and social norms have influenced communities.

This year's report also broadly considers some of the major forces that influence happiness by changing the ways in which communities and their members interact with each other. The report looks at three sets of factors to discern this, which include the links between government and happiness, the power of prosocial behaviour, and changes in information technology.