HOW TO READ DATA

Happymeter: Decoding Happiness is a interactive data visualization that provides an advanced platform that distills the multifaceted metrics of the World Happiness Report 2024 into comprehensible graphical representations. Users are presented with an initial graph ranking countries based on their happiness index, derived from a three-year average score spanning 2021-2023.

For a deeper dive, the visualizer presents a second graph in a packed circles format. Users can toggle between two views: "Highest Happiness Metric Scores" and "Lowest Happiness Metric Scores". The "Highest Happiness Metric Scores" view showcases countries excelling in each of the seven key metrics, whereas the "Lowest Happiness Metrics Scores" view highlights those ranking at the bottom for each parameter.

For an enhanced geographical perspective, the third graph provides a map view, allowing users to pinpoint countries excelling or lagging in each of the seven key metrics on a global scale.

• Overall happiness index: A holistic score calculated by integrating several aspects of happiness, offering a snapshot of a country's overall well-being. It's a culmination of scores from the following key metrics, providing a broad picture of national happiness.
• GDP per capita: Denotes the economic output per individual, considering relative cost of living and inflation. It's indicative of the economic wellness and purchasing ability of individuals in a specific country.
• Social support: A measure that evaluates the perceived level of support individuals believe they have during challenging times, from family, friends, or state mechanisms.
• Healthy life expectancy: Projects the average lifespan of a newborn in terms of years lived in good health, factoring in diseases and other life-limiting circumstances.
• Freedom to make life choices: Measures the perceived autonomy individuals enjoy in steering the course of their lives, encompassing political freedom and personal liberties.
• Generosity: Reflects the propensity of citizens to aid others through financial donations, time, or other resources, showcasing a society's charitable tendencies.
• Perception of corruption: Gauges public sentiment regarding corruption within government and business entities. A lower score signifies higher perceived corruption, influencing overall societal trust.
• Dystopia: A conceptual metric from the World Happiness Report, it visualizes a nation with the lowest scores in all the above parameters, setting a baseline for comparison.

These definitions are adapted and summarized from the "Statistical Appendix for 'World happiness, trust, and social connections in times of crisis,'" Chapter 2 of the World Happiness Report 2023 by John F. Helliwell, Haifang Huang, Max Norton, Shun Wang, and Leonard Goff, published on March 13, 2023.