Happy Planet Index Reveals Uneven Progress Toward Climate Goals

The 2026 Happy Planet Index report, released today by the Hot or Cool Institute and covering 134 countries for the first time with gender analysis, shows Costa Rica at #1, combining life expectancy higher than the USA with third-highest self-reported wellbeing while maintaining a moderate ecological footprint. Spain climbed to fourth place with the lowest per capita ecological footprint in Western Europe; the global HPI increased from 43.7 in 2007 to 48.5 in 2025. The report also finds women consistently achieve 20% higher HPI scores than men and that countries with female leaders achieve higher HPI scores.