Solar Level: Annual Average PVOUT = How much electricity a solar panel could generate in one year. Higher values mean more sunlight.
Life Expectancy: Average number of years a person is expected to live, indicating the overall health of a country's population.
Freedom: Perceived freedom to make life choices, reflecting individuals' autonomy in making decisions about their lives.
GDP per Capita: Gross Domestic Product per person, measuring the average economic output and standard of living in a country.
Social Support: Extent to which individuals feel they have someone to count on in times of need, indicating the strength of social networks.
Generosity: Self-reported willingness to donate time and money to others, reflecting the culture of giving and community support.
Corruption: Perception of corruption in government and business, indicating public trust in institutions.
Negative Affect: Frequency of negative emotions such as sadness, anger, and worry, reflecting the emotional well-being of the population.
Happiness and Sunlight is an interactive data visualization that explores global happiness through different lenses—life expectancy, freedom, social support, and more—alongside each country's sunlight levels.
Originally, this research started with a simple question: Are people happier with more sunlight? But the answer isn’t simple at all. Strong sunlight can mean warmth and abundance, but also harsher climates and resource scarcity. Many of the sunniest regions—especially in the Middle East and Africa—have long histories of exploitation, conflict, and economic pressure from wealthier nations.
Like all data, these numbers don’t tell a complete story. They raise more questions than they answer. Can you be happy in a place where survival is difficult? Does economic stability outweigh climate extremes? If happiness is shaped by sunlight, what else shapes it just as much?
SOLAR LEVEL data from 2006 to 2021 is sourced from the Global Solar Atlas and Solargis Solar Resource Maps. For Iceland, where official data was unavailable, we estimated solar energy potential using NASA POWER climate data and a standard calculation method based on solar radiation and system efficiency.
HAPPINESS DATA is sourced from the World Happiness Report, which compiles survey-based measures of well-being, along with factors like life expectancy, social support, and economic indicators, to assess happiness levels across countries.
Research, Art & Code by Siori Kitajima
Made with amazing tools: D3.js, Open AI, Claude and more
Thank you Joey, Belle and Lando.
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Released under MIT License
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