A new international survey, the Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index, reveals how 135 countries rank when it comes to the well-being of their residents. 
 
 The results are based on how people fare on five factors that contribute to well-being. These factors include having purpose, being physically healthy, being financially secure, having supportive social relationships and being satisfied with the community. [Read the full story on world's happiest countries] 
 
 The Gallup's researchers looked at each country and the percentage of people who were thriving in three or more of these factors: 
 
 Countries Percentage of people thriving in 3 or more elements of well-being Panama 61 Costa Rica 44 Denmark 40 Austria 39 Brazil 39 El Salvador 37 Uruguay 37 Sweden 36 Canada 34 Guatemala 34 Trinidad & Tobago 34 Argentina 33 The Netherlands 33 United States of America 33 Colombia 32 Chile 31 Mexico 31 United Arab Emirates 31 New Zealand 30 Venezuela 30 Nicaragua 29 Saudi Arabia 29 Australia 28 Bahrain 28 Malta 28 United Kingdom 28 Germany 27 Ireland 27 Paraguay 27 Ecuador 26 Honduras 26 Iceland 26 Kuwait 26 Israel 25 Jamaica 24 Kosovo 24 Malaysia 24 Philippines 24 Spain 24 Turkmenistan 24 Belgium 23 Bolivia 23 Finland 23 Morocco 22 Thailand 22 Kyrgyzstan 21 Luxembourg 21 Northern Cyprus 21 Portugal 20 Dominican Republic 19 France 19 Lebanon 19 Hungary 18 Mongolia 18 Slovenia 18 Taiwan 18 Vietnam 18 Mauritania 17 Poland 17 Sri Lanka 17 Peru 16 Russia 16 Slovakia 16 Bangladesh 15 Cyprus 15 Estonia 15 Ethiopia 15 India 15 Indonesia 15 Iraq 15 Japan 15 Kazakhstan 15 Myanmar (Burma) 15 Iran 14 Jordan 14 Macedonia 14 Moldova 14 Nagorno Karabakh 14 Romania 14 South Korea 14 Belarus 13 Czech Republic 13 Malawi 13 Republic of Congo 13 Angola 12 Bulgaria 12 China 12 Ghana 12 Pakistan 12 Rwanda 12 Tajikistan 12 Cambodia 11 Ivory Coast 11 Mali 11 Nepal 11 Sierra Leone 11 Tunisia 11 Turkey 11 Yemen 11 Bosnia & Herzegovina 10 Egypt 10 Greece 10 Latvia 10 Montenegro 10 Niger 10 Nigeria 10 Palestine 10 Serbia 10 Azerbaijan 9 Guinea 9 Lithuania 9 Albania 8 Armenia 8 Bhutan 8 Italy 8 Tanzania 8 Ukraine 8 Zimbabwe 8 Botswana 7 Burkina Faso 7 Cameroon 7 Croatia 7 Gabon 7 Georgia 7 Kenya 7 Senegal 7 South Africa 7 Benin 6 Madagascar 6 Uganda 6 Chad 5 Democratic Republic of the Congo 5 Haiti 3 Afghanistan 1 Syria 1 
 
 Email Bahar Gholipour. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science. 

 Panama may be the happiest country in the world, racking up the highest score in the Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index for 2013. 
 
 In contrast, conflict-afflicted countries such as Syria and Afghanistan showed the lowest scores in this survey of 135 countries. The United States came in at number 14 in the poll. 
 
 The Global Well-Being Index aims to gauge people's perceptions of their well-being, by looking at financial status as well as four other factors that contribute to well-being: social well-being, which means having supportive relationships and love in life; community well-being, which is about liking one's place of residence; having purpose and goals; and physical health. 
 
 Only 1 in 6 adults (17 percent) worldwide were considered to be "thriving" in at least three of these five elements of well-being. The majority of global populations were "struggling" or "suffering" in many of these domains, the researchers found. [Happiest Countries: See the Well-Being Scores of 135 Countries] 
 
 "Each element of well-being is important on its own, but the elements are also interdependent and well-being is more than the sum of the elements," Gallup officials said in a statement. "That only 17 percent of residents in the 135 countries and areas surveyed are thriving in three or more elements underscores how most of the world is struggling to achieve high well-being." 
 
 Residents of the Americas region, which includes the United States, Latin America and Canada, were the most likely to be thriving, with 33 percent of people in this region thriving in three or more elements, while only 9 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa did so, according to the report. 
 
 The situation is worse in Syria and Afghanistan, two conflict zones. Only 1 percent of Syrian and Afghan adults were thriving in three or more elements. 
 
 Here are the 10 happiest countries, with the percentage of people who are "thriving" in three or more of the elements of well-being: 
 
 Panama: 61 percent 
 
 Costa Rica: 44 
 
 Denmark: 40 
 
 Austria: 39 
 
 Brazil: 39 
 
 El Salvador: 37 
 
 Uruguay: 37 
 
 Sweden: 36 
 
 Canada: 34 
 
 Guatemala: 34 
 
 The 10 lowest-ranked countries: 
 
 Syria: 1 percent 
 
 Afghanistan: 1 
 
 Haiti: 3 
 
 Democratic Republic of Congo: 5 
 
 Chad: 5 
 
 Madagascar: 6 
 
 Uganda: 6 
 
 Benin: 6 
 
 Croatia: 7 
 
 Georgia: 7 
 
 Latin Americans were most likely to be thriving and generally reported higher levels of well-being than people in any other regions, the researchers found. "This is consistent with other Gallup World Poll research that shows residents of Latin America generally evaluating their lives more highly than those in other regional groups, partly reflecting a cultural tendency in the region to focus on the positives in life," Gallup officials said. [7 Things That Will Make You Happy] 
 
 Panama had the highest scores in the world in four of the five well-being elements — purpose, social, community and physical well-being. Sixty-one percent of Panamanians were thriving in three or more elements, the survey found. 
 
 "Panama's strong and growing economy, an unemployment rate of 4.5 percent in 2013, and national development may be the most significant factors contributing to its high thriving levels," Gallup officials said. 
 
 Costa Rica came in second, with 44 percent of its people thriving in three or more elements of well-being. Denmark stood at third place with 40 percent of its resident thriving. 
 
 Countries that had the highest financial well-being were located in northern and central Europe. Sweden led the world with 72 percent of people thriving financially. 
 
 All top 10 countries were in the Americas and Europe, but five countries outside of these regions had levels of thriving within an element that rank in the top 10 of all countries: Bahrain in financial well-being, Saudi Arabia in community well-being and physical well-being, Malta in social well-being, and Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates in community well-being. 
 
 In the United States, just 33 percent of its residents are considered to be "thriving" in three or more of the well-being elements, putting the U.S. in the top 20 happiest countries. "The U.S. in 2013 had good-but-not-great well-being compared with the rest of the world," the Gallup statement read. 
 
 The report also found that globally, more people are thriving in community well-being than in any other element. In contrast, fewer people are thriving in purpose well-being than in any other element. Only 13 percent of adults in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa are thriving in this element. 
 
 Most measurements of national performance focus on countries' income, but measures such as health, education and security also contribute to well-being, experts say. 
 
 "When we ask people to think about how their lives are going, to report on their daily emotions, and to tell us about their health, we gain a much broader picture of their well-being than can be inferred from traditional economic surveys," Angus Deaton, a scientist at Gallup and a professor of economics and international affairs at Princeton University, wrote about the Gallup report. 
 
 Email Bahar Gholipour. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science.
– Think the US is the happiest country in the world? Think again: It doesn't even make it into the top 10, according to the latest Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index, which looks at financial status, social well-being, community well-being, physical health, and residents' goals and sense of purpose. The top 10, per LiveScience: Panama Costa Rica Denmark Austria Brazil El Salvador Uruguay Sweden Canada Guatemala The US comes in at No. 14, according to the complete list. The bottom 10, from least happy to most: Syria Afghanistan Haiti Democratic Republic of Congo Chad Madagascar Uganda Benin Croatia Georgia Click for the full list of 135 countries, or check out the happiest state in America.