The Foreign Service Journal, November 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2013 13 this is most prevalent in the United States. Measured in quintiles of who in the popu- lation controls the money, the richest fifth of Americans control 51 percent of overall income. This level has increased in the past several years, while the poorest fifth continue to receive less. n The region of Southern Africa has distinctly higher levels of HIV/AIDS than any other region in the world, as well as having the worst gaps in wealth distribu- tion. The richest fifth of the population there control 67.4 percent of income. n 49 percent of Afghanistan’s popula- tion is under the age of 15. At the other end of the demographic spectrum, one in four people in Japan are over 65. n 81 percent of the population of the United States lives in nationally defined “urban” areas. Conversely, just 37 percent of sub-Saharan Africans do. n The gross domestic product of the most developed nations is increasing at an average rate of 1.9 percent. Partially because the least developed countries have smaller outputs to begin with, theirs grew by much more—7.2 percent, on aver- age. This suggests that while the indus- trialized world was hit hard by the global financial crisis, less developed states used this opportunity to grow and prosper. n Overall, sub-Saharan Africa boasts the highest average fertility rate (births per woman) of any region, at 4.85. Despite an increased use of contraceptives, Africa is still setting itself up for an unprecedented population boom. —Valerie Sanders, Editorial Intern Don’t Worry; Be Happy! N umerous international organizations assess the world’s health, education and wealth. But what about happiness? Last year the Sustainable Develop- ment Solutions Network, an initiative of the United Nations, began producing an annual World Happiness Report. The 2013 study, just released, includes many pictures of smiling faces, as well as an array of graphs, numbers and statistics intended to prove that happiness really is measurable. If that is true, the logical follow-up question is: How important is happiness in the global scheme of things?The SDSN believes that well-being is a vital statis- tic in tracking a country’s progress and prosperity, citing such benefits as higher