A comprehensive measure of the world’s emotional wellbeing has revealed the happiest country of 2017 – and amazingly, it’s not in Scandinavia.

Countries such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark regularly top happiness polls, but not according to the latest litmus test from the folks over at Gallup.

The data service has scrutinised the emotional states of people from 142 countries, for the third edition of its annual Global Emotions Report.

The survey offers insight into people's feelings and behaviours by conducting phone or by face-to-face interviews with residents in destinations as far-flung as Liberia, Chile, Iran and Greece.

This is the world’s happiest country, according to a global emotions report