SHENZHEN was only the fourth-happiest city in Guangdong Province despite boasting the region’s highest GDP, according to a 2010 happiness index released Monday.

    The provincial capital of Guangzhou ranked first for happiness, followed by Dongguan and Zhuhai. Results of the index — the first official study released by the province — were based on employment status, income, education, housing and medical care.

    The report stated that social development in Shenzhen had not kept pace with the city’s economic development. Measurements of the city’s average wages, square meterage of public and cultural facilities per 10,000 people, consumer price index and security all ranked lower than those of other cities in Guangdong.

    In addition, the report revealed that in places where GDP is comparatively low, people’s happiness index is high, and vice versa. For example, Dongguan, with the sixth-highest GDP in the region, ranked second on the happiness index.

    Xing Xiaowei, head of Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Statistics, explained that when an average GDP is lower, future increases in GDP correlate quite closely with an increase in happiness. But after an average income level is achieved — around 44,000 yuan (US$7,000) per person yearly — corresponding increases may not correlate with happiness.

    (SD-Agencies)