In the most recent edition of the annual UN-sponsored World Happiness Report, Finland secured its position as the world’s happiest country for the seventh consecutive year. Published on Wednesday, the report highlighted the sustained contentment in Nordic countries, with Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden following closely behind Finland.
However, a stark contrast was observed as the United States and Germany, typically ranking among the top 20 happiest nations, found themselves placed 23rd and 24th, respectively, marking their first exclusion from the top tier in over a decade.
Costa Rica and Kuwait made notable entries into the top 20, securing 12th and 13th positions, respectively, signaling a shift in happiness dynamics on the global scale.
Interestingly, the report underscored a significant absence of the world’s largest nations in the top happiness rankings. With only the Netherlands and Australia boasting populations over 15 million in the top 10, and Canada and the UK exceeding 30 million in the top 20, sizeable populations did not necessarily equate to heightened happiness levels.
A notable trend highlighted in the report was the notable decline in happiness experienced by countries such as Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Jordan since the period of 2006-2010. Conversely, Eastern European nations like Serbia, Bulgaria, and Latvia reported substantial increases in happiness during the same timeframe.
The happiness rankings are based on various factors, including individuals’ self-assessed evaluations of life satisfaction, GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption.
Jennifer De Paola, a happiness researcher at the University of Helsinki, attributed Finland’s enduring contentment to factors such as a deep connection to nature, a healthy work-life balance, and a societal understanding of success beyond mere financial gains. Finland’s robust welfare system, trust in governmental institutions, low corruption levels, and accessible healthcare and education further contributed to its citizens’ overall satisfaction.
The report also highlighted a concerning trend of growing happiness inequality across regions, with younger generations notably happier than their older counterparts in most regions, except in North America, Australia, and New Zealand, where happiness among younger demographics has significantly declined since 2006-2010.
While Central and Eastern Europe witnessed a substantial increase in happiness across all age groups during the same period, Western Europe maintained consistent happiness levels across different age demographics.
Authors of the report expressed concern over the widening happiness gap, particularly outside of Europe, signaling a need for concerted efforts to address underlying factors contributing to happiness disparities.
