Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and the Netherlands rounded out the top five in the rankings, which are based solely on the answers people give when asked to rate the quality of their own lives, according to researchers
Finland’s unbroken streak as the world’s happiest country continued for an eighth year while the US fell to 24th place, its lowest-ever level in the global ranking.
Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and the Netherlands rounded out the top five in the rankings, which are based solely on the answers people give when asked to rate the quality of their own lives, according to researchers.
Finns’ happiness is perhaps surprising given the country’s proximity to Russia, its main adversary, which is in its fourth year of waging full-scale war in Ukraine.
As tensions with Russia have increased, Finland, along with other European countries, has seen an increasing frequency of incidents, such as cyberattacks against banks and GPS jamming affecting aircraft.
Around the Baltic Sea, critical undersea infrastructure has been damaged in acts of suspected sabotage, though no link to Russia has been established.
The study was published on Thursday by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, and compiled in partnership with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
New findings from the report include that “belief in the kindness of others is much more closely tied to happiness than previously thought,” the researchers said, citing the importance of social trust.
“Believing that others are willing to return your lost wallet is also shown to be a strong predictor of population happiness: Nordic nations once again top the ranking of the world’s happiest countries, but they also rank among the top places for expected and actual return of lost wallets,” according to the report.
The US, which dropped below the top 20 for the first time last year, fell an additional notch. Its best ranking in the past decade was 13, achieved in 2016. The UK hit its lowest level this year since 2017.
Country rankings are based on a three-year average of a population’s self-assessment of its quality of life. Variations have been explained by factors such as gross domestic product per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, a sense of freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption.
Over the longer term, the biggest shifts have not been seen between countries, according to researchers, but rather within individual countries.
“Happiness inequality within countries has increased by about one-quarter over the past two decades, while happiness inequality between countries has remained roughly constant,” they said.
“Finland’s unbroken streak as the world’s happiest country” is quite a remarkable feat, especially considering it’s based solely on people’s self-assessed quality of life. As someone who’s had the privilege of traveling to over 30 countries, I’ve often found that happiness can be closely tied to a sense of community and social support. One concrete example that comes to mind is Denmark, which consistently ranks high in happiness reports and also boasts a high GDP per capita – it’s intriguing to consider how these factors might be interconnected. The parallel between a country’s economic well-being and its citizens’ overall satisfaction is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, particularly in the context of Nordic countries. I wonder, do the researchers behind this report consider economic factors at all, or is it truly just about individual self-assessment?
Finland’s “unbroken streak as the world’s happiest country” is quite fascinating, especially considering it’s based on people’s own ratings of their lives. I’ve had the chance to experience the Finnish culture firsthand, and I think one aspect that contributes to their happiness is their strong emphasis on work-life balance. For instance, many Finns prioritize spending time in nature, and I’ve noticed that even in urban areas, there are plenty of parks and green spaces that make it easy to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of daily life. I’ve seen this approach to life have a positive impact on the people I’ve met during my travels. It makes me wonder, what role do cultural attitudes towards leisure time play in the overall happiness of a nation, and could this be an area where other countries could learn from Finland’s approach?