Finland Ranked as World's Happiest Country for 7th Consecutive Year, While US Drops in Rankings
Nordic countries dominate the top 10 happiest countries, while Afghanistan remains at the bottom.
Finland has once again claimed the title of the world's happiest country, securing the top spot for the seventh year in a row, according to the annual UN-sponsored World Happiness Report. The report, which ranks 143 countries based on various factors including life satisfaction, GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption, was published on Wednesday.
Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden also maintained their positions among the top 10 happiest countries, closely trailing Finland. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, which has endured a humanitarian crisis since the Taliban took control in 2020, remained at the bottom of the rankings.
A notable shift in the rankings was the absence of the United States and Germany from the top 20 happiest nations. The US ranked 23rd, while Germany came in 24th. On the other hand, Costa Rica and Kuwait entered the top 20, securing the 12th and 13th positions respectively.
The report highlighted the trend that the world's largest countries no longer feature among the happiest countries. Only the Netherlands and Australia, among the top 10, have populations over 15 million. Additionally, within the top 20, only Canada and the UK have populations exceeding 30 million.
Greece, a stunning country situated in southeastern Europe, ranks at 64th on the happy countries.
Moving on to Cyprus, an enchanting island nation located in the eastern Mediterranean, it proudly occupies the 50th spot in the rankings.
The report also shed light on changes in happiness levels since its inception more than a decade ago. The steepest decline in happiness was observed in Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Jordan, while Serbia, Bulgaria, and Latvia reported the biggest increases.
Experts attributed Finland's consistent top ranking to factors such as its close connection to nature, healthy work-life balance, and a societal understanding of success that goes beyond financial gain. Finland's strong welfare system, trust in state authorities, low corruption levels, and accessible healthcare and education were also credited.
The report further revealed that happiness inequality has increased worldwide, with the exception of Europe. Inequality in happiness was most apparent in older generations and in Sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting disparities in income, education, healthcare, social acceptance, and support within families, communities, and nations.
The report concluded that while younger generations are generally happier than their older counterparts, there has been a significant drop in happiness among young people in North America, Australia, and New Zealand since 2006-2010.
Overall, the report serves as a reminder that happiness is influenced by a variety of factors beyond economic indicators, urging policymakers around the world to prioritize well-being and address issues of inequality in order to improve overall happiness levels.
World’s 20 happiest countries in 2024
1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Sweden
5. Israel
6. Netherlands
7. Norway
8. Luxembourg
9. Switzerland
10. Australia
11. New Zealand
12. Costa Rica
13. Kuwait
14. Austria
15. Canada
16. Belgium
17. Ireland
18. Czechia
19. Lithuania
20. United Kingdom
50. Cyprus
64. Greece
