Finland happiest country in the world for 7th year, says report

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A good balance between work and private life contributes to the happiness of Finns, according to a specialist from the University of Helsinki.

Agence France-Presse

Finland consolidated its place as the happiest country in the world, winning this title for the seventh consecutive year, according to a report sponsored by the United Nations (UN) published on Wednesday.

The Nordic countries top the top 10 with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden following Finland. France is 27th.

At the other end of the ranking, Afghanistan, in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe since the return to power of the Taliban in 2020, occupies the last place of 143 countries.

For the first time in more than 10 years, the United States and Germany did not appear among the 20 happiest nations, coming in 23rd and 24th place.

Costa Rica and Kuwait enter the top 20 in 12th and 13th position respectively.

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None of the most populated countries in the world are among the top 20 countries.

Among the top 10, only the Netherlands and Australia have more than 15 million inhabitants. Within the top 20, only Canada and the United Kingdom have more than 30 million inhabitants.

A quote from the World Happiness Report

The biggest declines in the happiness index since the period 2006-2010 concern Afghanistan, Lebanon and Jordan while Serbia, Bulgaria and Latvia shows the strongest progress.

The World Happiness Report is a measure of happiness published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network every year since 2012.

It is based on people's assessment of their happiness, as well as economic and social data.

The report considers six key factors:

Proximity to nature and a good balance between work and private life are the key to Finnish satisfaction, Jennifer De Paola told AFP, researcher specializing in this topic at the University of Helsinki.

Finns may have a broader understanding of what a successful life is, compared for example to the United States where success is often associated with financial gains, she adds.

Trust in institutions, low corruption and free access to care and education are also essential.

Finnish society is permeated with a sense of trust, freedom and high standards autonomy.

A quote from Jennifer De Paola, researcher specializing in the theme of happiness at the University of Helsinki

The annual report also highlights evidence a stronger feeling of happiness among younger generations than older ones in most, but not all, regions.

Thus, the Index has declined dramatically since 2006-2010 among under-30s in North America, Australia and New Zealand and is now lower than older ages in these regions.

On the other hand, it progressed in all age groups in Eastern Europe during the same period.

The gap between generations has widened everywhere in the world except Europe, which is considered worrying by the authors of the report.