Finland remains the happiest country in the world, according to the latest World Happiness Report released Wednesday (Mar. 20) in relation to the United Nations' International Day of Happiness.
The report, powered by data from the Gallup World Poll and analyzed by the world's top well-being scientists, revealed that the Nordic nation retained its top spot for a seventh year in a row, outbeating over 140 countries for the title.
University of Helsinki happiness researcher Jennifer De Paola told Agence France Presse that the Finns' close connection to nature and healthy work-life balance were key contributors to their life satisfaction.
The Finns might also have a "more attainable understanding of what a successful life is," unlike the United States, where success is often equated with financial gain.
Finland also has a strong welfare society, trust in state authorities, low levels of corruption, and free healthcare and education.
"Finnish society is permeated by a sense of trust, freedom, and high level of autonomy," De Paola said.
Another factor that might be attributed to Finland's happiness streak is its recent NATO membership, where they are assured of security and assistance against neighboring Russia in the context of its invasion of Ukraine.
Other Countries Rankings
However, several considerable changes are down the list. For example, Serbia and Bulgaria have had the biggest increases in average life evaluation scores since they were first measured by Gallup in 2013.
Between the 2013 and 2024 reports, Serbia climbed up 69 places to 37th this year, while Bulgaria rose 63 places to 81st.
Latvia (46th) and the Congo Republic (89th) also increased their rank by 44 and 40 places, respectively, between 2013 and 2024.
While there are countries that moved up the happiness ladder, there are also some countries that became sadder. The US—which is ranked 23rd this year, one of the most significant drops in this year's list, falling out of the top 20 for the first time since the report's inception in 2012.
This is driven by several factors, such as diplomatic tensions, internal issues, and politics, which the report attributed to a drop in the well-being of Americans under 30.
Germany also dropped out of the top 20, just a rank lower than the US.
Israel rounded up the top five list of the happiest countries this year, with Nordic nations Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden trailing behind Finland.
This is despite the fact that Israel was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7 and targeted by pro-Palestine supporters in the aftermath of its war against Hamas.
On the other hand, Taliban-ruled Afghanistan remains dead last on the list as the "unhappiest" nation on Earth.
Ranking by Age Group
What made this year's report significantly unique from previous iterations was the separation of rankings by age group, which created different top countries in several categories other than the overall winner.
Lithuania topped the under-30 list for this year's report, while Denmark was named the happiest country in the over-60 list.
It was also revealed that those born before 1965 were happier on average than those born since 1980. Among Millennials, evaluation of one's own life drops with each year of age, while among Boomers, life satisfaction increases with age.
Rankings are based on a three-year average of each population's average quality of life assessment.
Interdisciplinary experts from the fields of economics, psychology, sociology, and beyond then attempt to explain the variations across countries and over time using factors such as GDP, life expectancy, having someone to count on, a sense of freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.
"The broad country coverage and annual surveys of the Gallup World Poll provide an unmatched source of data about the quality of lives all over the globe," University of British Columbia Vancouver School of Economics professor emeritus John F. Helliwell said.
"There are now enough years of data, going back to 2006, to enable us this year to plausibly separate age and generational patterns for happiness."
Gallup CEO Jon Clifton also said that effective policy-making relies on solid data, but there is still a "significant lack" of such data in many parts of the world.
Their mission to "provide leaders with the right information about what people say makes life worthwhile" is a "natural fit" for the report.
"Today's World Happiness Report attempts to bridge some of these gaps by offering insights into people's perceptions of life on Earth," he added. "It offers more than just national rankings; it provides analytics and advice for evidence-based planning and policymaking."
The World Happiness Report is a partnership of Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the WHR's Editorial Board. To view the full report, click here.
