This Is the World’s Happiest Country, According To the UN
This week, the World Happiness Report released its annual ranking of the happiest countries in the world. The report is compiled by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, using six factors to rank over 150 countries based on their average life evaluations between 2020 and 2022 based on six key factors: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption.
For the sixth year in a row, Finland has been named the world’s happiest country, with a 2023 score that was “significantly ahead of other countries,” according to the report. The country’s repeated success in the area is so pronounced that Visit Finland is even offering a “Masterclass of Happiness” retreat scheduled for June, in which 10 lucky travelers will meet with Finnish experts to learn about four key themes: nature and lifestyle, health and balance, design and everyday, and food and well-being.
Once again, other Nordic countries occupied the top three spots. Just like in 2022, Denmark came in at number 2. According to the country’s official website, this can be largely attributed to the country’s sense of responsibility for social welfare and emphasis on equality. Meanwhile, Iceland came in third, in part because of its residents’ strong sense of community.
Here’s the UN’s full list of the top 10 happiest countries in the world:
- Finland
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Israel
- Netherlands
- Sweden
- Norway
- Switzerland
- Luxembourg
- New Zealand
Meanwhile, the U.S. came in at No. 15, and the U.K. came in at No. 19. Regardless of where your country ranked, this year’s World Happiness Report indicates that there’s reason for hope in general. For instance, international benevolence is about 25 percent higher than it was prior to the coronavirus pandemic. The report also states that happiness has remained “remarkably resilient” over the past few years, with global averages in line with the three years preceding the pandemic.
“Even during these difficult years, positive emotions have remained twice as prevalent as negative ones, and feelings of social support twice as strong as those of loneliness,” John Helliwell, one of the authors of the 2023 report, said in a news release.