Finland has been named the world’s happiest country for the sixth year in a row, with a happiness score much higher than any other countries.
The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the war in Ukraine and global inflation, made 2022 a year of global crises, but the human determination to be happy was “remarkably resilient,” according to the 2023 World Happiness Report, which recorded global satisfaction averages as high as those in the pre-pandemic years.
The report, based on global survey data from people in more than 150 nations, ranked Finland first for the sixth year in a row.
Other countries in the top ten include Denmark, Iceland, Israel, Netherlands. While Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg and New Zealand make up 6,7,8,9, and 10th position.
The report utilized the World Happiness Report—an annual survey of how satisfied citizens are worldwide—to map out the world’s happiest and least happy countries.
To create the index the map is based on, researchers simply asked people how satisfied they are with their lives. Scores were assigned using these self-reported answers from people living within various countries, as well as quality of life factors. While there may be no perfect measure of happiness around the world, the report is a robust and transparent attempt to understand happiness at the global level.