The UN World Happiness Report 2023, which was released on Monday, March 20, reveals that Finland has retained its status as the happiest country in the world. This marks the sixth consecutive year that Finland has held the top position.
The annual report, compiled by a team of experts who surveyed citizens from 137 countries, examined various factors including income, health, social connections, freedom to make decisions, generosity, and corruption. Based on these evaluations, it was determined that Finland had retained its title as the happiest country in the world for the sixth year in a row.
Despite enduring a global pandemic that has lasted for three years, the report emphasizes that the outlook of people around the world about their lives has remained impressively strong. The report highlights that this perception of resilience is a noteworthy aspect of human nature.
During this time, the report found that what had been most influential in keeping people’s spirits high has been the ‘pro-social’ acts and support that people had given each other, which was much higher than in previous reports
Why is Finland the happiest country in the world?
Finland is the least densely populated country in the European Union, one which usually stands out for its powerful public welfare system and its low corruption rates. It continues to lead the happiest countries in the world, followed by Denmark, and Iceland, both also with high rates of equality and vital evaluation of the respondents.
The Nordic countries – with the exception of Sweden – managed to maintain lower death rates from Covid-19 thanks to the rapid and effective measures adopted, which the report considered highly relevant.
Lithuania was the country that experienced the biggest rise in the rankings in recent years, moving from 52nd in 2017 to 20th in this year’s ranking. At the bottom of the list are war-torn Afghanistan, which fell to the Taliban in 2021, and Lebanon, which has been mired in a severe economic crisis since the explosion that devastated its capital, Beirut, in 2020.
Surprisingly, despite the ongoing conflict with Russia , Ukraine finished in 92nd position. Russia meanwhile was placed at No70.
The World Happiness Report has been published every March 20 for the last 10 years, when the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 66/281, proclaiming that day as World Happiness Day.
