Finland has been named the happiest country in the world for the seventh consecutive year, with its Nordic neighbors Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden also securing spots in the top 10, according to the United Nations-sponsored World Happiness Report.
From fifth to tenth place are Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Australia. However, growing dissatisfaction, particularly among the youth, has led to a decline in rankings for other Western countries, with the United States and Germany falling out of the top 20 for the first time since the report’s inception over a decade ago.
Costa Rica and Kuwait have climbed to the 12th and 13th positions, respectively, while Eastern European countries like Serbia, Bulgaria, and Latvia reported the most significant increases in happiness levels. Serbia, in particular, ranked third in happiness among surveyed individuals under 30, only trailing behind Lithuania and Israel.
Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the list, continuing to face humanitarian challenges since the Taliban’s return to power in 2020. The survey, which encompasses 143 countries and territories, asks respondents to rate their life on a scale of zero to 10, considering factors such as per capita GDP, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption, and is released on the International Day of Happiness on March 20.