The annual World Happiness Report has again ranked Finland and other Scandinavian countries the most cheerful nations on Earth. Costa Rica and Kuwait entered the top 20 in place of the United States and Germany.
Finland has remained the happiest country in the world for the seventh year a row with nordic neighbors Sweden, Denmark and Iceland also retaining their places in the top 10, according to the annual World Happiness Report published on Wednesday.
But rising unhapiness especially among young people has seen other Western countries drop down the UN-sponsored index, with the United States and Germany dropping out of the top 20 for the first time since the report’s first edition more than a decade ago.
Taking their place were Costa Rica and Kuwait at 12 and 13 respectively, while Eastern European countries Serbia, Bulgaria and Latvia reported the biggest increases in happiness.
Afghanistan, plagued by a humanitarian catastrophe since the Taliban regained control in 2020, remained in last place.
I speak with Finns daily. Never once have I ever been under the impression that they are the world’s happiest people. This is hilarious.
Finn here. It’s OK, nothing to complain.
We can’t complaint
- Russians
I am not allowed to talk to you
- North Koreans
That’s because Finns don’t express feelings. They have them, sure, they just don’t express them 😉
Unless drunk, then we are the most open and chatty people in the world
Or in the sauna.
Or better yet: drunk in the sauna
So, Vulcans?
Yes, vulcan rally drivers.
I guess we just don’t broadcast it as much. But life is good here so it’s very easy to be at least content
No worries, our current right wing government will make sure this will never happen again. I apologize for the incident.
The Conservative take would be that Americans are unhappy because we are ambitious go-getters who are never satisfied.
Took the words right out of my brother’s mouth.
[sigh] Oh, laddie, I remember when I was but a wee lad and satire was possible…
Ukrainians are less happy than Iranians.
The full list (in reverse order, because the document is weird):
- Afghanistan (1.721)
- Lebanon (2.707)
- Lesotho (3.186)
- Sierra Leone (3.245)
- Congo (Kinshasa) (3.295)
- Zimbabwe (3.341)
- Botswana (3.383)
- Malawi (3.421)
- Eswatini (3.502)
- Zambia (3.502)
- Yemen (3.561)
- Comoros (3.566)
- Tanzania (3.781)
- Ethiopia (3.861)
- Bangladesh (3.886)
- Sri Lanka (3.898)
- Egypt (3.977)
- India (4.054)
- Jordan (4.186)
- Togo (4.214)
- Madagascar (4.228)
- Mali (4.232)
- Liberia (4.269)
- Ghana (4.289)
- Cambodia (4.341)
- Myanmar (4.354)
- Uganda (4.372)
- Benin (4.377)
- Tunisia (4.422)
- Kenya (4.470)
- Chad (4.471)
- Gambia (4.485)
- Mauritania (4.505)
- Burkina Faso (4.548)
- Niger (4.556)
- Pakistan (4.657)
- Morocco (4.795)
- Namibia (4.832)
- Ukraine (4.873)
- Cameroon (4.874)
- State of Palestine (4.879)
- Nigeria (4.881)
- Azerbaijan (4.893)
- Iran (4.923)
- Senegal (4.969)
- Turkiye (4.975)
- Guinea (5.023)
- Ivory Coast (5.080)
- Gabon (5.106)
- Laos (5.139)
- Nepal (5.158)
- Iraq (5.166)
- Georgia (5.185)
- Mozambique (5.216)
- Congo (Brazzaville) (5.221)
- Tajikistan (5.281)
- Albania (5.304)
- Hong Kong S.A.R. of China (5.316)
- Algeria (5.364)
- North Macedonia (5.369)
- South Africa (5.422)
- Armenia (5.455)
- Bulgaria (5.463)
- Indonesia (5.568)
- Venezuela (5.607)
- Colombia (5.695)
- Mongolia (5.696)
- Montenegro (5.707)
- Kyrgyzstan (5.714)
- Ecuador (5.725)
- Bolivia (5.784)
- Russia (5.785)
- Moldova (5.816)
- Mauritius (5.816)
- Dominican Republic (5.823)
- Peru (5.841)
- Jamaica (5.842)
- Libya (5.866)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (5.877)
- Greece (5.934)
- Croatia (5.942)
- Bahrain (5.959)
- Honduras (5.968)
- China (5.973)
- Malaysia (5.975)
- Thailand (5.976)
- Paraguay (5.977)
- Hungary (6.017)
- Portugal (6.030)
- Vietnam (6.043)
- Philippines (6.048)
- South Korea (6.058)
- Japan (6.060)
- Cyprus (6.068)
- Kazakhstan (6.188)
- Argentina (6.188)
- Uzbekistan (6.195)
- Latvia (6.234)
- Slovakia (6.257)
- Brazil (6.272)
- Nicaragua (6.284)
- Guatemala (6.287)
- Italy (6.324)
- Malta (6.346)
- Panama (6.358)
- Chile (6.360)
- Serbia (6.411)
- Spain (6.421)
- Poland (6.442)
- Estonia (6.448)
- El Salvador (6.469)
- Romania (6.491)
- Taiwan Province of China (6.503)
- Singapore (6.523)
- Kosovo (6.561)
- Saudi Arabia (6.594)
- France (6.609)
- Uruguay (6.611)
- Mexico (6.678)
- Germany (6.719)
- United States (6.725)
- United Arab Emirates (6.733)
- Slovenia (6.743)
- United Kingdom (6.749)
- Lithuania (6.818)
- Czechia (6.822)
- Ireland (6.838)
- Belgium (6.894)
- Canada (6.900)
- Austria (6.905)
- Kuwait (6.951)
- Costa Rica (6.955)
- New Zealand (7.029)
- Australia (7.057)
- Switzerland (7.060)
- Luxembourg (7.122)
- Norway (7.302)
- Netherlands (7.319)
- Israel (7.341)
- Sweden (7.344)
- Iceland (7.525)
- Denmark (7.583)
- Finland (7.741)
Well, if my country was at war, I would not be happy either. Except for some reason, people in Israel.
It seems they’re quite happy to commit genocide
Religious fundamentalism is a helluva drug
Yeah apparently they’re happy with Mr Security leaving the door open and running a skeleton crew at the border on the 50th anniversary of the last Yom Kippur war.
Lmao I just looked at the post on Jerboa and it started a numbered list from 143, it should be counting down.
I’ll bet the Israel questionnaire wasn’t mailed to Palestinians…
You would think, spending time here, that America is some hell scape where everyone is miserable and simply fighting to stay alive.
When according to this, Americans are among the happiest in the world.
Number 10.
UK is 20, Germany is 23.
I would think things are better in Germany overall, but they just have higher standards.
Or maybe, just maybe, America is not the shit hole the propaganda is trying to make it out to be.
Don’t get me wrong, we have our problems and it’s not all peaches and cream, but it’s overall a pretty good place to live, even if you are poor. Maybe especially if you’re poor due to our services and access to things like clear water. Obviously not comparing to some of our peers, but across the world it’s pretty good.
As a European I agree, visiting the US I’m always shocked how nice places are, like Baltimore has got a great atmosphere and a lot of really cool places, Pittsburgh was really cool too with the big fountain and everyone enjoying the river and stuff. They’re both cities I hear people shit on endlessly but compared to most cities I’ve visited in Europe they’re really nice.
My main culture shock in the US is how friendly everyone is, I told a crackhead I didn’t have any cash on me and he recognized my accent said ‘welcome to america’ and it felt like he meant it, my top ten friendliest interactions with strangers are all in the US or Germany.
Your police and boarder control are absolutely crazy of course, it’s scary that there are so many nuts with guns and some of your prices are just fucking wild but all in all anyone saying it’s 3rd world or dystopic is living in a weird fantasy.
I’d agree with you. I live in the UK, but just recently went to Florida. When I came back I couldn’t get over how much of a shithole the UK was - compared to Florida!!
Taiwan Province of China
Ewww. It’s Taiwan, Republic of China #1! (ROC 1912 vs. PRC 1949)
If ROC still claims the mainland I guess Taiwan the island would just be another province
They can’t remove the obsolete claim because China’s Anti-Secession Law promises war if they do. Last time it was 1992 when they agreed about “one China, ROC or PRC, not both”.
Huh, I never knew they actually can’t even give up that claim. It makes sense but also kinda funny.
😎
I have been living in Botswana for the past two years, and I’m genuinely surprised where it is on this list. Yeah, people here don’t have the greatest deal, but there’s freaking universal healthcare here. The country has been extremely politically stable since independence. There’s no way people are less happy here than those who are in active war zones.
How integrated are you into the local community? How well do you speak the local language? I’m a foreigner living abroad and I would never trust either my own perception of this place nor 99% of other foreigners’ perceptions.
I see your point. I know that there are folks unhappy with the current government, but to be fair, who isn’t? The San have also been pretty fucked over by the government.
Can I ask how you ended up there in the first place? I can scarcely think of a more interesting place on earth.
My wife is finishing up a global health pediatric fellowship. She arrived in 2021, and I came out about a year later because I was finishing up chaplaincy training and I had a contract to finish out for a synagogue I was working for.
Surprised by how hiɡh up Mexico is!
notably finland has one of the best education systems
True, but there has been a sharp decline in reading and math for two decades.
So ignorance isn’t bliss?
I imagine that having something in recent history to compare yourself to has a significant impact. So, if there are people that have the USSR in their living memory, and then get to live free, they’ll have a little more perspective on how much worse things could be.
Then an American with the 90s in living memory will recall what functional government that even had its budget in the green felt like.
Finland was never part of the Soviet Union. The highest-ranked country that was is Lithuania at 19th, although 18th-ranked Czechia was on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain
Thank you for the correction. I was taking note of the highest increases being in former Warsaw Pact countries rather than the top 20.
Ahh, sorry, misinterpretation of your comment on my part
Both Czechia and Finland are big alcohol consumers, I think I might see a pattern here.
i remember not suffering under the surveillance state.
People have been talking about the loss of privacy for decades.
This Peanuts character first appeared in 1963. He’s a little boy named ‘5’ whose father changed the family’s names to numbers after doing his income tax and being forced to provide tax payer ID, Social Security number, Zip Code, bank account number, and phone number.
that doesn’t make me feel any better about having governments and their constructs (corporations) looking over my shoulder.
When did anyone have privacy?
Back in the day, traveling shows would have someone hit the next town a week or so ahead of the rest. The peddler/tramp/salesman would spend a day or two casing the town and then report back. When the show arrived, people would go to the fortune teller and be amazed that someone who’d never been in town knew all their secrets. Many times, the spy didn’t even have to talk to people; they knew how to read who was doing well by what wash was on the clothesline or who had the nicest horse or had just painted their barn.
and how many government agencies could access that database with a simple letter?
Anyone could write a letter to the local Mayor, or pastor, or the town banker, or sheriff, and get an answer.
Dear Mr. Mayor. Hack has applied for a job as a cuspidor inspector. We would like to know what you think of his character and intellect.
that’s not really the same as having a database full of people and all the information at your fingertips.
How much of the suffering was actually caused by someone physically giving you trouble, throwing you in jail or stopping you from doing something, and how much by emotions of fear that you have inside you?
i know plenty of people who ended up in jail, but never me.
are we really measuring trauma here? shouldn’t we be fighting oppression together?
I just think in the grand scale of things, a state doing limited surveillance is fairly low on the injustice ladder. I’m generally against it, but I think more of it is done by google and facebook than the FBI.
I’m also not a believer that all oppression can/should be eliminated, as some will always be necessary for self-defense purposes. It’s not like countries invading other countries doesn’t happen, and we do need ways to fight back, which would necessitate some limited intelligence-gathering capabilities.
That said, we do need to repeal the current surveillance laws, they went too far. It’s not limited strongly enough.
>I’m also not a believer that all oppression can/should be eliminated
… i’m an anarchist. so that’s like my raison d’être
I think anarchists are important too. It’s our plurality of positions that makes us free. And stronger/more innovative in the idea space.
I think the whole surveillance state thing is less about throwing individuals in jail, and more about controlling mass discourse.
For example how social divisors like gender, age, sexuality and whatever else are amplified while criticism and action against the people cooking us alive is buried. You don’t need black chaikas and fear if you have soft power and constant outrage. TBH I think that’s why Trump got elected, a bunch of people went “fuck this shit” and either went and voted for Trump to “stick it to the man”, or just didn’t go to vote at all.
How else is a state owned healthcare system deemed radical and hospitals being owned by private equity normal if it’s not those few profiting off the death and suffering setting what’s normal?
Yeah, but we’re going to have to regulate our massive companies to address that. Outrage is very profitable. Fear sells, just like sex.
Canada is ranked 58 for people under 30, yet 8 for over 60. It’s a nice place if you can make it that far!
Those people probably saw their homes rise in value 10x over their lifetimes. They’re not stuck renting shoeboxes for $2000 a month like the rest of us.
Yeah my parents are sitting pretty from buying just after the 2008 crash. It’s too bad I was busy being a kid, there’s no hope for me now.
Over 60 has all the wealth, obviously they’re happy.
Did they really interview a statistically respective portion of the ivory coast to get this almost worthless metric? Seems a huge amount of resources which could have gone somewhere useful if so.
What did Cote D’Ivoire do to you for you to pick that one small west African nation from a list of over 100 countries?
They know what they did!!
Someone’s bitter that their country is ranked far down the list… 😛
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Keenan Ivory Wayans and Paul McCartney would beg to differ.
The latter because of his song featuring Stevie Wonder, not the poaching empire he was never convicted of being the boss of.
It’s because they have no natural predators. Everyone else running scared
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Taking their place were Costa Rica and Kuwait at 12 and 13 respectively, while Eastern European countries Serbia, Bulgaria and Latvia reported the biggest increases in happiness.
Afghanistan, plagued by a humanitarian catastrophe since the Taliban regained control in 2020, remained in last place.
Previous research into wellbeing often found happiness to be highest in childhood and early teens, before falling in middle age and then rising again upon retirement.
“Youth, especially in North America, are experiencing a mid-life crisis today,” said University of Oxford economics professor and report editor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve.
He associated the increasing unhappiness among western youth with a range of factors including the negative aspects of social media, increased polarization over social issues, and economic inequality that made it harder for young people to afford their own homes than in the past.
“Finnish society is permeated by a sense of trust, freedom, and high level of autonomy,” she said, adding that Finns’ strong welfare society, trust in state authorities, low levels of corruption and free healthcare and education were also key.
The original article contains 394 words, the summary contains 174 words. Saved 56%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
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Yo, Netherlands at number 7, right below Israel!
