Finland remains the happiest country in the world for the seventh consecutive year in the annual World Happiness Report sponsored by the United Nations and published today.
And the Nordic countries retained their places in the top 10 happiest, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden falling behind Finland.
Afghanistan, plagued by a humanitarian disaster since the Taliban regained control in 2020, remained at the bottom of the 143 countries surveyed.
For the first time since the report was published more than a decade ago, the United States and Germany are not among the top 20 happiest nations, ranking 23rd and 24th, respectively.
However, Costa Rica and Kuwait entered the top 20 in 12th and 13th place.
The report notes that the ranking of the happiest countries no longer includes the largest countries in the world.
"In the top 10 countries, only the Netherlands and Australia have populations over 15 million. In the entire top 20, only Canada and the United Kingdom have populations over 30 million."
The sharpest declines in happiness from 2006-2010 were seen in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Jordan, while Eastern European countries Serbia, Bulgaria and Latvia reported the biggest increases in happy citizens.
The happiness rankings are based on people's self-reports of life satisfaction, as well as GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy in good health, freedom, generosity and levels of corruption.
Jennifer De Paola, a happiness researcher at the University of Helsinki, Finland, told AFP that Finns' close connection with nature and a healthy work-life balance are key factors in their life satisfaction.
Also, Finns may have a "more attainable understanding of what a successful life is" compared to, say, the US, where success is often equated with financial gain, she said.
A strong welfare society, trust in government authorities, low levels of corruption and free healthcare and education are also key for Finns.
"Finnish society is permeated by a sense of trust, freedom and a high level of autonomy," De Paola said.
This year's report also found that younger generations are happier than older generations in most regions of the world - but not all.
In North America, Australia and New Zealand, happiness among under-30s has fallen dramatically from 2006-2010, with older generations now happier than younger ones.
In contrast, in Central and Eastern Europe, happiness increased significantly at all ages during the same period./BGNES
