According to the latest edition of the World Happiness Report, the three happiest countries in the world are Finland, Iceland, and Denmark.
Finland was declared the happiest country in the world for the ninth year in a row, with Iceland in second place and Denmark in third place in the ranking compiled by the Centre for Research on Wellbeing at the University of Oxford and included in the annual global happiness report.
Costa Rica had a very strong performance, ranking fourth — the highest ranking ever for a country from Latin America — but the ranking then returns to Nordic countries, with Sweden and Norway taking fifth and sixth place respectively. Three other European countries appear in the top 10: the Netherlands in seventh place, Luxembourg in ninth place, and Switzerland in tenth place.
Israel, the only country from the Middle East in the top 20, ranked eighth. Kosovo ranks 16th on the list, leaving behind countries such as Germany, Austria, Slovenia, the United Arab Emirates, and others.
The United States ranks 23rd this year, while Canada is in 25th place and the United Kingdom in 29th place. This is the second consecutive year that none of the English-speaking countries — the United States, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia, Canada, or the United Kingdom — appear in the top 10.
To determine the ranking, Gallup’s global survey asks respondents in 147 countries to evaluate their lives using the image of a ladder, where the best possible life is rated as 10 and the worst as 0. Each respondent gives a numerical answer on this scale, known as the Cantril Ladder.
Researchers consider six factors, including GDP per capita, life expectancy, generosity, and perceptions of freedom and corruption, to explain differences between countries.
These are the ten happiest countries in the world:
Finland
Iceland
Denmark
Costa Rica
Sweden
Norway
Netherlands
Israel
Luxembourg
Switzerland
