The ranking of countries is based on key factors such as: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity and absence of corruption
There is no denying that Finland is a happy place. For the sixth consecutive year, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world in the annual World Happiness Report, which ranks global happiness in more than 150 countries around the world. Overseen by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the report is released each year on the International Day of Happiness, March 20.
The country rankings are based on data from sources such as the Gallup World Poll, drawing on six key factors: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity and absence of corruption.
This year’s list is similar to the previous rankings for 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019, with many of the same Nordic countries at the top. As in 2022, Denmark is once again in second place, followed by Iceland in third. “The Nordic countries deserve special attention in light of their generally high levels of both personal and institutional trust,” the report authors write.
“They also had COVID-19 death rates only a third higher than other parts of Western Europe during 2020 and 2021-27 per 100,000 in the Nordic countries, compared to 80 in the rest of Western Europe.”
But Finland is the clear winner, by far. “Finland continues to rank first, for the sixth year in a row, scoring well above all other countries,” the report’s authors say. Finnish urbanism also makes people feel safe and healthy. “A person’s environment greatly influences their happiness, which makes the issue of health promotion in cities very important,” says Marketta Kyttä, a professor at Aalto University. “It’s closely related to social sustainability and feeling connected to your community.”
Where do other countries rank on the list? Israel has risen five points and has unseated Switzerland from the number four spot. (The Netherlands is back in fifth place. Other countries that have performed positively in this year’s report are Sweden (up one point to number six) and Norway (up one place to number six). number seven).
Canada is ranked 13th, up two points from last year. The United States is also up one place from last year, to number 15. Belgium is up two places and is now number 17. A first among the Top 20 this year: Lithuania, up more than 30 places since 2017. Some countries fell in their ranking for 2023, such as Luxembourg (down three places to number nine), Ireland (down one place to number 14), Germany (down two places to number 16) and the United Kingdom (two places down). fewer positions, up to number 19). France fell out of the top 20 list.
In addition to the happiest countries in the world, the report also looks at the places where people are the most unhappy. The worst ranked countries in the report are also countries at war: Afghanistan and Lebanon. According to the report, these places also have an average evaluation of life more than five points lower (on a scale of 0 to 10) than the 10 happiest countries. They complete the list of the five unhappiest countries in the world: Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe and Congo. In addition to ranking countries, the report examines the state of the world in 2023. And the results are promising, according to Lara Aknin, one of the report’s co-authors. “This year’s report presents many exciting insights.”
“But one that I find especially interesting and encouraging has to do with prosociality. For the second year in a row, we see various forms of everyday kindness, including helping a stranger, donating to charity, and volunteering, above pre-pandemic levels.”
Read on for the 20 happiest countries in the world in 2023, as well as the 20 unhappiest countries
The 20 happiest countries in the world in 2023
Finland
Denmark
Iceland
Israel
Netherlands
Sweden
Norway
Swiss
Luxembourg
New Zealand
Austria
Australia
Canada
Ireland
USA
Germany
Belgium
Czech Republic
United Kingdom
Lithuania
The 20 unhappiest countries in the world in 2023
Afghanistan
Lebanon
Sierra Leone
Zimbabwe
Congo
Botswana
Malawicomoros
Tanzania
Zambia
Madagascar
India
Liberia
Ethiopia
Jordan
Togo
Egypt
Mali
Gambia
Bangladesh