Among the happiest countries (2024)

FAQs

What questions are asked in the World Happiness Report? ›

Nationally representative samples of respondents are asked to think of a ladder, with the best possible life for them being a 10, and the worst possible life being a 0. They are then asked to rate their own current lives on that 0 to 10 scale. The report correlates the life evaluation results with various life factors.

The people of Kosovo are ranked 29th in The Happiness Report for the year 2024. Young people in Kosovo are happier than the older age group. In the under 30 age group, Kosovars rank 23rd as the happiest in the world. While in the group over 60 years, Kosovars fall to the 39th place as the happiest in the world.

Finnish happiness is explained by the high levels of trust and freedom in its society – which research shows contributes to well-being and productivity. “In a well-functioning, fair and equal society, people can worry less and concentrate on living their lives.

The Nordic countries all rank high in equality, meaning the inequality of happiness is virtually non-existent. Most of their populations consider themselves to be happy. "And it turns out that people are happier living in countries where the happiness gap is smaller.

In the top 10 only the Netherlands and Australia have populations over 15 million. In the top 20, only Canada and the UK have populations over 30 million. Afghanistan, ranked last, has the lowest happiness on the scale (1.7) and is the only Asian country in the bottom 10, which is mostly populated by nations in Africa.

The world's “unhappiest” nation is Afghanistan. The 2024 edition of the World Happiness Report (WHR) provides an analysis of happiness trends across different ages and generations in more than 140 countries.

“Finns appreciate what they get from society and acknowledge that taxes are the way to fund that society,” says Martela. “Accordingly, most people are surprisingly happy to pay taxes.” He adds, “Taxes, instead of being a source of frustration, can be a source of pride for many.”

The cost of living in Finland is, all in all, cheaper than in many countries. Let's crunch some numbers! Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is 28% cheaper to live in than London. Living in Finland is 9,8% cheaper than living in the United States.

For seven consecutive years, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world, followed closely by its Nordic neighbours Denmark and Iceland. What makes the Finns such happy people? And what can we learn from it?

Gender equality, trust in national institutions and fellow citizens, and low corruption are all important factors in Finns' happiness, says Kai Sauer, Finland's ambassador to Germany. In 1906 Finland became the first country in the world to give women both the full right to vote and to run in parliamentary elections.

What is the quality of life in Finland? ›

How's Life? Finland performs well in many dimensions of well-being relative to other countries in the Better Life Index. Finland outperforms the average in education, work-life balance, environmental quality, social connections, safety and life satisfaction.

Finland ranked as the happiest country in the world again, according to The World Happiness Report. For the seventh year in a row, Finland has landed the top spot on the World Happiness Report's annual ranking of the happiest countries in the world.

They include GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption.

Conversation questions about happiness

When did you last feel really happy? How often do you feel happy? Do you have any tips for staying happy? What kinds of things make you feel happy? Do you think people should try to be happy all the time?

As happiness surveys often rely on self-reported data, they may be influenced by cultural factors, personal biases, and momentary emotions.