Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It’s been said that these basic aims are the most important ones that we as citizens of this spinning bright blue ball plummeting through the solar system could possibly seek. Forget riches, fame, and glory – none of that means squat if, at the end of the day, you’re feeling down in the dumps.
It’s not really even that profound of statement to say that we all desire to be happy, but it does make sense that in order to achieve said happiness, it helps to be surrounded by happy people. The best way to be immersed in a community of folks who share our common goal of achieving happiness is by finding a place to live that is known for being all-around happy.
For the last 22 years, the World Happiness Report has utilized statistical analysis to determine the world’s happiest nations. In 2021, the report listed Finland as the happiest country on the planet, but without data to back that claim up, you might be a little confused as to how they arrived at that conclusion.
What makes the happiest countries so, well, happy? And how does one even assess such a non-tangible quality like that in the first place?
To determine the world’s happiest countries, researchers analyzed Gallup polling data from nearly 150 countries for the past three years. In their analysis, they specifically monitored six specific categories; GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, perceived freedom, generosity, and perceptions of internal and external corruption levels.
To properly compare each nation’s data, those researchers came up with a fictional country that they dubbed Dystopia that was filled with the world’s most unhappy people. They then gave Dystopia the absolute bottom-of the barrel values in each of the six compared categories and then measured the scores of the real-world countries against it’s values.
So, that pretty much gives you an idea of what the World Happiness Report was working with, but besides Finland taking the top spot, what else did the researchers discover?
Viewcation Presents: The Happiest Countries in the World
Let’s start off by discussing the top 7 before taking a moment to look at a few honorable mentions.
Finland
As we’ve already noted, Finland has a lot to be proud of. As the happiest nation on the World Happiness Report’s list, it scored a 7.842 out of a possible score of 10. Residents of Finland report that their country has very strong values of communal and mutual support.
For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Finlanders prioritized their fellow citizen’s well-being by strictly abiding by UN health regulations and recommendations. It should be noted that they did this willingly and without strong-handed government dictation.
Finlanders also feel very strongly that they are free to make their own decisions. Unlike Americans, they tend to show very little suspicion in their government, considering it to be minimally corrupt. Both of these factors are very strong contributors to a country’s overall happiness rating.
Denmark
The second happiest nation on Earth is Denmark. Out of a total possible score of 10, Denmark earned a 7.620.
In fact, Denmark’s values on the World Happiness report are quite comparable to those of Finland. In a number of categories, Denmark even outshone Finland. For example, Denmark has a higher GDP per capita. It also scored a higher generosity rating, and overall corruption levels were likewise ranked lower than it’s fellow Scandinavian country, albeit just by a hair.
Switzerland
Not surprisingly, a country that is famous for being the largest consumer of chocolate made the list. Really, how could a population of people that typically consumes chocolate on a daily basis not feel pretty good about their lives?
As the world’s third happiest country, Switzerland scored a 7.571. Generally speaking, the Swiss are a pretty healthy people. They have one of the lowest obesity rates in the world and boast a longer-than-average life expectancy.
The median salary in Switzerland is also quite high. Comparatively, the Swiss make about 75% more than Americans. The country additionally has the highest GDP per capita amongst the top seven happiest nations.
Another factor that makes Switzerland so happy is the fact that it’s citizens have a strong sense of community. The majority of Swiss citizens firmly believe that their country is both safe and clean, and the data seems to confirm that belief.
Alongside Denmark and Iceland, Switzerland is renowned for being one of the safest countries in the world.
Iceland
The World Happiness Report ranked Iceland as the fourth happiest country in the entire world in their 2021 report. Out of ten, Iceland scored a 7.554.
Among the top seven happiest countries on planet Earth, Icelanders reported the highest feeling of social support. This was even higher than Finland, Denmark, and Norway, who all tied for a close second.
As far as generosity goes, Iceland ranked second in the top seven, although it’s worth noting that it only ranked 11th in the world.
Netherlands
Narrowly edging out Norway for the bragging rights of being the fifth happiest country in the world is Holland aka the Netherlands to all you non-Tulip lovers. The nation scored a 7.464 out of 10 and ranked higher in generosity than any other country in the top seven. It also displayed a remarkably low score when it came to the public’s perception of their country’s internal or external corruption levels.
Norway
Norwegians ought to feel very proud of the fact that their country ranked sixth on the World Happiness Report. Scoring a 7.392, Norway’s citizens can attribute their country’s high ranking to the fact that their government seems to genuinely care about their well-being. Famously, Norway offers it’s people free universal healthcare and college tuition. As such, Norway’s population is among some of the healthiest and most educated people on the planet.
Norwegians also tend to be quite satisfied with their lives in general. They enjoy a healthy work-life balance averaging about 38 hours of work per week. Compare that to the average 41.5 hours that Americans typically put in each week.
Norway is also celebrated for having a very low crime rate. Think about it. When’s the last time you heard about something crazy going down in Norway? Sure, no where is perfect, but Norway’s citizens don’t have to live their lives constantly in fear as residents of US city’s like Chicago or New York often do.
According to the data, the people of Norway report a strong sense of community – a quality that the country shares with many of the top seven.
Sweden
Coming in at number seven is Sweden, with a score of 7.363. While it might not have taken the top spot, Sweden ranked very close to, if not the highest, in almost every category measured. For instance, Sweden’s lack of corruption score was higher than all but four nation’s globally – two of which are Denmark and Finland. It ranked fourteenth-highest in GDP per capita out of all countries measured and the fourth-highest in terms of life expectancy among the top seven.
Honorable Mentions
Due to a technicality, Bhutan was excluded from the 2021 World Happiness Report. Since each nation’s scores were based on Gallup polls, and Gallup didn’t conduct polling in Bhutan, the country wasn’t eligible to be included in the ranking. That said, it’s well-known that Bhutan is one of the happiest, healthiest, and most peaceful places in the world.
Let’s go back for a second to talk about the pandemic. In 2020, Bhutan was able to mobilize it’s entire population without coercion, mind you, to avoid even a single COVID-19 death. They were able to do this despite the fact that they have very strong international travel links.
In the revised 2022 World Happiness Report, Luxembourg made the top 10 – as did Israel and New Zealand.
Luxembourg is known for being one of the world’s wealthiest nations. The country has a strong GDP per capita, and it’s citizens report feeling high levels of personal freedom. With a robust healthcare system, Luxembourg’s citizens also enjoy a very high life expectancy.
It should be noted, however, that Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe. With just about 640,064 residents, Luxembourg’s population is just a tad bit higher than the US’s least populated state, Wyoming. Still, among those 600,000+ citizens, there is a ton of diversity, making Luxembourg a prime example of a thriving “melting pot”.
Israel, despite what some might believe by watching the news, is statistically a very peaceful country. Israeli’s tend to take great pride in their community and believe in mutual support. They also report being very optimistic about the future despite living in a nation with a higher-than-average cost of living and the constant threat of military conflicts looming overhead.
The World Happiness Report gave Israel high marks in categories like life expectancy, generosity, social support, health, and GPD. Home to some of the highest-rated Universities, such as Tel Aviv University and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, It’s also one of the most highly educated countries in the world.
Last but not least, we’d like to take a moment to give New Zealand some praise. While the Swiss have their chocolate, New Zealanders are lucky enough to live in one of the most stunningly beautiful countries on the planet. Plus, they get to boast that they are from the land of Peter Jackson’s Lord of The Rings.
Surveys show that New Zealand citizens enjoy a relatively laid-back way of life. Many report that they have more free time to spend appreciating the natural environment after clocking out at work. New Zealand also scored highly for work-life balance, safety, friendliness, and political stability.
Happiness has been called a state of mind, but as we’ve learned by looking at the data provided to us by the World Happiness Report, it also has a lot to do with the literal nation-state that you live in. It really shouldn’t come as that big of a surprise to anyone that in order to be happy, it helps to live somewhere that provides for all of your basic needs while also making sure that your supplemental wants are taken care of.
There is a firm line between merely existing and thriving. Sure, you can find happiness anywhere if you have the right outlook, but it really speaks volumes when whole populations of people report being happy.
Where you surprised to see any of the countries that we just discussed appear on the World Happiness Report, and can you think of any other nations that have a reputation for being happy places? Let us know in the comments, and as always, thanks for watching.