Finland has once again secured its top position as the world's happiest country for the seventh consecutive year, as per the latest UN-sponsored World Happiness Report unveiled today. If reports are to go by, Nordic nations continue to dominate the top rankings, with Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden trailing closely behind Finland. Meanwhile, Afghanistan maintains its position at the bottom of the list among 143 surveyed countries, grappling with persistent humanitarian crises following the Taliban's resurgence in 2020.

This year's report marks a significant departure though as the United States and Germany slip out of the top 20 happiest nations, and landing at 23rd and 24th place, respectively. By contrast, Costa Rica and Kuwait have managed to break into the top 20, and secured the 12th and 13th positions.

Notably, there's a noticeable shift where the happiest countries no longer include any of the world's largest nations, with only the Netherlands and Australia with populations exceeding 15 million within the top 10, and Canada and the UK with populations over 30 million within the top 20.
Changes in happiness levels since 2006-2010 have been noteworthy, with Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Jordan witnessing significant declines, while Eastern European countries like Serbia, Bulgaria, and Latvia have experienced notable changes. The happiness ranking considers individuals' self-assessed evaluations of life satisfaction, alongside factors such as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption.

Jennifer De Paola, a happiness researcher at the University of Helsinki, attributes Finland's high life satisfaction to Finns' strong connection to nature and a healthy work-life balance. She stresses that Finns prioritise aspects beyond financial gain, benefitting from a robust welfare society, trust in government institutions, low corruption levels, and universal healthcare and education.

The current report also indicates a pattern where younger cohorts typically express greater levels of happiness in contrast to older demographics, with the exception observed in North America, Australia, and New Zealand, where youth happiness has dwindled since 2006-2010. However, central and eastern Europe have seen an uptick in happiness across all age brackets during this timeframe, while Western Europe maintains steady happiness levels across generations. The report raises concerns regarding the escalating disparity in happiness worldwide, particularly among older individuals and in Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting discrepancies in income, education, healthcare, and social support systems.