10 Happiest Countries In The World. What Is The Secret Of The Country That Took The First Place?

The World Happiness Report brings an up-to-date survey about happiness every year. The goal is to inform the public about how people rate the happiness of their lives in more than 150 countries around the world. Take a look at which countries were the happiest between 2019 and 2021, when the pandemic raged around the world.

How was the survey conducted?

Before we show you the current ranking, let's take a look at the survey methodology. There are three main indicators of physical and mental well-being. Evaluation of the quality of life, positive emotions and negative emotions. Life assessment captures the quality of life in a country more comprehensively than emotional assessment. Emotions point to the state of the previous day, while the evaluation of life better reflects life as a whole.

The main source of life evaluation data is the Gallup World Public Opinion Poll. In it, respondents rate their current life on a scale from 0 to 10, with the best possible life equal to ten and the worst to zero. This system is called Cantril's ladder, where the respondent says on which imaginary rung of the ladder he thinks he is.

The result of the evaluation of positive emotions is given by the average of the individual answers yes or no to three questions about what emotions the interviewees experienced the previous day: "Did you laugh?", "Were you happy about something?" and "Did you study or do something interesting?". The result of negative emotions is given by the average of the individual answers yes or no to three questions about the emotions people experienced the previous day. They are fear, sadness and anger.

What does the data show between 2019 and 2021?

For the fifth year in a row, Finland finished in first place, and its score significantly exceeds the other countries in the top ten. In his wake is Denmark. Iceland managed to move from fourth place last year to third, and Switzerland took fourth place. It is followed by the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The top ten are completed by Swedes and Norwegians from Europe, as well as Israel and New Zealand.

The next five are made up of Austria, Australia, Ireland, Germany and Canada. The twenty happiest countries also include the United States, which ranked 16th, the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Belgium and France.

"The data in the World Happiness Report offer insight into how people around the world rate their own happiness," said social psychologist Lara Aknin, who is one of the authors of the research. "This information is incredibly powerful for understanding the human condition and how to help people, communities and countries work towards happier lives."

What is the secret recipe of the Finns?

Allowances for first-time mothers, long parental leave. Together, both parents can stay at home with the child for 12 to 14 months. In addition, both parents can stay at home for the first three weeks after the birth. Mothers receive a "newborn package", which contains basic equipment to care for the baby during the first months. Finland also excels in supporting the unemployed and, just like the second happiest country, Denmark, offers free education and healthcare. The secret recipe for happiness is apparently a perfectly functional country.

Which countries are happier?

The report's findings suggest that communities with high levels of trust are happier and more resilient to crises of all kinds. In 2020 and 2021, countries with higher levels of trust in public institutions and countries with lower inequality in living standards experienced significantly fewer deaths from the coronavirus.

The level of happiness is also affected by war conflict and a very low standard of living. Economist Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, who also collaborated with the World Happiness Report, noted that at the very end of the ranking we find countries suffering from conflicts and extreme poverty. For example, Afghanistan, which ranked last at 146th place with a quality of life score of 2.4 out of 10.

Volunteering, but also genes

Overall, it can be said that happiness and satisfaction are influenced by good economic conditions of the country, trust in institutions, low level of corruption and high level of freedom and social support. Countries where people are generous and volunteer, are also happier.

In conclusion, it should be added that genes can largely influence happiness. This means that some people are happier than others, even if their living conditions are relatively similar.