Not only is Finland one of the most beautiful countries in the world, it has just been named the happiest country in the world for the sixth consecutive year, according to the World Happiness Report released by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Whether it is the vast wilderness of the country, which is comprised of 70% forest, the thousands of lakes, or the Northern Lights, Finland has managed to produce the happiest people on Earth.
Whilst some say happiness is impossible to measure, this report says that you can, and has done so using six factors: gross domestic product per capita, health, social support, freedom, generosity, and the country’s level of corruption. The report noted that all these factors play strong roles in supporting life evaluations.
Governments can make citizens happier by measuring their well being
The report also highlighted that governments can potentially measure happiness as a way to achieve better well-being and higher happiness levels for their residents.
John Helliwell, is one of the authors of the report. He spoke to CNN in relation to Finland’s ranking, “Is it, are they doing things that we wish we’d seen before and we can start doing? Or is it something unique about their climate and history that makes them different? And fortunately, at least from my perspective, the answer is the former.”
The top 10 happiest countries featured mostly European countries, with all 5 Scandinavian countries in there. The top 10 is as follows: Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Israel, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and New Zealand. The United States ranked 15th, while Canada ranked 13th, the United Kingdom ranked 19th, and Australia ranked 12th in the happiness rankings.
Benevolence is increasing around the world
There was also a worldwide growth of benevolence levels in 2020 and 2021. Benevolence to others, especially the helping of strangers, went up dramatically in 2021 and stayed high in 2022, the report also documented.
Positive social environments were far more prevalent than loneliness, and the gains from increases in positive social connections exceeded the well-being costs of additional loneliness, even during COVID-19. Social relationships increased significantly after the pandemic, and positive social connections and support in 2022 were twice as prevalent as loneliness in seven key countries spanning six global regions.
