Finland has once again been named the world’s happiest country for the sixth year in a row, according to an annual UN-sponsored index. Despite the Russian invasion, acts of kindness in Ukraine have increased, with the country’s ranking improving from 98 to 92 this year.
However, its overall score decreased slightly from 5.084 to 5.071. The report’s editor, Professor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, noted an “extraordinary rise in fellow feeling” in Ukraine, despite the suffering caused by the invasion.
The report also found that Nordic countries dominated the top spots, with Denmark in second place followed by Iceland. Israel took fourth place, rising five spots from last year. While the same countries typically top the list each year, the authors noted that Baltic countries are rising rapidly towards Western European levels.
The report assigns a happiness score based on people’s own assessment of their happiness, as well as economic and social data, considering six key factors: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption.
