International Day of Happiness: Know about the world’s happiest and unhappiest nations

On Monday, March 20th, the world celebrated the International Day of Happiness with some positive news from the latest global happiness study. The study revealed that levels of benevolence have increased since the Covid-19 pandemic began, providing a reason for hope. The United Nations has released its annual report ranking the happiest countries in the world. The study examines six important factors that contribute to people's happiness, including social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and lack of corruption. It also evaluates the distribution of happiness within countries to measure the disparity between content and discontent individuals.

The Remarkable Continuity Shown by Finland:

For six consecutive years, Finland has been declared the happiest country in the world, with factors such as high levels of trust in society, income, freedom of choice, and life expectancy contributing to its top ranking. In Finland, people have a greater likelihood of receiving their lost wallets back, reflecting the country's strong social fabric and sense of community.

The Nordic region dominates the top three spots in the report, with Denmark and Iceland placing second and third respectively. Although Denmark is known for its high tax rates, its citizens enjoy high-quality public services, contributing to their consistently high levels of happiness. Israel has moved up to the fourth spot from last year's ninth place, with the OECD recognizing its superior performance in health, social connections, and life satisfaction compared to other countries.

A constant decline in the UK’s ranking:

The United Kingdom did not make it to the top 10 happiest countries in the world, but it did rank within the top 20, coming in at the 19th spot. It trailed behind countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United States, which ranked 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th respectively.

Although the top 20 happiest countries often remain the same, there is a new addition this year with Lithuania making its debut, while France dropped out of the list and is now ranked 21st. Over the past six years, the Baltic countries have shown a consistent upward trend, with Lithuania's ranking climbing from 52nd place in 2017 to the 20th spot this year. Similarly, Latvia (41) and Estonia (31) have also experienced a rise in their rankings.

Bottom countries in the happiness ranking:

Afghanistan and Lebanon occupy the very bottom of the list, ranking 137th and 136th, respectively, with their average life ratings more than five points lower than the top 10 happiest nations on a scale of 0 to 10. The rankings of both Russia and Ukraine have been affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Russia dropping to the 70th spot and Ukraine to 92nd.
The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network produces the report, which is based on data collected from a global survey of individuals in over 150 countries. Countries are evaluated based on the average life evaluations made over the previous three years, in this case, from 2020 to 2022, to determine the happiness levels of their populations.

FAQs

Q1. When is the International Day of Happiness celebrated?
March 20
Q2. What is the Theme of this Year’s International Day of Happiness?
Be Mindful. Be Grateful. Be Kind