People’s well-being and quality of life are crucial to how happy a country can be.
The World Happiness Report 2024, based on the Gallup World Poll and supported by the United Nations, confirmed which is the happiest country in the world.
For the seventh time in a row, Finland became the happiest country in the world, but some position changes have been recorded for this new edition.
The data in this report is collected and analyzed by well-being scientists around the world, based on responses from people in more than 140 countries.
In this way, a classification is made to determine the level of satisfaction of the population with their lives in the context of the International Day of Happiness (March 20).
Finland is still the happiest country in the world
The report found that Nordic countries are the happiest in the world: Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden lead the top spots.
In contrast, Afghanistan ranks last on the list (143), largely due to the humanitarian crisis experienced by its population since the Taliban came back to power in 2020.
However, the study was able to determine that the USA and Germany do not appear on the list of the 20 happiest countries for the first time in more than 10 years, as they ranked 23rd and 24th in 2024.
Surprisingly, Costa Rica and Kuwait made it into the top 20 and ranked 12th and 13th in the rankings, with Costa Rica being the only Latin American country near the top.
Aside from that, Spain dropped four positions in this new report and was placed in spot 36.
- Finland
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Sweden
- Israel
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Luxembourg
- Switzerland
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Costa Rica
- Kuwait
- Austria
- Canada
- Belgium
- Ireland
- Czech Republic
- Lithuania
- Great Britain
The countries with the lowest levels of happiness in the world are Afghanistan (143), Lebanon (142), Lesotho (141), Sierra Leone (140), Democratic Republic of Congo (139), Zimbabwe (138), Botswana (137), Malawi (136), Eswatini (135) and Zambia (134).
Why is Finland the happiest country in the world?
Finns’ satisfaction with their quality of life has led to their country once again being considered the happiest country in the world.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb believes that nature, trust in the government and education were the keys to the population’s happiness.
Finland has 5.6 million inhabitants and is the country in Europe with the highest proportion of forests (almost 75%).
In addition, it is one of the countries where the population has the greatest trust in its institutions and is known worldwide for its high level of education.
The Happiness Report also highlights that it is the most transparent country with the best governance and the greatest political and civil liberties in the world.
All these factors, together with the excellent income levels and good quality of health services, have made Finns happy with their country.
The happiest countries in Latin America
Costa Rica, in 12th place, is the country in the region with the highest satisfaction among its residents; followed by Mexico (25), Uruguay (26), El Salvador (33), Chile (38), Panama (39).
Guatemala appears in position number 42, Nicaragua (43) and Brazil (44). Aside from that, Argentina takes 48th place, Paraguay (57), Honduras (61), Jamaica (67), Peru (68), Dominican Republic (69).
The Happiness Report also ranks Bolivia in 73rd place, Ecuador (74), Colombia (78) and Venezuela (79).
This study is jointly analyzed by the Oxford Wellbeing Research Center and produces this ranking to determine the level of satisfaction and well-being of citizens in their countries.
You might be interested in: