Helsinki: Finland The world’s happiest country has been named for the fifth year in a row in the United Nations-sponsored annual index Afghanistan As for the saddest, it is followed by Lebanon.
The latest list was completed before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia reported the greatest increase in well-being. The biggest falls in the World Happiness Table released on Friday came in Lebanon, Venezuela and Afghanistan.
Lebanon, which is facing an economic slowdown, has slipped from last to second place in the index of 146 countries, just below Zimbabwe.
War-scarred Afghanistan, which was already at the bottom of the table last year, saw its humanitarian crisis deepen as the Taliban returned to power last August following the withdrawal of US-led troops.
Co-author Jan-Emmanuel de Neve said, “It (the index) represents a clear reminder of the material and immaterial damage that war does to its many victims.”
The World Happiness Report, now in its 10th year, is based on economic and social data, along with people’s assessment of their own happiness.
It assigns a happiness score on a scale of zero to 10 based on data averaged over a three-year period.
Northern Europeans once again dominated the top spots – with the Danes second only to the Finns, followed by Icelandic, Swiss and Dutch.
The United States rose three places to 16th, one place ahead of Britain. France has reached the highest ever ranking of 20th place.
As well as an individual sense of well-being based on a Gallup poll in each country, the Happiness Score takes into account GDP, social support, personal freedom and corruption levels.
This year, the authors also used data from social media to compare people’s emotions before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. They found a “strong increase in anxiety and sadness” in 18 countries but a decline in feelings of anger.
“The lesson of the World Happiness Report over the years is that social support, generosity to one another, and honesty in government are vital to well-being,” wrote report co-author Jeffrey Sachs.
“World leaders should take heed.”
Feather HelsinkiOn Friday in the market square, next to the still-frozen Baltic Sea, businessman Jukka Vitasari said he was not surprised that the Finns describe themselves as happy.
“Many things are undeniably good here – beautiful nature, we are well governed, a lot of things are in order,” the business owner told AFP.
The country of vast forests and lakes is also known for its well-functioning public services, ubiquitous saunas, widespread belief in authority, and low levels of crime and inequality.
Nonetheless, the report raised some eyebrows when it first placed Finland at the top of its listing in 2018.
Many of the Nordic country’s 5.5 million people describe themselves as silent and sad, and admit to viewing public displays of joy with skepticism.
“Someone from outside needs to tell us it’s good compared to many other places we have,” Vitasari said.
“But after five years of coming out on top (in the rankings) we are getting used to it!”
The latest list was completed before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia reported the greatest increase in well-being. The biggest falls in the World Happiness Table released on Friday came in Lebanon, Venezuela and Afghanistan.
Lebanon, which is facing an economic slowdown, has slipped from last to second place in the index of 146 countries, just below Zimbabwe.
War-scarred Afghanistan, which was already at the bottom of the table last year, saw its humanitarian crisis deepen as the Taliban returned to power last August following the withdrawal of US-led troops.
Co-author Jan-Emmanuel de Neve said, “It (the index) represents a clear reminder of the material and immaterial damage that war does to its many victims.”
The World Happiness Report, now in its 10th year, is based on economic and social data, along with people’s assessment of their own happiness.
It assigns a happiness score on a scale of zero to 10 based on data averaged over a three-year period.
Northern Europeans once again dominated the top spots – with the Danes second only to the Finns, followed by Icelandic, Swiss and Dutch.
The United States rose three places to 16th, one place ahead of Britain. France has reached the highest ever ranking of 20th place.
As well as an individual sense of well-being based on a Gallup poll in each country, the Happiness Score takes into account GDP, social support, personal freedom and corruption levels.
This year, the authors also used data from social media to compare people’s emotions before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. They found a “strong increase in anxiety and sadness” in 18 countries but a decline in feelings of anger.
“The lesson of the World Happiness Report over the years is that social support, generosity to one another, and honesty in government are vital to well-being,” wrote report co-author Jeffrey Sachs.
“World leaders should take heed.”
Feather HelsinkiOn Friday in the market square, next to the still-frozen Baltic Sea, businessman Jukka Vitasari said he was not surprised that the Finns describe themselves as happy.
“Many things are undeniably good here – beautiful nature, we are well governed, a lot of things are in order,” the business owner told AFP.
The country of vast forests and lakes is also known for its well-functioning public services, ubiquitous saunas, widespread belief in authority, and low levels of crime and inequality.
Nonetheless, the report raised some eyebrows when it first placed Finland at the top of its listing in 2018.
Many of the Nordic country’s 5.5 million people describe themselves as silent and sad, and admit to viewing public displays of joy with skepticism.
“Someone from outside needs to tell us it’s good compared to many other places we have,” Vitasari said.
“But after five years of coming out on top (in the rankings) we are getting used to it!”