This Nordic nation is world's happiest for ninth consecutive year
What's the story
Finland has been named the happiest country in the world for the ninth consecutive year, according to the World Happiness Report. The report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University, ranks countries based on their citizens' life satisfaction. Finland's average score on a scale of 0 to 10 was an impressive 7.764.
Nordic dominance
Other top-ranked countries
Iceland and Denmark follow Finland in the rankings, taking second and third place respectively. Costa Rica is the highest-ranked Latin American country at fourth place. Sweden and Norway also feature in the top 10, at fifth and sixth positions, respectively. The Netherlands comes seventh, while Israel is eighth, making it the only Middle Eastern country in the top 20.
Global ranking
Countries outside the top 20
Luxembourg and Switzerland complete the top 10 list of happiest countries. The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom are outside the top 20. The US ranks 23rd, Canada is at 25th place, and the UK is at a lowly 29th position. To compile the rating, the Gallup World Poll asked respondents in 147 nations to evaluate their lives on a scale of zero to 10, with 10 being the best and 0 being the worst.
Youth crisis
Youth happiness crisis in English-speaking countries
The report highlights a youth happiness crisis in English-speaking countries such as the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Respondents under age 25 from these nations have seen their life evaluations drop by almost one full point over the last decade. This is in stark contrast to an increase in average satisfaction for young people globally.
Digital impact
Social media use and other factors
Social media use is cited as a major factor behind the decline in youth happiness. The report also notes that while wealthy countries tend to do well on the happiness scale, they don't always make it into the top 20. The United Arab Emirates is ranked 21st, followed by Saudi Arabia at 22nd, just ahead of the United States.