Finland Becomes World’s Happiest Country for the Sixth Time
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VIVA – Finland successfully maintain its position as the happiest country in the world, for the sixth year in a row, according to the World Happiness Report, released by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network on Monday.
Along with Finland, Denmark, and Iceland are the top three happiest countries. Israel moved up five places to come in fourth this year, with the Netherlands in fifth. Other countries in the top ten include Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Germany dropped two places from last year to 16th. Then, the United States, Great Britain, and France ranked 15th, 19th, and 21st, respectively.
After that, Afghanistan and Lebanon remain the two unhappiest countries in the world, according to the survey.
Countries ranked lower in the report: Afghanistan is the least happy country. Lebanon, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other countries featured at the bottom of the list. The report attributed high levels of corruption and low life expectancy in these countries as the reasons for poor ranking.
"Income, health, having someone to rely on, having the freedom to make important life decisions, generosity, and the absence of corruption all play important roles in supporting life evaluations," according to the report.
Life evaluations have remained "remarkably resilient" in general, with global averages during the Covid-19 pandemic years of 2020 to 2022 being as high as those in the previous three years, the report said.
Then In July 2012, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly declared March 20 as the International Day of Happiness, promoting the idea that "the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal".