Finland has retained its position as the world’s happiest country for the seventh consecutive year, according to the latest UN-sponsored World Happiness Report released on Wednesday.
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The report ranked 143 countries based on measures used to assess people’s well-being and life evaluations.
Finland once again led the global rankings, with other Nordic countries also performing strongly.
Denmark, Iceland and Sweden were among the top 10 happiest countries, with Denmark ranking immediately behind Finland.
The continued strong performance of Nordic countries has remained a notable feature of the annual happiness rankings.
At the opposite end of the rankings, Afghanistan remained in last place among the 143 countries surveyed.
The report linked the country’s position to the severe humanitarian conditions it has experienced following the Taliban’s return to power.
The latest rankings also recorded a notable change for the United States and Germany, which fell outside the top 20 for the first time in the report’s more than decade-long history.
The United States ranked 23rd, while Germany was placed 24th.
Meanwhile, Costa Rica and Kuwait entered the top 20, ranking 12th and 13th, respectively.
The report also highlighted the relatively small populations of many countries at the top of the rankings.
Among the top 10, only the Netherlands and Australia have populations of more than 15 million. Across the entire top 20, only Canada and the United Kingdom have populations exceeding 30 million.
The report’s findings highlight the strong representation of smaller countries among those with the highest reported levels of life satisfaction, although population size alone does not establish why a country ranks higher or lower in the happiness index.
