Finland is the happiest country in the world. Thanks to its nature and strong welfare system, for the eighth consecutive year Helsinki earns the primacy, preceding three other Nordic countries in the World Happiness Report.
The novelty this year is the entry for the first time of Costa Rica and Mexico in the top 10. On the other hand, the position of UK and the United States slipped to the bottom of the list, to 23rd and 24th place respectively, achieving their lowest result ever.
The study also measured trust in strangers through a curious analysis. How many wallets were returned, compared to how many people thought they would be delivered. The result was impressive.
The rate of wallet returns was nearly double what was expected, and the study — which gathered evidence from around the world — found that belief in the kindness of others was more closely linked to happiness than previously thought. John F. Helliwell, an economist at the University of British Columbia and the report’s founder, said the wallet experiment data showed that “people are much happier if they live in places where people care about each other.”
Finland once again took first place with an average score of 7.736 out of 10, followed by Denmark in second. Experts highlighted the importance of family ties in Costa Rica and Mexico's rise in the rankings. Household size is closely linked to happiness, with four or five people living together enjoying the highest levels of happiness in Mexico and Europe.
The study, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, asked people to rate their lives on a scale of 0 to 10. Country rankings are based on a three-year average.
The top 10 are: Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Norway, Israel, Luxembourg and Mexico. Jeffrey D. Sachs, president of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, said the results reaffirmed that “happiness is rooted in trust, kindness and social connection.” Italy, unfortunately, ranks 40th in this ranking.
“It is up to us, as individuals and virtuous citizens, to translate this vital truth into positive action, thereby promoting peace, civility and wellbeing in communities around the world,” he said. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of the Wellbeing Research Centre in Oxford, added: “In this age of social isolation and political polarisation we must find ways to bring people back to the table: doing so is crucial to our individual and collective wellbeing.”
Article published on March 20, 2025 - 19pm
