Which is the happiest country in the world and what is the recipe for its success?

Finland Confirmed its place as the world’s happiest country for the seventh consecutive time. According to a United Nations-sponsored report to be published this Wednesday.

Since then, the Nordic countries have been in first place After Finland comes Denmark, Iceland and Sweden.

The last place in the list of 143 countries is occupied by Afghanistan, which is affected by humanitarian disaster after the return of Taliban to power in 2020.

For the first time in more than 10 years, the United States and Germany do not feature in the 20 happiest countries, and rank 23rd and 24th.

Costa Rica and Kuwait enter the top-20 and are ranked 12th and 13th.

None of the world’s most populous countries are included in the top 20.

According to the report, “Among the top ten, only the Netherlands and Australia have more than 15 million residents. Among the top 20, only Canada and the United Kingdom have more than 30 million residents.”

The sharpest declines in the happiness index have occurred in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Jordan since the 2006–10 period, when Serbia, Bulgaria and Latvia recorded strong progress.

The World Happiness Report is a measure of happiness published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network every year since 2012.

What is Finland’s recipe for success and by what criteria is it evaluated?

It is based on measurement of people’s happiness and economic and social data.

The report takes into account six key factors: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity and absence of corruption.

Proximity to nature and a good balance between work and personal life are the keys to Finnish satisfactionJennifer Di Paola, a researcher specializing in the subject at the University of Helsinki, told AFP.

He said Finns probably have a “more accessible understanding of what a successful life is” compared to, for example, the United States, where success is more related to financial gain.

Trust in institutions, little corruption and free access to health care and education are also paramount.

“Finnish society is permeated with a sense of trust, freedom and a high level of autonomy,” Di Paola said.

The annual report revealed a greater sense of happiness among younger generations than older generations in most, but not all, regions.

The index has declined dramatically since 2006-10 among those under 30 in ANorth America, Australia and New Zealand and now has fewer older people in those regions.

However, it progressed across all age groups in Eastern Europe during the same period.

The gap between generations has widened across the world except Europe, which the report’s authors deemed “alarming”.