This Is the Happiest Nation in the World

Finland ranks No. 1 in UN-sponsored World Happiness Report; Afghanistan comes in last
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 19, 2022 11:00 AM CDT
Here Are the Happiest, Least Happy Nations
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/evgenyatamanenko)

OK, we get it—everyone in Finland lives in a constant state of ecstasy. Well, maybe that's a bit hyperbolic, but it's hard not to come to that conclusion after seeing that for the fifth year in a row, Finland has emerged in the top spot in the UN-sponsored World Happiness Report, per the Guardian. The ranking is based on self-reporting in countries around the globe on such aspects as social support, GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, and generosity, based on data covering 2019 through 2021 for most nations. Afghanistan comes in last on the list. As for where the US falls, it doesn't break the top 10, instead falling in at No. 16. Here are the most and least happy nations:

Most Happy

  1. Finland
  2. Denmark
  3. Iceland
  4. Switzerland
  5. Netherlands
  6. Luxembourg
  7. Sweden
  8. Norway
  9. Israel
  10. New Zealand
Least Happy
  1. Zambia
  2. Malawi
  3. Tanzania
  4. Sierra Leone
  5. Lesotho
  6. Botswana
  7. Rwanda
  8. Zimbabwe
  9. Lebanon
  10. Afghanistan
(More happiness stories.)

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