There is no doubt that Finland is a happy place, as for the sixth year in a row the country was named the happiest in the world in the annual World Happiness Report 2023, which measures global happiness in more than 150 countries around the world.

It is noted that the report is published every year on March 20, which is declared the International Day of Happiness.

The country rankings are based on data from sources such as the Gallup World Poll, using six key factors: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and lack of corruption.

This year’s list is largely similar to previous reports for 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019 as the Nordic countries once again take the top spot. As in 2022, Denmark is again in second place, followed by Iceland.

Why Finland?

But why is Finland the happiest country in the world? According to experts from the Finnish Aalto University, there are several key factors. It seems to succeed here thanks to the ability of the Finnish social security system to help its citizens, who most of all feel that the state cares about them, ”says Frank Martella, lecturer at Aalto University.

“Relatively generous unemployment benefits and near-free healthcare help mitigate sources of dissatisfaction, ensuring that few people in Finland are particularly dissatisfied with their lives,” says the professor.

Greek position

Greece ranks 58th in the new 2023 World Happiness Index, which evaluates countries for the period 2020-2022.

In the previous publication of the Index, made last year and covering the period 2019-2021, our country was again in the same position. Also, states such as Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Hungary, El Salvador, Brazil and others are considered happier people than Greece. On the contrary, Thailand, Mongolia, Vietnam, Moldova and others are lower in the ranking.

Greece received 5,931 points this year, compared to 7,804 in first place Finland. The first 15 countries in order included Denmark, Iceland, Israel, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Austria, Australia, Canada, Ireland, USA. Germany is in 16th place, and France is in 21st.