The global feeling of happiness has not changed despite crises. This is evident from the World Happiness Report, which was published on Monday. According to this, Finland has the happiest population for the sixth time in a row, Austria comes in eleventh place.
This result was already achieved last year. “Mean happiness and our country rankings have remained remarkably stable over the three years of Covid-19,” said researcher John Helliwell, who worked on the report. Behind the northern EU country, Finland, Denmark and Iceland occupy the other podium places at some distance. The ten happiest countries also include Israel, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg and New Zealand. Israel improved from ninth to fourth place.
Afghanistan and Lebanon the most unfortunate
The unluckiest of the 137 countries surveyed are Afghanistan and Lebanon. The scientists involved calculate the ranking based on data from the past three years and refer to studies from the Gallup Institute. Social support, income, health, freedom, generosity and the absence of corruption count towards happiness.
A lot of faith in Zelenskyy
According to the report, people are happier in countries where happiness and well-being are distributed as evenly as possible across the population. Ukraine (92nd place) and Russia (70th) rank slightly higher in the new World Happiness Report than a year ago. “Despite the magnitude of suffering and damage in Ukraine, life assessments have remained higher in September 2022 than after annexation in 2014,” the researchers wrote. This is said to be due to a stronger sense of belonging and trust in the leadership around President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trust in governments had grown in both countries last year.
The World Happiness Report has been published annually since 2012 by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
