The annual World Happiness Report has again ranked Finland and other Scandinavian countries the most cheerful nations on Earth. Costa Rica and Kuwait entered the top 20 in place of the United States and Germany.
Finland has remained the happiest country in the world for the seventh year a row with nordic neighbors Sweden, Denmark and Iceland also retaining their places in the top 10, according to the annual World Happiness Report published on Wednesday.
But rising unhapiness especially among young people has seen other Western countries drop down the UN-sponsored index, with the United States and Germany dropping out of the top 20 for the first time since the report’s first edition more than a decade ago.
Taking their place were Costa Rica and Kuwait at 12 and 13 respectively, while Eastern European countries Serbia, Bulgaria and Latvia reported the biggest increases in happiness.
Afghanistan, plagued by a humanitarian catastrophe since the Taliban regained control in 2020, remained in last place.
Finland was never part of the Soviet Union. The highest-ranked country that was is Lithuania at 19th, although 18th-ranked Czechia was on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain
Thank you for the correction. I was taking note of the highest increases being in former Warsaw Pact countries rather than the top 20.
Ahh, sorry, misinterpretation of your comment on my part
Both Czechia and Finland are big alcohol consumers, I think I might see a pattern here.