The 7 Happiest Countries In The World 2020

It’s a bit grim right now, with the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world and one-fifth of the globe under quarantine. So, this year’s Happiness Report is pretty welcome news. Each year, the United Nations ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. The happiest countries in the world in 2020 all happen to be in Europe, with Nordic countries scoring high yet again.

Since the first World Happiness Report in 2012, four different countries have held the top position: Denmark in 2012, 2013 and 2016, Switzerland in 2015, Norway in 2017, and now Finland in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

As for what makes people happy in their respective countries? The report finds that the reasons for wellbeing include good social support networks, social trust, honest governments, safe environments, and healthy lives.

Happiest Countries In The World 2020

1. Finland

Finland comes out on top for the third year in a row, with Helsinki also named the happiest city in the world.

2. Denmark

Denmark was the world’s happiest country for three years, but just missed out for 2020.

3. Switzerland

Switzerland scored high on its GDP per capita and high life expectancy, both of which account for its citizens happiness.

4. Iceland

Not only is Iceland one of the happiest countries in the world, it was also recently named the best place in the world to live for expats.

5. Norway

Norway’s low-levels of corruptions, healthy economic state and social support is what has its citizens so full of joy.

6. The Netherlands

Social supports and a sense of freedom make the Netherlands such a happy country, according to the report.

7. Sweden

The Swedes are consistently among the happiest people in the world.

Four of the six factors used by the report to explain a country’s happiness are different aspects of the social environment. They include having someone to count on, having a sense of freedom to make key life decisions, generosity, and trust. The report looks at how inequality plays in a person’s happiness and how good social environments can help to mitigate the effects of inequality.

You can see the full ranking of all 156 countries and how happy they are here.