Finns are the happiest people in the world, according to a new global report. The northern European country is leading the world in happiness for the eighth year in a row.

Finland is named the happiest country in the world for the eighth year in a row, according to the World Happiness Report 2025 published Thursday.

Other Nordic countries are also once again at the top of the happiness rankings in the annual report published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. Besides Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden remain the top four and in the same order.

Country rankings were based on answers people give when asked to rate their own lives. The study was done in partnership with the analytics firm Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

When it comes to decreasing happiness — or growing unhappiness —the United States has dropped to its lowest-ever position at 24, having previously peaked at 11th place in 2012. The report states that the number of people dining alone in the United States has increased 53% over the past two decades.

Nation Table

  • indexEnglish
    420·
    15 hours ago

    Wait till their government dump all public money on “defense”

    • xor@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      40·
      15 hours ago

      Actually, the Finns already spend 2.4% of their GDP on defense, making them one of the highest defense spenders in Europe (relative to GDP). And they’re famously very well prepared for wartime scenarios.

      Turns out sharing a border with Russia makes military spending look very appealing.

      • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        16·
        12 hours ago

        Just a heads up that I have the person you replied to tagged as “Russia shill,” in case their strangely aggressive comments about Finland made you wonder.

      • indexEnglish
        317·
        14 hours ago

        They are one of the highest spenders already and are planning on spending more. Dumping even more public money on war will make everyone happier wait and see…

        • Kusimulkku@lemm.eeEnglish
          151·
          14 hours ago

          We are “dumping” it to our defence from what I’ve understood. If the war we would “dump” it to was the one where Ukraine defends itself against Russian attack, then yeah that seems like a good cause.

      • indexEnglish
        11·
        7 hours ago

        The prospect makes people happy, wait until they actually have to pay double the taxes and public services start to run low on money.