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.
One of the problems with America is if you ask people on the street who’s the happiest country in the world, a good chunk will answer America and not believe this result. I’ve always said the problem with being #1 (or thinking you are) is that you don’t work very hard to improve.
One metric America leads the world in: self-delusion regarding its own performance in every area. How many people say America leads in math, science, health? Don’t get me wrong, in a lot of categories the US is top 20, but very few where we actually are #1. Until this attitude is fixed, we’re not going to see real improvement. RAH RAH RAH USA #1 is nice to whip up a crowd at a rally, but it’s not good for positive ongoing change.
That Pledge of Allegiance shit really worked.
This is a helpful way to break down Nationalism vs Patriotism. Nationalism being a delusional belief that we are the best, and Patriotism being a love for your country and fellow citizen and striving to be the best.
The US shot itself in the foot and now it’s pointed at it’s face.
“I used to be happier like you. Then I took a Trump in the knee…”
Can relate. Am I secretly a Finlandian?
Thats hilarious. I love that about finnish people, its a no bullshit country. Say what you mean, do what you say.
I wonder which US state most closely resembles this. Probably in the NE
Minnesota and Upper peninsula could be closest
Many Finnish people historically immigrated to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Iron Range of northern Minnesota to work in the mining industry; much of the population in these regions is of Finnish descent.
A lot of Mainers or northern New Englanders are like that too. My wife things the North Michiganders talk a lot compared to Mainers.
Oh that’s what we got wrong in Iceland, we should’ve kept that red line out of our flag!
Here’s an old Finnish joke:
Why are people in Finland the happiest people on Earth?
Because all the sad people have killed themselves.It sucks that we still have that reputation abroad. We’re doing a lot better in that front. Also at least 2019 and 2016 our suicide rate was actually lower than the US, where a lot of these jokes come from (I was pretty surprised)
That’s why I said it’s an old Finnish joke.
I lived in Finland long enough to know that the Finns are not really happy. Or unhappy. Or excited. Or anything at all. If they are, they hide it really really well. The only true sentiment I ever felt in the Finns is quiet pride of their country.
Finns are the ones who watch, listen and nod. Surprisingly rare in this world of today.
Yes, I’m more lamenting the reputation abroad where such views take longer to change.
:(
It is like being a Nazi does not make you happy. Imagine that.
I dunno, man. Israel being 8th is pretty fucked up.
Maybe it’s more of a oh shit I have to appear happy with everything or the Israel gestapo will get me kind of thing. The human element on these things means there’s always some amount of bending the truth or out right bullshit in the data they use for this.
If you had a territory where you could sort mostly the wealthy people into one “country” and mostly the poor people into another “country”, you could make one really happy and one really sad country.
I’m sure if they counted the Arab population in the calculation, it would be much lower.
Israel has dived head first into being Nazis and they’re almost all fucking about it. They’re just happy they get to
exterminate the jewsbe the ones doing the extermination this time.The ‘problem’ the US has is only 1/3 of us have embraced being nazis, while another 1/3 doesn’t give a shit.
There’s substantial Israelis who aren’t calling for genocide. But it’s like the US after 9-11 and they’ve mostly gone into hiding because the right-wing media presence is so overpowering and successful on the “with us or against us” message.
Finland technically doesn’t have complete separation of religion from state and has a really proto-fascist set of state symbols, though, part from the Russian Empire, part from the White Guard.
Just since it’s a functioning nation, these things don’t affect it much.
Also unlike, say, Sweden, Finland never fully jumped on the multiculturalism train and such.
One can say honesty and true moderation make you happy.
I’ve never been in Finland, though, what I can say of why being in Estonia (not living there though) makes you feel happy - it’s like Russia in my childhood (hard to explain), but clean and fixed and without tasteless expensive things everywhere (ugly malls, ugly decoration, ugly everything, people deciding on how things look nice in Russia have taste worse than average ; maybe in Moscow this is simply because people with money who moved there from outside think this is how things are done in Moscow, people don’t just live here, it’s a matter of prestige that a fscking barbershop should look like a mafia meeting place or Gringotts bank entrance, btw bank offices are actually kinda normal in appearance ; and places you need to actually visit are behind some unnumbered door under a leaking pipe). Still many bad things feel similar to Russia too, but that’s likely just autistic experience.
Can confirm: the Nazi bar sucks. They card you to leave.
“Happiness isn’t just about wealth or growth — it’s about trust, connection and knowing people have your back,” said Jon Clifton, the CEO of Gallup. “If we want stronger communities and economies, we must invest in what truly matters: each other.”
Damn that was very well said
Going out without worrying about getting robbed, killed, eating food that’s gonna upset your tummy because someone neglected health regulations, slipping on a turd on the sidewalk someone deliberately didn’t clean up after their dog, overpaying for stuff, getting fucked by the government (be it taxes, inflation, stupid rules).
Yet politicians getting paid in cold hard cash for approving overpriced shit so some wealthy fuck can fill his pockets even more.
We could constructing a Dyson sphere if it wasn’t for fuckers that siphon the money that could be used to improve everyone’s life.
Well, the taxes we have here in Denmark are quite high. We either have the fourth highest rate of tax compared to GDP or the highest, depending on which source you go by. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_tax_revenue_to_GDP_ratio
The thing is just that taxes means that the money gets spent directly on improving the lives of the people who live here, instead of people having to buy stuff like health care through companies that skim off the top, and who uses the money you pay them to employ people who try to find ways to not help you.
Taxes helps ensure that everything runs efficiently. A healthier population who are more productive, infrastructure that prevents disruptions to business and daily lives alike, and ensuring that people don’t have to resort to crime if they lose their job or get ill. Crime is another source of inefficiency that gets significantly reduced.
Everything helps ensure that the average person is in a much better state of mind, and mood is contagious - even those who pay the most benefit off of it, and pretty much everyone here agrees that it’s money well spent.
In Danish politics, even the right wing would be considered leftists in the US - we have a lot of political parties (16 in parliament, with 4 of them being from the Faeroe Islands or Greenland).
American here. I would love to visit your country someday. More Americans need to see what a better way of life looks like.
I’d gladly pay more taxes if it meant improving the wellbeing of overyone. The right (as we called it) would be considered left a decade ago as well (today, not sso much).
So jealous of those whose government isn’t a piece of shit good-for-nothing bunch of scum.
Wealth is just the hoarding of imaginary credits representing the hours of other people’s work.
“When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money.”
Destruction of our society and pollution of our only Earth for paper strips.
“They took all the trees and put 'em in a tree museum And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them”
I don’t get how Finland managed to push Denmark to 2nd place?? 🤔
We have way more bacon and beer than they do. 🥓🥓 🍻🍻
Look I even had enough beer and bacon to share it with EVERYBODY on the internet!!Anyways congrats to our Finish brothers. 👍 😀
🥓🥓Maybe🍻🍻, but we have 🍸vodka🍸 and russian drinking habbits. All the sad people are dead.
Oh so that’s the secret, I thought there was something fishy about this, very clever and well played. 😋
Many East European countries use the same strategy, but I’m guessing they don’t find a corpse as hilarious.
We all decided to lie on the questionnaire just to screw over you guys and especially Sweden.
My recollection of danish food was, you can have meat you like as long as it came from a pig. Wouldn’t surprise me if the beer was similar.
Back in 1960, the US minimum wage was $1.00/hour and the average US home was $11,000.00
In ‘Hell’s Angels’ Hunter Thompson had a chapter about the economics of being a biker/hippie/artist circa 1970. Six months of a full time Union job as a stevedore paid enough for a biker to hit the road for two years. A part time waitress could afford to support herself and her musician boyfriend.
Of course people were happy here.
You know what hilarious?
There’s a sub minimum wage in America for people that earn tips (minimum of 30$ in tips a month), youths, and the disabled.
Sub minimum wage is a whopping 2.13$
That is the sickest thing, and the major reason tipping is such a problem in the States. Honestly, any establishment that runs on this sub-minimum wage platform deserves to go under. Next to prison labor and immigrant labor, this is the most demeaning way to live.
We are the happiest because we don’t give a fuck. Today I took my bike to work and slipped on some ice. Hurt my back a bit. What I did was yell “PERKELE!” and just go on my merry way. Work was shit but what can you do.
Best day of my life.
Any culture built on keeping yer yap shut is always bound to have less trouble. My Finn friend just nodded in agreement. Haven’t heard him speak a full sentence in years…
He sounds like the best friend ever.
I love people from Finland.
You are all like seals, letting the bad vibes roll off your back.
Also, always nibbling on fish.
Fish is more of a Norwegian thing, but I’ll allow it.
Must be nice to not worry about injuries bringing financial ruin like in the USA.
I spent a night in the ER, had some tests done, puked on the CT scan machine, got some meds, and the most expensive part of that trip was the taxi home.
sounds like an average Finnish weekend.
I know people that have had to take an Uber instead of an ambulance because of the costs.
It’s great. Universal healthcare is the way to go fellas. US healthcare system is a scam.
It’s easy to not give a fuck based on your own material conditions.
Today I took my bike to work
Damn, I have to sit in about 8 hours of traffic per week for a commute to work. Doesn’t leave much time for exercise, you know, like bicycling.
sigh
The city I live in has the greatest bike lanes in the country. I can bike to work through the year, even in very snowy winter. It’s great.
Oulu?
Damn socialists with their happiness. If my neighbour is happy, it makes me mad /s
conservatives: “Socialism Bad!”
“Then why are socialist countries like Norway and Finland (and many similar countries) having a higher quality of life?”
conservatives: “That’s not Socialism!”
“Great, why don’t we switch to whatever that system is?”
conservatives: “😡😡😡”
You joke, but this is literally how the average American thinks.
I literally had that conversation.
Social democracy, not socialism (though in the same extended family)
I know, I was mocking the murican perspective.
As a Finn, I’d like to remind you this is 50% bullshit.
They go around asking people how they are and in Finnish culture, you’re not allowed to complain, and our society sees to it that we give even substance abusers and drunks rent money, so people answer “can’t complain”.
Finnish people are emotionally stunted and don’t even understand the concept of happiness.
So… people with addictions are treated as people and provided for, and they ‘can’t complain’ about their overall circumstances. Therefore the Finnish are emotionally stunted? There’s a leap of logic here
As someone who grew up in Finland, I get what they mean. Finns only removed about things to their inner friend circle (very small circle usually), anyone outside that gets maybe a sarcastic everything’s great, especially that thing that’s really pissing me off right now kind of response. At the same time pretty much everyone gets treated generally fine and there is great support available for anyone, so it checks out those markers I assume this happiness quiz thing looks for. Why this feels weird for Finns though, is that there’s also some widespread deep depression in Finnish culture. From my viewpoint as someone who hasn’t lived in Finland for a long time now, I think unlike most other places the source of the depression isn’t the system grinding you down, it’s more internal than that. Maybe just dealing with the elements and trying to figure out what you want do with your life kind of shit.
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I’m not Finnish and I got it. Sounds like my dad who’s a bit of a hardass and doesn’t like for others to worry. Life is hard, what’s complaining going to do? And yeah I’d say he’s emotionally stunted and has trouble forming real connections.
Yeah that sounds right on. That’s very common attitude/outlook with Finnish men at least. Not sure if the ladies are different or if my sample size just isn’t large enough, but the women I know are more open.
I’d agree.
Except I know support isn’t actually available. Everyone says it is. But it actually isn’t.
You won’t get evicted or starve, but battling bureaucracy and being ignored by people will get to your happiness.
I get what you mean, support in laws and numbers is not real solidarity, and therefore not effective nor complete support.
But from an outsider perspective (and i still leave in one of the most “supporting” country i’d say), it’s already a big step from our current position to not get evicted or starve.
It’s a good thing to know that solving symptoms with money does not solve problems though, but i feel like it remains hard to explain to people that it’s not already a big step forward.
Financially? Sure.
“Getting help when you’re feeling like killing yourself”? Nah.
Like literally I couldn’t get help. The ER doc dismissed me, a crisis center dismissed me, my family dismissed me. Even after the documented seizures and me not getting any fucking help.
Back home we were always joking, that Finland and Hungary are distant cousins in a head to head competition for highest amount of alcohol abuse and suicide.
I was always told that when someone asks how you are you say “Unbelievable!” because it can mean everything and nothing.
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So… people with addictions are treated as people and provided for,
Definitely not what I said.
You’re saying I’m saying A caused B, when I am actually saying that A is a symptom of B.
Want to see the pictures of the cell I was kept in for more than three days without my prescribed meds?
There is no way a majority of the guards / police could’ve been ignorant of it. Also, they turned off my water for almost a day. Literally crimed against humanity.
I once walked into an ER and after telling them I’m afraid I’ll hurt myself or someone else, the on-call psychiatrist told me “don’t try to make this my responsibility”. Like… my man. That’s literally your job description and legal duty.
But here you are, a Finn, I presume, making strawmen, since the only feeling you haven’t repressed is anger towards people who actually feel.
in Finnish culture, you’re not allowed to complain
What a load of shit, people complain openly all the time. Foreigners are even shocked when sometimes we’re too frank in answering "how are you doing
and our society sees to it that we give even substance abusers and drunks rent money, so people answer “can’t complain”.
You think the ranking is bs because we realize that things are pretty good here? People say “can’t complain” because they are content with what they got and know things could be a lot worse. It’s not being emotionally stunted or some other bs, it’s the realization that things are pretty good here.
It’s funny, every time we do good in something there’s loads of these people who rush to say how it’s bs and how we actually suck. Now that’s the Finnish spirit.
It’s literally measuring contentedness, not happiness.
Saying “Finland is the happiest country in the world” is akin to those studies which say “one glass of wine gives you the benefits of a half hour at the gym” or smth. Completely misunderstood. Based in reality but strongly exaggerated.
It’s very different being un-discontented vs being “happy”
I agree that the name can be misleading because different people and different cultures view happiness differently. Life is good here, so we are content. But I disagree that we aren’t happy too, we’re just happy with fairly little. Some nice peace and quiet at the summer cabin, good sauna, that’s happiness.
And this isn’t the first time you do this.
I be asserted this several times because I know my shit and what the study is actually about.
You alway come in to deny deny deny deny
EXACTLY the sort of willful ignorance
I’m sorry but I’m not sure what you are talking about here. Are you saying we had this conversation last year?
Honestly.
The lengths you will go to avoid seeing how the system in Finland literally TORTURED me for DAYS and NO-ONE CAN EVEN ACCEPT IT HAPPENED, LIKE YOU.
It’s beyond delusional.
What the fuck are you talking about, I have no idea who you are or what happened to you
Fuck right off with that shit. It’s the exact type of bullshit I’m talking about.
You just refuse to accept any fault in our systems and me criticising the systems which literally made people break my basic human rights and decency. For days without medication, a day without water. Completely fucking psychotic, drawing with my blood on the walls.
And afterwards, no-one wants to admit this happened. Not my family, not lawyers, not anyone.
But I’ve the proof, so…
Fuck your “Finnish dream” it’s a delusion
Nobody is saying the system is perfect, far from it (with people complaining on the reg), just that we have things a lot better than most places. Which makes it easy to be content and even happy. If recognizing that things are good and being happy with fairly little is a delusion, it’s a delusion I’m happy to have, along with a lot of other Finns.
It’s like with the corruption thing, when Finland was #1 people rushed to say how there’s still corruption in Finland. No shit, but it’s a ranking and it’s comparing to other countries. We just have less than most.
which literally made people break my basic human rights and decency. For days without medication, a day without water. Completely fucking psychotic, drawing with my blood on the walls.
And afterwards, no-one wants to admit this happened. Not my family, not lawyers, not anyone.
This sounds pretty personal.
You just won’t believe it.
It’s insane that I have to argue you about a thing existing which you’re giving the perfect textbook demonstration of.
No, it’s not “a lot better tham others [so the fact you got tortured doesn’t mean anything which is why it’s okay for me to. Completely ignore it]”
You’re doing the exact autistic denial bullshit that infects 98% of Finnish population
I mean, on all sorts of quality of life rankings and factors we’re almost always at the top. If there’s such a thing as on objectively good place to live, Finland seems to be one of them. Not sure what you feel like our ranking should be on QoL and what sort of places should rank higher.
If you’re very unhappy with life here then I can understand it being hard to believe that others are genuinely happy to live here. If 98% believe that it just might be that it’s not them who are in denial.
Finnish people are emotionally stunted and don’t even understand the concept of happiness.
I half agree with this. There’s it’s own kind of happiness in being stoic and staying to one self.
I was actually wondering about that. Finland keeps getting this high ranking, so at what point do the Finnish people feel obligated to maintain that reputation when they answer these surveys? For at least a few people, I’d imagine it becomes a small point of pride.
There’s been actually a huge counter-reaction to this, with people rushing to say how the ranking must be bullshit. I’d imagine that at least outweighs that potential pride effect. It was PISA we used to cherish.
I’m curious about what might have changed. Has there been a quality of life change or a perceptual change?
For the happiness thing, it’s been that way for a long time. i think part of it is just us being terrible at appreciating good news hah. For PISA it’s that our ranking has been dropping so now it’s not cherished but just painful.
