Finland has once again secured its top spot as the world's happiest country for the seventh consecutive year, according to the latest UN-sponsored World Happiness Report unveiled today. If reports are to be believed, the Nordic countries continue to dominate the rankings, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden just behind Finland. Meanwhile, Afghanistan maintains its position at the bottom of the list among 143 countries surveyed, grappling with persistent humanitarian crises following the resurgence of the Taliban in 2020.
This year's report, however, marks a significant change as the United States and Germany fall out of the top 20 happiest nations and find themselves in 23rd and 24th place, respectively. On the other hand, Costa Rica and Kuwait managed to enter the top 20 and rank 12th and 13th.
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There is notably a notable change where the happiest countries no longer include any of the largest countries in the world, only the Netherlands and Australia with a population of more than 15 million in the top 10, and Canada and the United Kingdom with populations of more than 30 million in the top 20.
The changes in happiness levels since 2006-2010 are remarkable, with Afghanistan, Lebanon and Jordan there are significant declines, while Eastern European countries like Serbia, Bulgaria and Latvia have seen notable changes. The happiness rankings take into account individual ratings of life satisfaction, as well as factors such as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and corruption.
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Jennifer De Paola, a happiness researcher at the University of Helsinki, attributes Finns' high life satisfaction to Finns' close connection with nature and a healthy work-life balance. She highlights that Finns prioritize aspects beyond financial gain, enjoying a strong welfare society, trust in government institutions, low levels of corruption and a healthy and healthy health system. universal education.
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The current report also indicates a trend where younger cohorts generally express higher levels of happiness than older demographic groups, with the exception of North America, Australia and New Zealand, where young people's happiness has declined since 2006-2010. However, Central and Eastern Europe saw a slight increase in happiness across all age groups during this period, while Western Europe maintains stable levels of happiness across generations. The report raises concerns about the growing disparity in happiness around the world, particularly among older people and in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting gaps in income, education, health care and social support systems .
As for India, it maintains its position at 126, like the previous year, in the happiness index. Many elements, including marital status, social interactions and physical well-being, impact the life contentment of older Indians. Nevertheless, dissatisfaction with their living conditions emerges as a central aspect, indicating the tendency of older Indians to age in familiar surroundings while maintaining their independence and social connections.
India has the second largest elderly population in the world, with 140 million people aged 60 and over, behind China. Although this demographic change means progress in social and economic areas, it remains essential to understand the factors that impact the quality of life of older people. Among older Indians, men in older age groups and with higher levels of education often express higher levels of life satisfaction. In contrast, older Indian women, even though they face more stressors and health problems, tend to report greater satisfaction with their lives than men.
