Top 10 happiest countries in the world

What is the World Happiness Report?

Some say, ‘You can’t put a price on happiness.’ But can you measure it? The Sustainable Development Solutions Network says you can. They did so by using a ranking system from 0 to 10 called the ‘Cantril Ladder’ that was powered by Gallup World Poll Data.

The ranking was made up of respondents' self-evaluations on how happy they are - with ‘the best possible life’ equating to a 10, and the ‘worst possible life’ equating to a 0. This helped them to determine the happiest countries in the world.

While the ranking wasn’t made up of these variables, the publishers did take into account a few key factors when assessing the results:

• Social support - Having someone to count on in times of trouble.

• GDP per capita - How much a country produces, divided by its population.

• Healthy life expectancy - How your mental and physical health tie into your life expectancy.

• Freedom to make life choices - How much you can determine your own destiny and the human rights you have to do so.

• Generosity - A clear marker of positive community engagement.

• Perceptions of corruption - Whether or not people trust their governments and others’ benevolence.

Their perspective was that progress and happiness are undeniably linked.

Which countries feature in the 2023 World Happiness Report?

You may not be surprised to find that Nordic countries score highly when it comes to happiness. There are a number of social and economic factors that influence happiness, but before we can dive into those, we’re going to walk you through the list of who tops the happiness charts by country.

10 - New Zealand

Scenic New Zealand has maintained its same ranking (10th) on the list two years in a row now. Some of the benefits of living in this island nation are its laid back atmosphere and incredible landscapes. It also enjoys relative privacy, as it’s isolated from many other issues that more landlocked countries face in terms of border concerns.

9 - Luxembourg

Tax-haven, Luxembourg, has fallen on the list from 6th place in 2022 to now 9th. However, there are still plenty of reasons to live a very happy life there, from its relatively low crime rate to its high salaries.

8 - Switzerland

Switzerland is known for its political neutrality, but it should also be known for its population’s happiness. Last year it ranked 4th on the list, so has fallen slightly now to number 8 on the list. Moving here means getting access to some great work opportunities, plus efficient public transport and flexible taxation.

7 - Norway

Norway has actually ranked higher on the list since last year, previously ranking 8th overall. The country’s family-first approach to life and wealth of high-quality housing make it a great place to settle long term.

6 - Sweden

Sweden has also ascended the ranks this year, having previously ranked at 7th. One of the main reasons for this is the country’s relative cleanliness and lack of pollution. The high-quality healthcare and cheap (sometimes free) education doesn’t hurt either!

5 - Netherlands

The Netherlands has stayed strong and steady at 5th place for two years in a row. Benefits of living there include strong social networks, high civic engagement and a stable economy.

4 - Israel

You may be surprised to see Israel on this list, given that it’s a country that often makes the headlines for geopolitical reasons. However, its citizens enjoy great weather all year round, many different food options and exciting travel destinations within its borders. You’ll also feel a strong sense of community here – which seems to be a key component for improving a country’s happiness score!

3 - Iceland

Iceland is another country that’s managed to maintain its ranking of 3rd for the last two years. Another common theme in determining overall happiness seems to be the country’s natural beauty. Citizens of Iceland can enjoy a relative peace that comes from being out in its jaw-dropping scenery. But if that wasn’t enough, they also have access to a healthy work-life balance that means they actually have time to go out and enjoy it!

2 - Denmark

Denmark has also maintained its score of 2nd happiest country in the world. Free healthcare and education, plus extra social benefits for growing families make for a happy community. Denmark also takes care of its public space well, meaning a walk in the park is an enjoyable part of everyday life.

1 - Finland

Finally, at the top of the list for two years in a row is the veritable European paradise, Finland. Finland has all of the usual suspects that we’ve mentioned so far like free education and helpful healthcare. But it also boasts both natural and man-made beauty as its architecture and design truly standout. And when the locals need to de-stress, the sauna culture is there to help them unwind. Not that they often need it – the Finns are a chipper bunch!

Why are the Nordic countries so happy?

The World Happiness Report has been published every year since 2013. And ever since then, five Nordic countries – Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland – have all been in the top 10. This is known as ‘Nordic exceptionalism’.

But this exceptionalism isn’t contained just to the countries’ happiness scores. They also score high in other areas that affect quality of life, such as democracy, political rights, lack of corruption, trust between citizens, gender equality and equal distributions of incomes.

Some of the most prominent explanations for this ease of life include:

• Quality of institutions

• Welfare benefits

• Low corruption

• Well-functioning democracies

• High sense of autonomy and freedom among individuals

• Increased levels of social trust between people

What are some myths about happiness in the Nordic countries?

There are, of course, a few data points that people often use to dispel the idea that the Nordics are truly as happy as they seem. We’ll dive into those myths here:

• Weather - While the weather in the Nordic countries isn’t as nice as in tropical climates, it appears that people adapt to their expected weather patterns.

• High suicide rates - This myth seems to be pinned on outdated science and the rates of suicide in the Nordics are now not especially high.

• Homogenous societies - Today the Nordic countries have been found to be actually quite diverse, with 19% of Sweden being born outside the country.

What effect does immigration have on a country’s happiness?

You may also be heartened to find that, according to the World Happiness Report 2018, the ratio of immigrants within a country has no effect on the happiness of those who are locally-born there.

In fact, ten of the happiest countries in the world  have about 2x the world average of foreign-born populations at roughly 17.2%. And immigrants tend to be as happy as the people born locally. Good news for migrants like you!

Send money abroad with WorldRemit

Wherever you are in the world, the WorldRemit app makes it easy to send money back home to family and friends. Even if you aren’t from one of the happiest countries in the world, you can be heartened by the fact that you are making your community back home a happy place to be, with every money transfer you send.

We’re not suggesting that ‘money can buy happiness’, of course. But the reality is that it can take the edge off of some of life’s biggest stressors: education, housing, food costs and much more. We also aim to make the process of sending and receiving money as simple as possible.

How do we do it, you ask? First by providing four different ways to receive money. Your receiver can get their cash ‘in hand’ via bank transfer, cash pickup, airtime top or mobile money. And our transfers are so quick that they’ll receive their money within the same hour of you sending it.

Check the app out for yourself and let us know how happy you are using it. We are an app built by migrants for migrants because we know that you make a world of difference. Happy days!

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The contents of this blog post does not constitute legal or financial advice and is provided for general information purposes only. If you require specific legal and / or financial advice you should contact a specialist lawyer or financial advisor. Information true at time of publishing.