1 / 11Happiness means different things to different people. While it can't be measured, happiness can be gauged by the balance of positive and negative emotions, and the feeling of satisfaction. The first World Happiness Report was released in 2012 and, since then, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network has released an annual ranking of the world's happiest nations. This report measures happiness and well-being of people in countries around the world and ranks them based on various factors that contribute to happiness. These include factors such as health, economic prosperity, social support, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and absence of corruption. Let's take a look at the 10 happiest countries in the world. (Image: Reuters)
2 / 1110. New Zealand | New Zealand is one country where people have high institutional trust levels. This is one of the main reasons why New Zealand is at tenth place on this list.
3 / 11No 9. Luxembourg | The average household income in Luxembourg is considerably higher than in many well-known countries. High-income levels translate to higher living standards and this does have an impact on people's happiness. This explains Luxembourg’s ninth rank on the list. (Image: Reuters)
4 / 118. Switzerland | Switzerland is at No. 8 as it consistently outperforms the global average in areas like average income, education, health and environmental quality. Besides, life expectancy in Switzerland is 84.25 years.
5 / 117. Norway – Norwegians display virtues such as a sense of justice, and an ability to form and maintain friendships. Therefore, it isn’t surprising to see Norway at No. 7 on this list.
6 / 116. Sweden | At no 6 is Sweden, which is the second-lowest ranking of the Nordic countries. Interestingly, Sweden was the only Nordic nation that did not suppress community transmission at the beginning of the pandemic.
7 / 115. Netherlands – Netherlands occupies 5th place on this year’s World Happiness Report. The Netherlands saw its position dip slightly in 2020. But the country is in fifth place for the third year in a row.
8 / 114. Israel - Israel is ranked 4th place this year. In the last World Happiness Report, Israel was in 9th place. Israel outperforms many countries when it comes to health, social connections and life satisfaction.
9 / 113. Iceland - People in Iceland are some of the happiest in the world, thanks to the fact that residents have a strong sense of community.
10 / 112. Denmark - Denmark’s high ranking is due to the country’s sense of responsibility for social welfare. Although Danish people pay some of the world’s highest taxes, they also enjoy free healthcare and other high-quality public services. (Image: Upsplash)
11 / 111. Finland - Finland’s astonishing record in the World Happiness Report can be explained by the fact that people are highly likely to get their lost wallets back. (Image: Reuters)
