11 Happiest Countries in the World

What are the happiest countries in the world? Happiness can be subjective depending on each person but there are definitely common factors that heavily influence happiness. This is especially true when we look at things at a larger scale like in terms of a country. You’ll notice that the happiest countries in the world have similarities which all contribute towards the overall satisfaction. You may not even be aware that you are living in one of those listed here. These countries are probably a few of the best places here on earth.

One of the things that may determine how happy we are in a country is our quality of life. Whether it’s the conditions of the environment, government, policies or just the pure advantage we have over other places, quality of life is definitely a heavy influence for happiness. As such, you’ll find some similarities with this list and the 10 Countries with the Highest Quality of Life Index. Events on a national scale can easily tip a nation’s happiness so it is also an essential part to maintain quality of life as well as lessen any external negative factors.

Insider Monkey has compiled and ranked this list based on the World Happiness Report. The World Happiness Report is a gathering of numerous experts from the Sustainable Development Solutions Network to analyze different factors that affect happiness in a country. These factors include corruption, economy, development, life expectancy, and many more. The numbers you’ll see here are an indication of how far a country is from Dystopia (Dystopia is numbered as 2.1 based on their calculations). Let’s find out more as we go through these 11 happiest countries in the world:

11. Israel

Happiness Index: 7.278

Despite the images and news we might hear with regards to Israel and the neighboring nations, the country continues to experience a high happiness index each year. According to surveys, Israelis continue to express how satisfied they are with their country.

10. Australia

Happiness Index: 7.284

A few of the factors that set Australia really high on the index is their health and employment rates. The country boasts a high employment rate as well as high life expectancy numbers. It is said that people living outside of the metropolis areas tend to be happier.

9. New Zealand

Happiness Index: 7.286

GDP per capita, social support and high life expectancy are just a few of the factors to why New Zealand is ninth in this list. It’s no wonder that development and advancements in New Zealand have been soaring as a result.

8. Sweden

Happiness Index: 7.364

Many Nordic countries are included in this list and Sweden is one of them. Despite not having too much of a big economy compared to other countries, the Swede’s attitude and trust in one another as well as their government is a good indication of how good things are in the country.

7. Netherlands

Happiness Index: 7.378

The Netherlands boasts itself as having a few of the best systems in the world. They consistently rank high in economy, education and many are also attributing the work-life balance and income as what’s keeping citizens very happy.

6. Finland

Happiness Index: 7.406

Whether it is generosity, social support, freedom or even lack of corruption, a combination of great factors make Finland one of the happiest countries in the world. A strong GDP per capita has also helped in this regard.

The happiest of all countries are found as we continue this list of 11 happiest countries in the world.

5. Canada

Happiness Index: 7.427

The good policies and management in Canada has definitely shined through as they ranked fifth in the world. They have even done better this year with a higher happiness index compared to last year’s report.

4. Norway

Happiness Index: 7.522

Norway consistently ranks as one of the strongest economies in the world posting the highest GDP per capita, this coupled with social security and personal freedom ranks it at number four in terms of the happiness in the country.

3. Denmark

Happiness Index: 7.527

Denmark was formerly ranked as the happiest country of the world. Just two countries exceed it now by small margins. Great policies, support for its citizens, equality and environmental concerns are just a few things that set Denmark apart.

2. Iceland

Happiness Index: 7.561

Nordic nations continue to top the happiest countries in the world as Iceland jumps from previously being number 9 to number 2. This goes to show how much progress and development Iceland is seeing in all aspects.

1. Switzerland

Happiness Index: 7.587

Measuring happiness has definitely been revolutionary for countries like Switzerland as it has helped them measure and focus on what things need to be improved. Due to this, they have now become the happiest country in the world.

This has been the list of 11 happiest countries in the world. If you’re looking for quality living then you may want to consider these countries.