The World Happiness Report has published this year’s winner, and for the ninth year in a row, Finland takes the laurels.
If once is a charm and three times a pattern, then after nine consecutive wins, the rest of the world might want to start paying attention, and perhaps emulate what makes this Northern European country such a consistently happy place.
The report’s rankings are based on data from over 100,000 individuals in more than 140 countries who were asked to rate the quality of their lives on a scale from 0 to 10.
📲 The findings from World Happiness Report 2026, published today, paint a complex global picture of social media and happiness.
— World Happiness Report (@HappinessRpt) March 19, 2026
Explore now. 👇
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Finland has held the top spot since 2018. This year’s top five is broadly similar to last year’s, with one notable, albeit expected change: Costa Rica climbs to fourth place (up from 23rd in 2022). Iceland ranks second, Denmark third, and Sweden fifth.
So what makes Finland so special?
While GDP and social support remain the strongest predictors of happiness, another pattern stands out: countries that rank highly in altruism also tend to rank highly overall. Donations, volunteering and helping strangers are all strongly associated with higher levels of happiness, a finding that is consistently supported by research.
For many Finns, however, the explanation is more intuitive. “I love the fact that Finland is safe and that I can trust the average person here”, Helsinki local Olli Salo told the BBC. “Children walk to school from the age of seven, and you can trust that if someone makes a promise, they will keep it.”
Nature also plays a defining role. ‘”Being able to step outside and reach the sea, a park or a forest for an evening walk within minutes is special”, says Helsinki’s mayor, Daniel Sazonov.
Although taxes are high, the trade-off is high-quality public infrastructure, from transport to education, which removes the ‘everyday stress’ of modern life.
Finland performs strongly across nearly all these indicators. Not only has it secured first place again, but its score has also increased by 0.4 points compared to last year. Of the top ten countries, only Iceland, Costa Rica and Luxembourg have improved their scores, while the others have seen slight declines.
One of the more concerning findings is the decline in happiness among young people in North America (the US is 23rd) and Europe (the UK is 29th, France is 35th, and Portugal is 69th) over the past fifteen years. This period coincides with the rise of social media, whose use among younger teenagers surged dramatically during the global pandemic. Can all of this be attributed to screens?
The report suggests that social media does play a role, particularly among younger users. Heavy use has been linked to an increased number of psychological complaints and lower life satisfaction in all 43 of the countries studied, with the strongest effect observed in Anglo-Celtic countries. Those spending five or more hours online daily, particularly girls, report significantly lower wellbeing, while the highest levels are found among those using it for less than one hour daily.
“We should look at ways to make social media more social again”, says Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an Oxford professor and co-editor of the report.
Australia has already taken action. The country’s landmark ban on social media for under-16s is being watched closely, and next year’s report could reveal whether this bold policy or Nordic winters hold the key to happier, healthier young people.
