Finland world's happiest country, Nordic nations dominate
Christian Fernsby ▼ | March 19, 2021
Finland has been ranked the world's happiest nation in a new study.Article continues below
Topics: FINLAND
Nordic countries dominated the the World Happiness Report in the year of the pandemic, with Finland, Iceland and Denmark taking the top three spots while Sweden was sixth and Norway eighth.
Finland's death rate from COVID-19 is the lowest in the EU and the country scored highly on measures of freedom, healthy lifestyles and social solidarity - while New Zealand was also in the top ten after virtually stamping out transmission of the virus.
Researchers said Finland had come top in a 'lamentable year' partly because it has always ranked highly on measures of the 'mutual trust' needed to combat Covid-19.
The Finnish government hailed the country's victory on Twitter today after the nation of 5.5million topped the poll for the fourth year running.
Iceland, which has also escaped fairly lightly from the pandemic, jumped three places to come second, overtaking Denmark which came third.
The five Nordic countries, also including Sweden and Norway, have all been in the top ten of the World Happiness Reports's surveys every year since 2013.
The study last year credited 'extensive welfare benefits, low corruption, and well-functioning democracy and state institutions' with the Nordic nations' success.
They were joined in the top ten by their European neighbours Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria, as well as New Zealand.
The Pacific nation has been widely celebrated abroad after recording just 26 deaths from Covid-19 - although it actually dropped one place from eighth to ninth.
Israel, Australia, Ireland, the United States and Canada came just outside the top ten, with the US climbing two places despite a year of tumult.
But the UK dropped five places to 18th, after Britons' average 'life evaluation' dropped from a score of 7.17 to 6.80 out of ten. ■ What to read next
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