“Surprisingly there was not, on average, a decline in well-being when measured by people’s own evaluation of their lives,” co-author John Helliwell of the University of British Columbia said in a statement. “One possible explanation is that people see COVID-19 as a common, outside threat affecting everybody and that this has generated a greater sense of solidarity and fellow-feeling.” Nevertheless, the report shows the major differences in how individual countries have responded emotionally to very similar problems. Read on to find out the top 10 happiest countries in the world, which were each ranked on a scale of 0 to 10, and for more rankings close to home, check out The Most Dangerous Small Town in America, According to Data. Happiness score: 7.213 The country dropped one spot since the 2017-2019 report, moving from 9 to 10. Happiness score: 7.257 The Kiwis also fell a bit since the last World Happiness Report, dropping from 8 to 9. Happiness score: 7.290 This Scandinavian country seems to be slipping slightly in terms of happiness, moving from the fifth spot to the eighth. Happiness score: 7.312 The people of Germany seem much happier these days, making a huge shift from 15th to seventh in terms of happiness. Happiness score: 7.314 Swedish people have gotten a little more smiley recently, moving up from the seventh spot to the sixth. Happiness score: 7.504 Like the Swedes, the Dutch are making their way up, moving from sixth happiest worldwide to fifth. Happiness score: 7.508 Switzerland fell back one spot since the last ranking, from third to fourth, to make room for a new entry in the top 3. Happiness score: 7.515ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb The Danish people also became slightly less happy it seems, losing their runner-up spot and getting the bronze for global happiness. Happiness score: 7.575 Iceland made some moves this year, shifting from fourth to second, ahead of its Nordic neighbor and Switzerland. Happiness score: 7.889 Finland is holding on to the top spot as the happiest country in the world, a position that it has held since 2017. For the full list, which includes the U.S., click here. And for more on the part of the U.S. that’s far from happy, find out The Angriest State in America, According to Data.
