Finland Tops UN Happiness Report for 6th Year, India Ranks 126th
Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world for the sixth consecutive year, according to the annual United Nations-sponsored index. The index assesses people’s own assessment of their happiness, along with economic and social data, and assigns a happiness score based on an average of data over a three-year period. The report considers six key factors, including social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption. With its extensive welfare system, high trust in authorities, and low levels of inequality among its 5.5 million inhabitants, Finland emerged as the top-ranked country on the list.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s ranking improved from 98 to 92 this year, despite the Russian invasion. The report recognised “acts of kindness” growing in the country, with an “extraordinary rise in fellow feeling across Ukraine” despite the “magnitude of suffering and damage” since the 2022 invasion. The report also cited a “much stronger sense of common purpose, benevolence, and trust in Ukrainian leadership” than after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
India, on the other hand, was ranked 126th of the 137 countries on the list. Last year, India was ranked 136. India’s ranking was below neighbours China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The report highlights the need for economic and social improvements in India to increase the overall happiness of its citizens.
Northern Europe dominated the top spots, with Denmark in second place followed by Iceland. Israel occupied the fourth position, up five spots from last year. While the same countries typically top the list each year, Baltic countries are rising rapidly towards Western European levels, the authors said.
The report also revealed that war-scarred Afghanistan, which has occupied the bottom spot on the table since 2020, saw its humanitarian crisis deepen since the Taliban government took power in 2021 following the US-led military pullout. India at 126 India was ranked 126th on the report, below neighbours China, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Last year, India was ranked 136.
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