this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2025
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Finland is named the happiest country in the world for the eighth year in a row, according to the World Happiness Report 2025 published Thursday.

Other Nordic countries are also once again at the top of the happiness rankings in the annual report published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. Besides Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden remain the top four and in the same order.

Country rankings were based on answers people give when asked to rate their own lives. The study was done in partnership with the analytics firm Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

When it comes to decreasing happiness — or growing unhappiness —the United States has dropped to its lowest-ever position at 24, having previously peaked at 11th place in 2012. The report states that the number of people dining alone in the United States has increased 53% over the past two decades.

Nation Table

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[–] Revan343@lemmy.ca 210 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] ours@lemmy.world 24 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)
[–] Krik@lemmy.dbzer0.com 183 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Can relate. Am I secretly a Finlandian?

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 54 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

Thats hilarious. I love that about finnish people, its a no bullshit country. Say what you mean, do what you say.

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[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 126 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Here's an old Finnish joke:

Why are people in Finland the happiest people on Earth?
Because all the sad people have killed themselves.

[–] Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 27 points 1 week ago (3 children)

It sucks that we still have that reputation abroad. We're doing a lot better in that front. Also at least 2019 and 2016 our suicide rate was actually lower than the US, where a lot of these jokes come from (I was pretty surprised)

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[–] arakhis_@feddit.org 87 points 1 week ago (3 children)

“Happiness isn’t just about wealth or growth — it’s about trust, connection and knowing people have your back,” said Jon Clifton, the CEO of Gallup. “If we want stronger communities and economies, we must invest in what truly matters: each other.”

Damn that was very well said

[–] derpgon@programming.dev 34 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Going out without worrying about getting robbed, killed, eating food that's gonna upset your tummy because someone neglected health regulations, slipping on a turd on the sidewalk someone deliberately didn't clean up after their dog, overpaying for stuff, getting fucked by the government (be it taxes, inflation, stupid rules).

Yet politicians getting paid in cold hard cash for approving overpriced shit so some wealthy fuck can fill his pockets even more.

We could constructing a Dyson sphere if it wasn't for fuckers that siphon the money that could be used to improve everyone's life.

[–] Ragnor@feddit.dk 18 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Well, the taxes we have here in Denmark are quite high. We either have the fourth highest rate of tax compared to GDP or the highest, depending on which source you go by. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_tax_revenue_to_GDP_ratio

The thing is just that taxes means that the money gets spent directly on improving the lives of the people who live here, instead of people having to buy stuff like health care through companies that skim off the top, and who uses the money you pay them to employ people who try to find ways to not help you.

Taxes helps ensure that everything runs efficiently. A healthier population who are more productive, infrastructure that prevents disruptions to business and daily lives alike, and ensuring that people don't have to resort to crime if they lose their job or get ill. Crime is another source of inefficiency that gets significantly reduced.

Everything helps ensure that the average person is in a much better state of mind, and mood is contagious - even those who pay the most benefit off of it, and pretty much everyone here agrees that it's money well spent.

In Danish politics, even the right wing would be considered leftists in the US - we have a lot of political parties (16 in parliament, with 4 of them being from the Faeroe Islands or Greenland).

[–] derpgon@programming.dev 2 points 6 days ago

I'd gladly pay more taxes if it meant improving the wellbeing of overyone. The right (as we called it) would be considered left a decade ago as well (today, not sso much).

So jealous of those whose government isn't a piece of shit good-for-nothing bunch of scum.

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[–] MyOpinion@lemm.ee 84 points 1 week ago (3 children)

It is like being a Nazi does not make you happy. Imagine that.

[–] Embargo@lemm.ee 72 points 1 week ago (5 children)

I dunno, man. Israel being 8th is pretty fucked up.

[–] LNRDrone@sopuli.xyz 23 points 1 week ago

Maybe it's more of a oh shit I have to appear happy with everything or the Israel gestapo will get me kind of thing. The human element on these things means there's always some amount of bending the truth or out right bullshit in the data they use for this.

[–] evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago

If you had a territory where you could sort mostly the wealthy people into one "country" and mostly the poor people into another "country", you could make one really happy and one really sad country.

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[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 61 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Back in 1960, the US minimum wage was $1.00/hour and the average US home was $11,000.00

In 'Hell's Angels' Hunter Thompson had a chapter about the economics of being a biker/hippie/artist circa 1970. Six months of a full time Union job as a stevedore paid enough for a biker to hit the road for two years. A part time waitress could afford to support herself and her musician boyfriend.

Of course people were happy here.

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[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 59 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

I don't get how Finland managed to push Denmark to 2nd place?? 🤔
We have way more bacon and beer than they do. 🥓🥓 🍻🍻
Look I even had enough beer and bacon to share it with EVERYBODY on the internet!!

Anyways congrats to our Finish brothers. 👍 😀

[–] random_character_a@lemmy.world 33 points 1 week ago (2 children)

🥓🥓Maybe🍻🍻, but we have 🍸vodka🍸 and russian drinking habbits. All the sad people are dead.

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[–] vga@sopuli.xyz 18 points 1 week ago

We all decided to lie on the questionnaire just to screw over you guys and especially Sweden.

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[–] MacStache@sopuli.xyz 55 points 1 week ago (10 children)

We are the happiest because we don't give a fuck. Today I took my bike to work and slipped on some ice. Hurt my back a bit. What I did was yell "PERKELE!" and just go on my merry way. Work was shit but what can you do.

Best day of my life.

[–] TorJansen@sh.itjust.works 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Any culture built on keeping yer yap shut is always bound to have less trouble. My Finn friend just nodded in agreement. Haven't heard him speak a full sentence in years...

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[–] quetzaldilla@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I love people from Finland.

You are all like seals, letting the bad vibes roll off your back.

Also, always nibbling on fish.

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[–] rickdg@lemmy.world 51 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Damn socialists with their happiness. If my neighbour is happy, it makes me mad /s

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 32 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

conservatives: "Socialism Bad!"

"Then why are socialist countries like Norway and Finland (and many similar countries) having a higher quality of life?"

conservatives: "That's not Socialism!"

"Great, why don't we switch to whatever that system is?"

conservatives: "😡😡😡"

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 24 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You joke, but this is literally how the average American thinks.

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[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 34 points 1 week ago (1 children)
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[–] taiyang@lemmy.world 33 points 1 week ago

That's what you get when everyone has a sauna.

And yes, many homes have it and one thing my Finnish friend does is sauna up and then jump in the snow. That'll wake you up.

[–] MisterOwl@lemmy.world 24 points 1 week ago (6 children)

My paternal grandparents were both Finnish immigrants. Do I have a path to citizenship? Please say yes, I would like to leave the 4th Reich as soon as possible.

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[–] yarr@feddit.nl 24 points 1 week ago (2 children)

One of the problems with America is if you ask people on the street who's the happiest country in the world, a good chunk will answer America and not believe this result. I've always said the problem with being #1 (or thinking you are) is that you don't work very hard to improve.

One metric America leads the world in: self-delusion regarding its own performance in every area. How many people say America leads in math, science, health? Don't get me wrong, in a lot of categories the US is top 20, but very few where we actually are #1. Until this attitude is fixed, we're not going to see real improvement. RAH RAH RAH USA #1 is nice to whip up a crowd at a rally, but it's not good for positive ongoing change.

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[–] allo@sh.itjust.works 23 points 1 week ago (1 children)

meanwhile, in America...

"oooh, unhappiness? how dreadfully monetizeable!"

starts big pharma antidepressants corporation

[–] HappySkullsplitter@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago

How shitty are things in India when...

[–] ouch@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago

As a finn, I can confirm I'm the happiest person in the world for the whole week it's sunny and doesn't rain during the summer!

Suomen kesä on kaunis ja vähäluminen.

Also, if you make it through the darkness of November alive, you must have built so much mental resiliency that rest of the year is walk in the park regardless of what happens.

[–] AlienContact2049@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 week ago

The US shot itself in the foot and now it's pointed at it's face.

[–] Azal@pawb.social 18 points 1 week ago (3 children)

US here.

I'm betting we'll be outright giddy this year compared to next year.

[–] Tja@programming.dev 22 points 1 week ago

I don't think so. Next year being sad will be illegal.

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[–] CalipherJones@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago

The dining alone hits. The lack of community is palpable in corporate America.

[–] LNRDrone@sopuli.xyz 16 points 1 week ago (6 children)

I'm convinced Finns have just found a way to troll this somehow. Not that Finland isn't great and all, but it just makes more sense.

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