This Country Has Been the Happiest in the World for Three Years in a Row

Amidst the global coronavirus pandemic, the United Nation’s happiness report published its 2020 edition two months back. And like in the previous two years, Finland is still smiling.

Finland’s hesitation to back off from the top position in the list has poked the curiosity of lawmakers and politicians worldwide. If you are not familiar with the happiness report of the UN, here is what you should know; the happiness report is an annual publication of the United Nations sustainable development solutions network. It contains, along with many articles, a ranking on the happiness of countries.

The ranking is based on six areas of life satisfaction, namely, income (GDP per capita), healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust, and generosity. Obviously, even the UN can’t claim this rating to be 100% accurate. But if a country can top the list for 3 consecutive years, and that too competing with more than 150 countries, well — they must be doing something right, right? Here are some of the reasons I think that propelled Finland into the top spot of the happiness report.

Contrary to the popular belief, Finns weren’t happy from the very beginning of time. Actually, Finland has seen its worst days not too long ago. Finland had witnessed a massive famine affecting 10% of its whole population, and a destructive civil war that took away a lot of lives. By the end of World War II in the year 1945, Finland was among the poorest countries in Europe. But even after this, the country could bounce back. This transformation of Finland actually is a beacon of hope. This means that any country, if provided with the right tools and conditions are potent to be happier.

One of the first things that you would notice about Finland is its extensive healthcare system. The average life expectancy in Finland is 78 for men and 84 for women, which is high above the international standard. The healthcare system is not the only contributing factor to the health status of Finns. The quality of the food they eat, the general climate, hygiene, lifestyle, all deserves a shout out. Even the novel coronavirus pandemic that is destroying the economic stability of some of the world’s most developed countries couldn’t as severely affect the Finnish population. The current COVID update in Finland claims a 94% recovery rate with about 5000 confirmed cases.

Whether a country is poor or rich is considered when ranking happiness. But it isn’t the only vote that goes into the bank. Finland is the richest country in the world, but it has a very stable economic foundation and the wealth gap between the extremities are low compared to many other countries. Whereas, America, even with the largest GDP rates in the world isn’t even in the first 10 ranks.

Another feature of Finns that makes them happier is probably their generosity. Almost half of the population either donate or volunteer for charity once every month. And even the immigrants tend to be more generous after settling in the country. This surely supports the age-old view that happiness is in giving, not in taking.

The social support network in the country is also amazing. There are numerous charitable societies and communities that provide constant support to the less fortunate, apart from the government departments that are ever ready to lend a hand. The government of Finland also provides a lot of free basic services for its people. This might not be rare, but those services being of high quality- well, that is rare. The work environment in the country also has a story of its own.

Finland is probably one of the healthiest countries in terms of work-life balance. Both the father and mother receive paid parental leaves, which leads to a lot of positive outcomes. One, having both the male and female counterparts to take some time off ensures gender equality in the work environment. Two, this allows fathers to spend more time with the family as well, consequently creating a better childhood for their kids. And three, it takes off the pressure of continuous and frequent work.

October 13 is considered as the international day of failure. This special day has its origin in Finland. And it gives out an important message; ‘without the possibility of failure there is no success, and occasional failures are therefore okay’. This is the general attitude of Finns. Yes, there are industrious and competent. But they always find it in themselves to not cross the line. The story of Finland teaches us that it is more about our attitude than the physical attributes that lead to a happier life.