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Finnish people are the happiest - 14th April 2025
Finland is the happiest country in the world for the eighth year, according to the UN's World Happiness Report. It beat its neighbours, Denmark and Sweden. The report is published every year on 20th March, which is International Happiness Day.
The study involves 100,000 people from 140 different countries and it asks them to give a score from 0-10. The questions ask about relationships, and how free and safe people feel in their lives.
This study also showed that being kind is important. People feel happier when they think they can trust others. And the study found that strangers were actually twice as kind as people first believed.
This year, the report also included questions about looking after others. It found that taking care of others made people happy. Simple things like eating together is also key.
A UN representative, Jeffrey D Sachs, said that to be happy people need "trust, kindness and a social connection". These days, in some countries like the US, more and more people are eating alone.
In the first report in 2013, the top 10 countries were western, richer nations but this year, only seven are. And the US has fallen to 24th position, its lowest ever. Perhaps it's time to start putting happiness first.
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