Finland is the happiest country in the world for the fourth year in a row as Europe dominates the top 10, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a newly released global study.
The World Happiness Report uses seven measurements for its results: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, perceptions of corruption and Dystopia (or an imaginary country that has the world’s least happy people).
Finland, which has one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the European Union, scored highly on healthy life expectancy and levels of social support, while its fellow Nordic countries Denmark, Norway and Sweden also made it into the top seven happiest countries in the world.
The only non-European country to make the top 10 was New Zealand, where a quick COVID-19 response led to relatively few fatalities and has been lauded by countries across the world.