The Nordic countries of Finland, Denmark, and Iceland once again topped the list of the happiest countries in the world, while the United States failed to recover from last year’s historic drop out of the top 20, the Gallup World Happiness Report revealed.
The countries that rank in the upper echelons of joy are “not surprising,” to Julie Ray, Gallup’s managing editor for world news.
“Finland, in particular, has a lack of inequality,” she told Quartz. “Strong safety nets and relatively strong economies are characteristic of the top of the list.”
A strong economy, however, is not enough to guarantee the happiness of a country’s citizens. The United States, which ranked 24th in the world, was one of several wealthy, industrialized nations that has seen a decrease in overall happiness. Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Canada have all experienced noticeable declines – while less affluent countries like Mexico and Costa Rica rank among the happiest in the world.
“This year’s report quantifies the human elements of life that are often hard to measure,” said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, in a statement. “These findings push us to look beyond traditional determinants like health and wealth and encourage people to get back around the table together.”
The Gallup analysis suggests that people in Latin American countries are especially happy, relative to their countries’ gross domestic products, because of the close social and familial ties which exist in their cultures.
Living with four to five people and sharing meals with others, for example, are both considered optimal for overall happiness. In less affluent countries, like Mexico, bigger households are more common than in Europe or the United States – which could counterbalance a relative lack of wealth.
“Although income does play a big role in people’s life evaluations, it’s not just money that explains why people are happy,” Ray said.
In fact, this year’s Gallup report places special emphasis on themes of “sharing and caring” as significant factors in the overall happiness of individuals and entire countries. So-called “deaths of despair” – which are deaths linked to suicide or drug and alcohol use – are less common in countries where people frequently engage in benevolent acts.
“If you’re giving to others by donating your time, donating your money, or even helping a stranger, that improves your wellbeing,” said Ray. “You’re giving to somebody else, but you’re getting happiness in return.”
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