site.btaFinland Tops List as Happiest Country, Bulgaria among Countries with Most Progress

Finland has consolidated its position as the happiest country for the seventh consecutive year, according to a report published on Tuesday under the auspices of the United Nations.

Serbia, Bulgaria, and Latvia are the countries with the largest increase in their index for the period 2021-2024, compared to the period 2006-2010. The biggest improvement is in Serbia followed by Bulgaria, which remains in 81st place, with young people being the happiest (which is not true in many countries).
The World Happiness Report is a measure of happiness published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network every year since 2012. It is based on people's assessment of their happiness as well as economic and social data.

The biggest decline since 2006-2010 was recorded in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Jordan. Afghanistan, which has been engulfed in humanitarian disaster since the Taliban returned to power in 2020, ranks last out of 143 countries.

At the top of the global ranking are the Scandinavian countries, followed by Denmark, Iceland and Sweden. Among the leading powers in the EU, Germany is in 24th place and France in 27th place. Germany and the US are not in the top 20 for the first time in over 10 years, with the US being in 23rd place.

The annual report highlights a stronger sense of happiness among younger generations than older generations in most, but not all, regions. From 2006-2010, the index decreased dramatically among people under the age of 30 in North America, Australia and New Zealand, and is now lower than among older people in those regions.

On the other hand, over the same period it has increased in all age groups in Eastern Europe.

The generation gap has widened everywhere in the world, with the exception of Europe, which the authors of the report consider "alarming".