SKI and sauna fans will be unsurprised to hear that Finland is the world’s happiest nation.
The World Happiness Report ranked 156 countries by happiness levels, based on factors such as life expectancy, social support and corruption.
Europe’s Nordic nations have dominated the index since it was first produced in 2012. Finland pipped Norway for the top spot.
Rounding out the top 10 are Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Australia.
Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute, said the happiness revealed in the survey derives from healthy amounts of both personal freedom and social security that outweigh residents having to pay “some of the highest taxes in the world”.
“Briefly put, (Nordic countries) are good at converting wealth into well-being,” Wiking said.
Unlike previous years, the annual report published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network also evaluated 117 countries by the happiness and well-being of their immigrants.
John Helliwell, co-editor of the report, said: “The most striking finding of the report is the remarkable consistency between the happiness of immigrants and the locally born,” he said.
“Those who move to happier countries gain, while those who move to less happy countries lose.”
The UK came in at number 19, one place behind the US.
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