For the sixth consecutive year, Finland has been named the happiest country by the World Happiness Report with a score that was “significantly” above all other countries.
Australia, on the other hand, has fallen to #12, thereby inching closer and closer to the derisive origins of our nickname: The Lucky Country. Although for what it’s worth, we’re still above Canada (#13), Ireland (#14), the US (#15), as well as the UK (#19).
Determined by an index that considers income (GDP), health (life expectancy), having someone to count on (social support), having a sense of freedom when it comes to key life decisions (human rights), generosity (positive community engagement), and the absence of corruption (government), here’s where other nation in the Top 10 ranked after Finland…
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The World’s Happiest Countries (Top 10)
- Finland
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Israel
- Netherlands
- Sweden
- Norway
- Switzerland
- Luxembourg
- New Zealand
“By any standard, 2022 was a year of crises, including the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine, worldwide inflation, and a range of local and global climate emergencies,” explained the annual report.
“We thus have more evidence about how life evaluations, trust and social connections together influence the ability of nations, and of the world as a whole, to adapt in the face of crisis.”
“Our main analysis relates to happiness as measured by life evaluations and emotions, how they have evolved in crisis situations, and how lives have been better where trust, benevolence, and supportive social connections have continued to thrive.”
“Country rankings this year are based on life evaluations in 2020, 2021, and 2022, so all of the observations are drawn from years of high infection and deaths from COVID-19.”
The other end of the spectrum offers zero surprises. At the very bottom, you have the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan (#137), Lebanon (#136), and Siera Leone (#135), while Ukraine and Russia sit at the 92nd and 70th spots, respectively. The World Happiness Report added in regard to the latter two:
Both countries shared the global increases in benevolence during 2020 and 2021. During 2022, benevolence grew sharply in Ukraine but fell in Russia. Despite the magnitude of suffering and damage in Ukraine, life evaluations in September 2022 remained higher than in the aftermath of the 2014 annexation, supported now by a stronger sense of common purpose, benevolence, and trust in Ukrainian leadership. Confidence in their national governments grew in 2022 in both countries, but much more in Ukraine than in Russia. Ukrainian support for Russian leadership fell to zero in all parts of Ukraine in 2022.
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This revelation comes just months after the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index Report for 2022 indicated Australia had slipped majorly in the rankings.
Assessed by key features such as Stability (25%), Healthcare (20%), Culture & Environment (25%), Education (10%), and Infrastructure (20%), where the 2021 edition had been informed by Aussie domination, this time around, Melbourne was our sole representative within the Top 10 (tied with Osaka, Japan).
“It’s hard to get a table at a restaurant, it’s hard to get a room in a hotel,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews optimistically told reporters at the time.
“The city’s back. We are thriving and Victorians can be very proud of what they’ve achieved.”
The state opposition Matt Bach, on the other hand, was none too impressed by where Melbourne ended up.
“Unsurprising after the world’s longest lockdowns… after the clobbering of small business and our CBD, we’re barely making it into the Top 10,” said the Liberal MP.
Check out the world’s most liveable cities for 2022 below.
The World’s Most Liveable Cities (Top 10)
- Vienna, Austria (99.1)
- Copenhagen, Denmark (98.0)
- Zurich, Switzerland (96.3)
- Calgary, Canada (96.3)
- Vancouver, Canada (96.1)
- Geneva, Switzerland (95.9)
- Frankfurt, Germany (95.7)
- Toronto, Canada (95.4)
- Amsterdam, Netherlands (95.3)
- Melbourne, Australia; Osaka, Japan (95.1)
