Happiness Level

The World Happiness Report, supported by the United Nations, aims to measure levels of happiness to identify factors contributing to well-being and sustainable development of nations. Key criteria considered in forming the ranking include a country's economic potential (GDP per capita), quality of healthcare (life expectancy), level of freedom and safety, as well as social aspects such as public trust in the government and its policies.

The happiness index also incorporates survey results from residents of various countries about their own happiness experiences. This data is collected by the Gallup International Research Center. This dual approach allows for consideration of both objective statistical data and subjective perceptions of well-being from residents of different countries.

Country rankings by happiness level in 2024

Rank		Happiness level	Level of social progress
1	Finland	7.8	90.46
2	Denmark	7.59	90.54
3	Iceland	7.53	89.54
4	Israel	7.47	83.17
5	Sweden	7.4	89.42
6	Netherlands	7.4	88.97
7	Norway	7.32	90.74
8	Switzerland	7.24	90.26
9	Luxembourg	7.23	87.48
10	New Zealand	7.12	87.26
11	Australia	7.1	87.83
12	Austria	7.1	88.05
13	Canada	6.96	88.17
14	Ireland	6.91	87.69
15	Germany Freelance visa Work visa The Blue Card The Chance Card Study visa Career Counseling Career support	6.89	88.72
16	United States	6.89	84.65
17	Belgium	6.86	87.22
18	Czechia	6.85	85.19
19	United Kingdom	6.8	86.13
20	Lithuania	6.76	83.71
21	France	6.66	86.07
22	Slovenia	6.65	84.19
23	Costa Rica	6.61	80.65
24	Romania	6.59	76.89
25	Singapore	6.59	83.76
26	United Arab Emirates	6.57	70.70
27	Taiwan	6.54	-
28	Uruguay	6.49	80.27
29	Slovakia	6.47	81.29
30	Saudi Arabia	6.46	63.89
31	Estonia	6.46	86.16
32	Spain Visa Digital Nomad Startup Visa Study visa Financially Independent Residence Permit	6.44	85.35
33	Italy Visa Digital Nomad Study visa	6.41	85.23
34	Kosovo (Disputed Territory)	6.37	-
35	Mexico	6.33	70.84
36	Chile	6.33	80.78
37	Malta	6.3	84.52
38	Panama	6.27	74.02
39	Nicaragua	6.26	60.23
40	Poland	6.26	80.17
41	Latvia	6.21	82.46
42	Bahrain	6.17	66.09
43	Guatemala	6.15	60.21
44	Serbia Business Residence Permit	6.14	75.80
45	Kazakhstan	6.14	71.21
46	Cyprus	6.13	83.18
47	Brazil	6.13	71.26
48	Japan	6.13	88.19
49	Croatia Visa Digital Nomad	6.13	82.32
50	El Salvador	6.12	64.42
51	Hungary Visa Digital Nomad Business Residence Permit	6.04	78.21
52	Argentina	6.02	78.64
53	Honduras	6.02	61.17
54	Uzbekistan	6.01	66.12
55	Malaysia	6.01	74.08
56	Portugal Visa Digital Nomad Financially Independent Residence Permit Freelance visa Study visa Startup visa	5.97	84.75
57	South Korea	5.95	86.47
58	Greece	5.93	82.44
59	Mauritius	5.9	75.44
60	Thailand	5.84	69.80
61	Mongolia	5.84	67.21
62	Kyrgyzstan	5.83	67.23
63	China	5.82	65.74
64	Moldova	5.82	74.19
65	Vietnam	5.76	68.18
66	Paraguay	5.74	68.96
67	Montenegro Visa Digital Nomad Business Residence Permit	5.72	74.64
68	Jamaica	5.7	73.48
69	Bolivia	5.68	67.15
70	Russia	5.66	71.99
71	Bosnia & Herzegovina	5.63	71.23
72	Colombia	5.63	69.83
73	Dominican Republic	5.57	69.76
74	Ecuador	5.56	71.75
75	Peru	5.53	70.70
76	Philippines	5.52	67.46
77	Bulgaria Business Residence Permit	5.47	76.81
78	Nepal	5.36	59.39
79	Armenia	5.34	74.78
80	Algeria	5.33	65.59
81	Tajikistan	5.33	56.05
82	Hong Kong SAR China	5.31	-
83	Indonesia	5.28	66.67
84	Albania	5.28	74.12
85	South Africa	5.28	69.95
86	North Macedonia	5.25	72.74
87	Venezuela	5.21	58.62
88	Laos	5.11	51.17
89	Georgia	5.11	74.43
90	Ukraine	5.07	74.17
91	Guinea	5.07	42.41
92	Côte d’Ivoire	5.05	54.01
93	Gabon	5.04	62.18
94	Nigeria	4.98	52.97
95	Cameroon	4.97	51.40
96	Mozambique	4.95	48.27
97	Iraq	4.94	56.82
98	Palestinian Territories	4.91	65.19
99	Morocco	4.9	64.04
100	Iran	4.88	63.72
101	Senegal	4.86	57.70
102	Mauritania	4.72	46.60
103	Burkina Faso	4.64	49.83
104	Namibia	4.63	62.00
105	Turkey Visa Digital Nomad	4.61	66.59
106	Ghana	4.61	64.80
107	Pakistan	4.56	51.32
108	Tunisia	4.5	69.77
109	Niger	4.5	43.14
110	Kenya	4.49	57.96
111	Sri Lanka	4.44	69.22
112	Uganda	4.43	49.34
113	Chad	4.4	34.69
114	Cambodia	4.39	55.71
115	Benin	4.37	55.59
116	Myanmar (Burma}	4.37	51.46
117	Bangladesh	4.28	56.06
118	Gambia	4.28	54.68
119	Mali	4.2	46.93
120	Egypt	4.17	58.73
121	Togo	4.14	51.58
122	Jordan	4.12	67.32
123	Ethiopia	4.09	47.43
124	India	4.04	60.19
125	Liberia	4.04	49.03
126	Madagascar	4.02	47.07
127	Zambia	3.98	52.07
128	Tanzania	3.69	54.87
129	Comoros	3.55	52.11
130	Malawi	3.5	54.29
131	Botswana	3.44	65.89
132	Congo - Kinshasa	3.21	42.70
133	Zimbabwe	3.2	52.17
134	Sierra Leone	3.14	50.48
135	Lebanon	2.39	66.48
136	Afghanistan	1.86	37.34
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Top 10 countries with the highest level of happiness

The index of the happiest countries largely overlaps with the ratings of human freedom, social progress, country security and even air cleanliness. All these factors have a significant role in human happiness.

The happiest people live in Finland, which scored 7.8 points in the index. This is due to the high level of social support, the quality of education and healthcare, the low level of corruption and the high level of trust among citizens. Finns also value work-life balance highly and enjoy their vast natural resources by regularly relaxing in nature with family and friends.

Denmark is in second place (7.59) with a high level of social security, accessibility of public services, high confidence in public institutions and a developed healthcare system. Danes are also famous for their ability to find pleasure in simple things and live in harmony with nature.

Iceland (7.53) is in third place in the index, due to excellent social well-being, virtually no corruption and a high level of tolerance. Strong social support and natural beauty are also important factors in Icelandic happiness.

Israel is in fourth place (7.47), where a stable economy, high-quality healthcare and broad access to education are combined with a strong family structure and a sense of community among citizens, thanks to common Jewish traditions.

The next favorites of the happiness index are Sweden (7.4), the Netherlands (7.4), Norway (7.32), Switzerland (7.24), Luxembourg (7.23) and New Zealand (7.12).

Given that happiness is directly related to the balance between work and personal life, among others, Spain offers excellent conditions for the realization of this balance through a special digital nomad visa program. This opportunity allows you to live comfortably and work remotely among the picturesque Spanish landscapes, enjoying the rich culture and Mediterranean climate. Learn more about how Spain can become a happy new place on the page dedicated entirely to the freelancer visa.

Top 10 countries with the lowest level of happiness

The most unhappy country in the ranking is Afghanistan (1.86 points). The low level of happiness in Afghanistan is due to the ongoing war, high levels of corruption, lack of stability, and insufficient health and education. It is followed by Lebanon (2,39), where the difficult economic and political situation, high unemployment, instability and lack of social guarantees lead to a low level of well-being of the population. And the third country where citizens live very hard is Sierra Leone (3.14): the country is struggling with the consequences of civil war, poverty, corruption and low level of medical services, which significantly reduces the quality of life.

This is followed by countries such as Zimbabwe (3.2), Congo-Kinshasa (3.21), Botswana (3.44), Malawi (3.5), Comoros (3.55), Tanzania (3.69) and Zambia (3.98). In all these countries, there are now significant economic difficulties, high levels of poverty and lack of access to medicine and education, as well as long-term military conflicts and high inflation.

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