(Helsinki) For the sixth consecutive year, Finland snagged the spot on Monday as the world’s happiest country in an annual UN-sponsored index that found kindness is up sharply in Ukraine but falling in Russia.
The World Happiness Report is a measure of happiness published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network every year since 2012.
In Ukraine, despite the “extensive suffering and damage” after the Russian invasion in 2022, there is “a much stronger sense of common purpose, kindness and trust in Ukrainian leadership” than in the aftermath of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, Professor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, one of the report’s writers, was quoted in a statement as saying.
In 2022, “kindness rose sharply in Ukraine but fell in Russia,” he found, referring to acts like helping a stranger or making a donation.
While Ukraine’s ranking has fallen from 98 to 92 since the previous year’s report — which was completed before the Russian invasion — its overall score has fallen from 5.084 to 5.071, on a scale of zero to 10. .
The only new country among the 20 countries on the happiest list, Lithuania has moved up to 20th – leaving France at 21st – while Estonia’s ranking has fallen from 66th in 2017 to 31st in 2023.
Despite the Ukraine and COVID-19 crises, “various forms of everyday kindness, such as helping a stranger, donating to charity and volunteering, are above pre-pandemic levels” globally for the second year consecutively, said Professor Lara Aknin, another author of the report.
Afghanistan scarred by decades of war, which has been last on the annual index since 2020, has seen its humanitarian crisis worsen since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of troops led by the Taliban. UNITED STATES.
The World Happiness Report, first published in 2012, is based on people’s assessment of their happiness, as well as economic and social data. The report considers six key factors: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity and freedom from corruption. It assigns a satisfaction score based on an average of data over a three-year period.
This year, Northern Europe once again dominated the top spots — with Denmark ranked second behind Finland, followed by Iceland. The fourth position went to Israel, up five places from last year.
