Ranking the Happiest Places to Live Around the World 🌍

2025 World Happiness Report — Top 12 Happiest Countries

Curious who made the cut this year? Here’s the 2025 lineup:

1. Finland 🇫🇮

2. Denmark 🇩🇰

3. Iceland 🇮🇸

4. Sweden 🇸🇪

5. Netherlands 🇳🇱

6. Costa Rica 🇨🇷

How the World Happiness Report is Compiled

Before we dive into what these countries are doing right, it helps to understand how the rankings are calculated. The World Happiness Report asks a simple question called the Cantril Ladder:

"Imagine a ladder with steps from 0 (the worst possible life) to 10 (the best possible life). Where do you personally feel you stand right now?"

This question allows people to rate their own lives without using complex terms like "happiness" or "well-being." It’s easy to understand in any language.

• Data Source: The Gallup World Poll surveys over 100,000 people in more than 140 countries every year.

• Averaging Period: Scores are averaged over the last three years (e.g., 2022–2024 for the 2025 report).

• Focus: Emphasis is on life satisfaction, providing a more comprehensive picture of well-being than transient emotions.

The World Happiness Report is compiled by the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University, in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and other collaborators. So, when you see Finland topping the charts again, it’s not just good luck—it’s a reflection of their societal structure and values.

Curious what these countries are doing to keep their serotonin levels so suspiciously high? Let’s break it down.

Finland — Where Happiness Grows in Forests and Saunas

Finland is the reigning heavyweight champion of happiness. And their secret weapon? Silence. Long, mossy forest walks, daily coffee breaks that verge on spiritual practice, and saunas that turn stress into steam and send it drifting into the trees. Small talk? Not a thing. Peace and quiet? A national treasure. In Finland, contentment comes from nature, stillness, and knowing your neighbor probably won’t ask about your job.

Denmark — Mastering the Art of Hygge and Design-Driven Chill

If you’ve ever lit a candle and immediately felt like a better person, you’ve already dipped a toe into hygge — Denmark’s cozy, cocoa-fueled answer to life’s chaos. Danes are basically Olympic-level snugglers, whether it’s curling up in a wool blanket, biking to brunch in a rainstorm (smiling), or just sitting in a well-lit room that smells vaguely of pine and minimalism. It's like self-care, but the whole country is in on it.

Iceland — Lava, Legends, and Low-Stress Living

Don’t let the volcanoes and otherworldly landscapes fool you — Iceland might look dramatic, but the vibe is very "let’s all just chill." People are on a first-name basis with everyone, including the president. Nature is therapy, community is key, and elves? Allegedly real. This is a place where elves share space with solid infrastructure, and somehow, it makes perfect sense.

Sweden — Fika, Forests, and a Life in Balance

Sweden knows the art of slowing down. Daily fika (coffee breaks with pastries), government policies that promote work-life balance, and a deep respect for nature all weave together into a society that actually breathes. Add in clean cities, public access to natural spaces, and a culture that values equality and simplicity, and you’ve got the recipe for a quietly joyful life.

Costa Rica — Where Pura Vida Is a Lifestyle, Not a Hashtag

Costa Rica may be number 6 on the list, but we wanted to highlight it because it proves you don't need snow or northern forests to rank high on the happiness scale.

If you're picturing hammocks, plantains, and someone smiling while carrying a surfboard—you’re on the right track. Costa Rica lives and breathes pura vida, which loosely means "pure life" but translates more like: relax, be kind, go outside, and eat that extra empanada. With a deep connection to nature and a national policy of not taking things too seriously, this tropical powerhouse shows that joy can thrive just as easily under palm trees as it does under pine trees.

The Common Threads of Joy

Turns out, real happiness is quieter and way less exhausting than forcing a smile all day. It’s more about the daily rhythm of life—walkable streets, shared meals, moments of quiet, and a culture that actually encourages people to unplug and just... be.

In these countries, joy isn't a goal; it's the default setting. Whether it’s a cinnamon bun in a candlelit kitchen or a swim in a volcanic hot spring, these are places where happiness just sort of... exists. It is settled, steady, and ready to share a park bench with you.

Sit next to a local, and if you ask them why they're smiling, they might just shrug, sip their coffee, and point to the sky. Or some cheese. Or an elf. Who knows? All we know is, it works.