Finland has been the happiest country in the world for the last seven years in the World Happiness Report. That means the citizens of Finland are the happiest citizens in the world. Denmark is second, Iceland third and Sweden fourth. The question is why is Finland the happiest country in the world? It is also a country where the cold season lasts for about 200 days. The snowfall is such that people’s life becomes difficult. Weeks pass without seeing the face of the sun. At the same time, the sun shines even around midnight on summer days. But it’s not fair to judge Finland by weather alone. There are many reasons why Finland is considered the happiest country in the world.
The Happiest Country title has been released jointly by American multinational analytics and consulting company Gallup, Oxford University’s Wellbeing Research Center and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. They mainly adopt 6 criteria to choose the happiest country. It includes parameters like per capita income, healthy life expectancy, having someone you can trust, freedom to make decisions in life, generosity and freedom from corruption.
If we talk about healthy and long life, the average age of people in Finland is more than 81 years. Health services here are absolutely free. There is a pension system for everyone after a certain age. Under their social security program, allowances are also provided to the unemployed. Finland spends more than 20 percent of its gross domestic product on these facilities, more than any other European country.
Per capita income in Finland in 2024 is estimated to be US$47,211. Although the high-income class has to pay up to 50 percent tax here, people happily pay. Because tax money is used not only to provide free medical facilities and pensions to tax payers and free education to children but also by those who are unemployed. or who come from relatively low income groups. Facilities like education, health are equal for everyone.
To find out the level of mutual trust between people, 20 wallets were left unclaimed in 20 different places in the city of Helsinki. Out of which 19 were returned to the owner of the wallet.
Gender equality is a big feature here. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2023 report, as of April 2023, 46 percent of women are represented in Finland’s parliament and 40 percent at the municipal level. The status of gender equality is such that men have to devote equal time to housework as women.
The society here is family friendly. There is provision for leave for pregnant women as well as their husbands, which is more than any other country in the world.
Finland is a very beautiful country. It is believed that the beauty, lush green forests and clean climate here also improve people’s lives. However, this is not the only measure. In Finland, famous as the country of a thousand lakes, sauna baths are very popular and are installed in every home.
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