On the International Day of Happiness, March 20, the annual Happiness Index was published. An overview of almost all countries in the world, many of which European countries score quite high. Yet Spain has again dropped in this ranking this year.
Worldwide, the International Day of Happiness is celebrated on March 20. On June 28, 2012, the United Nations decided that things could be a bit more cheerful. Thus, this day was officially celebrated for the first time in 2013. According to the UN, we should pay more attention to being happier on this day and propagate this more.
Spain drops again on the Happiness Index
On Monday, March 20, it was that time again, but it appears that the Spaniards feel less happy than before. At least, according to the article of the Spanish newspaper Onda Cero, Spain is falling again on the Happiness Index.
For the sixth consecutive year, Finland tops the list of happiest countries, whereas Spain only reached number 32 on the list. According to the American research and consultancy Gallup Institute, which compiles this happiness index annually, the war in Ukraine, rising housing costs and the corona pandemic are the main causes of the decline in the happiness level of the Spaniards.
Countries are ranked on several components, such as;
- support from family and friends
- income
- health
- freedom
- generosity
- level of corruption in a country or society
As mentioned, Finland is in first place with a score of 7.8. The Netherlands is in fifth place and Belgium is in seventeenth place. Spain, in 32nd place, scores just one tenth lower than last year with 6.4 points. The UK and Ireland are also both “happier” than Spain on 6.8 and 6.9 respectively.
These countries are the happiest
Other countries that score high in this index are Denmark, Iceland, Israel, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg and New Zealand. At the bottom of this Happiness Index, Afghanistan, with a score of 1.9, Lebanon, Sierra Leone and some other African countries are mentioned. Check out the full list of the happiest countries of 2023 here.
Experts agree that the countries considered “lucky” have responded with great resilience to recent challenges such as the pandemic and inflation.
