These are the happiest countries in the world

You can’t buy happiness, but you can visit the world’s happiest countries.  

Each year the World Happiness Report ranks countries based on the "life evaluations" of more than 100,000 global survey respondents. The report is partnership between the University of Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, Gallup, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and independent editorial board members, according to its website. 

On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 representing the worst possible life for themselves and 10 being the best, respondents are asked to state where they see themselves on issues like freedom, inequality, positive and negative emotions, and healthy life expectancy.

“Many people think of happiness as a positive emotional state, associated with smiling, laughing, and feeling good. ... However, people often use happiness to describe their assessments and judgements too," according to the report’s website, which noted the last three years of responses are taken into account for rankings. “We care about both of these aspects.” 

This year, all but one of the six happiest countries are Nordic, and nearly all of the top 10 are in Europe, according to findings published March 19. 

What is the happiest country in the world?  

For the ninth year in a row, Finland is the happiest country in the world. 

Top 10 happiest countries 

1. Finland 
2. Iceland 
3. Denmark 
4. Costa Rica 
5. Sweden 
6. Norway 
7. Netherlands 
8. Israel 
9. Luxembourg 
10. Switzerland 

Do US citizens need a visa to visit Finland? 

U.S. citizens do not need a tourist visa to visit Finland, according to the U.S. State Department.  

The same goes for the other European countries in the top 10 for stays under 90 days and Costa Rica for stays under 180 days. 

Of the 10 happiest countries, only Israel requires a visa or Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA-IL). 

However, starting in late 2026, European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) approval will be required for visa-exempt travel to 30 European countries, including Finland, though an exact start date hasn’t been announced. 

What is the US ranked in happiness? 

The United States came in 23rd on the report, two spots above Canada.  

Is Mexico happier than the US? 

According to the World Happiness Report, yes. Mexico is ranked 12th this year.