The world’s happiest countries for 2022

(CNN) — Devastating lack of life and rising uncertainty have the world very a lot on edge, however there’s a bit of excellent information for humanity: Benevolence is surging globally.

That is one of many key findings of the World Happiness Report, a publication of the UN Sustainable Growth Options Community that attracts on international survey knowledge from individuals in about 150 international locations.

Marking its tenth anniversary, the report seems to be at happiness all over the world — the happiest nations, these on the very backside of the happiness scale and all the pieces in between, plus the components that are likely to result in larger happiness.

And with two years of Covid-19 pandemic knowledge on the books, the report has uncovered one thing surprising.

Donating to charity, serving to a stranger and volunteering are all up, “particularly the assistance to strangers in 2021, relative to both earlier than the pandemic or 2020, by a really great amount in all areas of the world,” stated Helliwell, who’s a professor emeritus on the Vancouver College of Economics, College of British Columbia.

The worldwide common of the three measures jumped by about 25% in 2021 in contrast with pre-pandemic ranges, the report says.

And benevolence is actually prime of thoughts because the world responds to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However earlier than entering into how that more and more international battle might affect happiness, let us take a look at international locations the place the sensation was considerable in 2021.

World’s happiest nation is Nordic

For the fifth yr in a row, Finland is the world’s happiest nation, in keeping with World Happiness Report rankings primarily based largely on life evaluations from the Gallup World Ballot.

The Nordic nation and its neighbors Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland all rating very properly on the measures the report makes use of to clarify its findings: wholesome life expectancy, GDP per capita, social assist in occasions of hassle, low corruption and excessive social belief, generosity in a group the place individuals take care of one another and freedom to make key life selections.

Denmark is available in at No. 2 on this yr’s rankings, adopted by Iceland at No. 3. Sweden and Norway are seventh and eighth, respectively.

Switzerland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg take locations 4 by means of 6, with Israel coming in at No. 9 and New Zealand rounding out the highest 10.

Canada (No. 15), the US (No. 16) and the UK (No. 17) all made it into the highest 20.

Happiness in troubled occasions

One other vibrant spot on this yr’s report: Fear and stress dipped within the pandemic’s second yr. Whereas they have been nonetheless up 4% in 2021 versus pre-pandemic, fear and stress in 2020 have been up by 8%.

“I feel a part of that’s individuals knew slightly extra what they have been coping with within the second yr, even when there have been new surprises,” Helliwell stated.

Common life evaluations “have remained remarkably resilient” through the pandemic, with detrimental and constructive influences offsetting one another, the report says.

“For the younger, life satisfaction has fallen, whereas for these over 60, it has risen — with little total change,” in keeping with the report.

Helliwell acknowledges that there is a sense that crises carry out both the most effective or the worst in societies.

“However usually, individuals are too pessimistic in regards to the goodwill within the societies they stay in, so then when the precise catastrophe occurs they usually see different individuals responding positively to assist others, it raises their opinion each of themselves and of their fellow residents,” Helliwell stated.

“And so you discover each belief in others and normal life evaluations usually rise in occasions once you assume ‘these are unhealthy occasions,’ however what’s occurring is individuals are working collectively to cope with them.”

Proper now, the world’s eyes are on Ukraine, which is No. 98 within the World Happiness Report’s rankings. Right here, St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kyiv is pictured on February 27, simply days after Russian troops invaded the nation.

Chris McGrath/Getty Photographs

This interaction of detrimental and constructive very a lot applies to the state of affairs in Ukraine, though how the scales will finally tip stays to be seen. Working collectively will definitely offset, to a point, the tragedies affecting Ukrainians, Helliwell stated.

“Their heartland is being attacked, so that they’ll be getting some coming-together impact, however after all the precise harm is horrible.”

The results the struggle can have on total happiness in Russia are particularly murky as a result of authorities censorship distorts info that might inform life evaluations.

The surveys this yr’s happiness rankings have been primarily based on have been carried out properly earlier than the invasion. Ukraine and Russia each fall into the underside half of world rankings for happiness within the 2022 report, with Ukraine at No. 98 and Russia at No. 80.

At No. 146, Afghanistan is on the very backside of the rankings within the 2022 report, “a stark reminder of the fabric and immaterial harm that struggle does to its many victims,” Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, one other report editor, stated in a information launch.

The present struggle raging in Ukraine means happiness in different components of the world might teeter as properly.

“It is conceivable some individuals seeing what struggle can do shut up on their tv screens daily to the lives of people that don’t have anything to do with struggle and need nothing to do with struggle could make them really feel fortunate they are not there or empathetic to the purpose of ache for the people who find themselves there,” Helliwell stated.

“They usually’re each actual and comprehensible feelings, however they’re taking part in on reverse sides of the stability.”

Hopefully, the uptick in benevolence — in all its varieties – carries into 2022 and past.

New Zealand ranked No. 10 on the world’s happiest international locations checklist. Right here, Lake Tekapo’s well-known lupins bloom on New Zealand’s South Island.

Norraset Sanee/Songkhla Studio/Adobe Inventory

The world’s happiest international locations, 2022 version

1. Finland

2. Denmark

3. Iceland

4. Switzerland

5. Netherlands

6. Luxembourg

7. Sweden

8. Norway

9. Israel

10. New Zealand

11. Austria

12. Australia

13. Eire

14. Germany

15. Canada

16. United States

17. United Kingdom

18. Czechia (Czech Republic)

19. Belgium

20. France