Finland is the happiest country in the world again. Here's their secret to improving well-being (2024)

Today’s annual World Happiness Report ranks self-reported happiness scores for nearly 150,000 people in over 140 countries. Other Nordic countries are onto something and place in the top 10, with Denmark at no. 2, Iceland at no. 3, and Sweden at no. 4. Finland’s culture encourages positive well-being. The country’s ambassador praises the broad trust in institutions, access to nature, and low stress in an announcement about the report hosted by Semafor Wednesday.

Many residents in Finland were raised to act prosocially, which translates to “wallets being returned if they’re dropped in the street [and] people helping each other day in and day out,” John Helliwell, a founding editor of the World Happiness Report, tells CNN. Moreover, Finland is also keen on cultivating positive workplaces and values work-life balance.

Serbia (no.37) and Bulgaria (no.81) share the award for most-improved, having significantly climbed in happiness scores over the last decade. However, the United States and Germany dropped out of the top 20 for the first time in the list’s history and placed 23rd and 24th respectively.

For the first time, the list parsed out well-being evaluations by age. Young people are generally happier than older people, with some exceptions. Denmark is the happiest country for those 60 and older, and Lithuania is the happiest for those under 30. The happiness of those under 30 in the U.S., though, fell dramatically.

“The relationship between age and happiness is more nuanced than previously understood,” Ilana Ron Levey, Gallup’s managing director, tells Fortune in an email interview.

Levey says that pervasive loneliness may explain the decline in well-being for young people in the U.S.

“We know that social support and loneliness affect happiness, and different generations have different levels of social connections,” she says. “Factors including school closures during COVID-19, technology use, and quality of friendships may affect the young and the old differently.”

Happiest countries in the world

• Finland
• Denmark
• Iceland
• Sweden
• Israel
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Luxembourg
• Switzerland
• Australia

Happiest countries for those under age 30

• Lithuania
• Israel
• Serbia
• Iceland
• Denmark
• Luxembourg
• Finland
• Romania
• Netherlands
• Czech Republic

Happiest countries for those 60 and older

• Denmark
• Finland
• Norway
• Sweden
• Iceland
• New Zealand
• Netherlands
• Canada
• Australia
• United States