Happiest Countries of 2024

By Raulin Cadet | Published March 27, 2024 | Updated March 27, 2024 | Topics: North America, Happiness, Finland, Europe, Capitalism

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

— Proverbs 17:22 (KJV)

The World Happiness Report 2024, released on 20th March 2024, provides interesting insights related to global happiness trends. This blog article considers the top 10 countries where people may be the happiest.

Definition: The happiness score, as defined in the World Happiness Report 2024, reflects how individuals assess their own lives. This assessment is based on the Cantril ladder question in the Gallup World Poll, where individuals rate their lives on a scale from 0 to 10. For the report, these scores are averaged over the years 2021-2023 for each country.

The graphic of the blog article shows Finland at the top of the 2024 report, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and Israel. Interestingly, most of the top 10 countries are European nations, probably reflecting the region's focus on social welfare and well-being. However, when we consider the averaged happiness scores by regions, North America is the region with the highest average happiness score.  This may seem surprising, especially considering North America's reputation for market-oriented capitalism. A Country like Canada, known for its strong social welfare systems, may contribute to North America's high average happiness score. Canada ranks 15th, the United States 23rd, and Mexico 25th in the global happiness rankings.

The contrasting approaches to capitalism in Finland and the United States, which is part of the North American region, offer an interesting perspective. Finland's social-oriented capitalism prioritizes well-being, while North America's market-oriented capitalism focuses more on competition and economic growth. While the latter has made North America a prosperous region, it may also contribute to lower happiness levels for those who struggle to adapt to its competitive market environment. However, several European countries known for their social-oriented capitalism, such as France (ranks 27th), have lower happiness scores compared to the United States.

Could it be that happiness is, in part, a matter of culture?