Switzerland took first place among the happiest countries in the world, with a score of 8.84 on the happiness scale.
According to the World Happiness Report 2023, a publication from the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network that draws on global survey data from people in about 150 countries, Switzerland still ranks among the top 10 happiest countries on earth.
Finland has been the happiest country in the world since 2016. The World Happiness Report released its annual ranking of the happiest countries in the world and for the sixth year in a row Finland has landed in the top spot.
Here's some news to pop a smile on your dial. Australia's long been referred to as 'the lucky country' and now we can start saying we're one of the happiest countries in the world, too. The United Nation's 2023 World Happiness Index has just been released, and Australia has come in at a very cheery 12th position.
According to the annual World Happiness Report, Afghanistan has been ranked as the saddest country in the world. For the sixth year in a row, Finland has been named the happiest country in the report, which ranks global happiness in more than 150 countries around the world.
Lifestyles of the Swiss
There's a sense of community and pride and Melissa says the common belief that Switzerland is safe and clean is true! “Most places are very clean and everything runs on time," she agrees. "The other thing I love about Switzerland that makes me happy is the location and weather," she adds.
The NiceRx platform has analysed 50 countries around the world and measured them on a range of happiness factors. Switzerland topped the list with the highest overall happiness score.
Swiss neutrality is one of the main principles of Switzerland's foreign policy which dictates that Switzerland is not to be involved in armed or political conflicts between other states. This policy is self-imposed and designed to ensure external security and promote peace.
Studies are clear about one thing: throughout the world, Americans tend to smile the most! It's not that other countries don't have plenty to smile about, it's that people tend to smile as much as they are conditioned to through socialization and culture.
Finland: For the sixth year in a row, Finland is the world's happiest country, according to the World Happiness Report. Aleksanterinkatu (Aleksi Street) in Helsinki is pictured. 2. Denmark: The Nordic countries all perform well by the measures used to determine happiness.
The report dropped earlier this week with a ranking of the happiest countries, the least happy and those in between. Australia ranked 12th behind Austria and ahead of Canada, Ireland, the United States, Germany, Belgium, Czechia, the United Kingdom and Lithuania.
Zurich, Switzerland
The largest city in Switzerland is another city that ranks highly in the happiness stakes. Nobody moves to Zurich for a fascinating and exciting range of activities.
In general, the population shows openness towards foreigners living in Switzerland. More than three quarter disagree with the idea that foreigners make the streets seem unsafe, but also with the idea that, at school, foreign children have a negative effect on the education of Swiss children.
Around every fourth young person in Switzerland (23.9 percent) between the ages of 15 and 19 state that they consume too much alcohol at least once a month. Among the 20- to 34-year-olds this number is even higher at 25 percent. In both age groups, alcohol consumption occurs mainly on weekends.
The Swiss are proud of many things; such as the beauty of their country, their domination of bobsleighing at the winter Olympics and, of course, Roger Federer, the nation's poster boy. But you certainly won't find more pride than that which flows smooth and strong through every Swiss, like, well, a river of chocolate.
Key societal principles include cleanliness, a strong work ethic and honesty. The Swiss value thrift, tolerance, punctuality and discretion regarding one's financial situation. The Swiss are known to take punctuality to the point of obsession, which makes it vitally important to arrive on time for an appointment.
Politeness and Friendliness
One typical Swiss characteristic is that they consider greeting people they meet in public spaces polite. However, they respect discretion and privacy, and strangers are not usually expected to talk to each other. However, when it comes to friendliness, the same rules do not apply.
Switzerland comes third in quality of life ranking
On the national ranking, just behind Denmark was Switzerland in third. The alpine nation's place on the podium was secured by its strong purchasing power, low pollution and good safety scores.
War-torn Afghanistan and Lebanon remain the two unhappiest countries in the survey, with average life evaluations more than five points lower (on a scale running from 0 to 10) than in the ten happiest countries.
Afghanistan is the world's least happy country, with citizens having reported extremely low levels of life satisfaction. Since the Taliban takeover, life has become objectively worse for Afghans, particularly women. There is a lot of conflict in the region.
Albanians are among the unhappiest in Europe. In the annual report of Happiness, published by the United Nations Organization, Albania has lost one position, being ranked 91 out of 146 countries in total. Among European countries, Albania leaves behind North Macedonia (92), Turkey (102) and Georgia (106).