Shea Simmons
If you’re thinking of becoming an expat, there’s one country you might want to consider above all others. Finland has just been named the happiest country in the world. Again.
This news comes courtesy of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which compiled the results of the 2021 World Happiness Report. It’s been released before, but this year was a bit different.
As it covered 2020, the report examined people’s quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. It considered the effects of the virus on the “structure and quality of people’s lives,” as well as the way different governments dealt with the pandemic. Gallup helped survey people in 149 countries to determine the rankings, and, for the fourth year in a row, Finland came out on top.
According to the report, this was due to a high level of mutual trust among that country’s people. This helped them maintain their livelihoods and communities during the pandemic. However, other measures, including the age of the population, Finland’s proximity to other countries that experienced large outbreaks of the virus, and income inequality levels could also be contributing factors.
Regardless, at least one resident wasn’t surprised by her country’s ranking. Heli Jimenez, senior director of international marketing at Business Finland, said happiness is engrained in Finnish folks.
“Sustainable happiness is our superpower,” Jimenez said in a Visit Finland press release. “And it means we tend to take life as it comes—a trait that is helping us through these challenging times.”
So, as soon as you’re able to travel, or if you’re looking to relocate, Finland might be worth a visit! To find out where the United States and other countries ranked, you can download the full report here.
