Last year, Sweden came in fourth place in the UN-sponsored report that measures the population's perceived happiness. This year, Sweden - blue and yellow - has to settle for fifth place. But we're ahead of Norway; our neighboring country is in sixth place.
As usual, Finland tops the list, meaning Finns can once again be considered the happiest people in the world. This is the ninth year in a row that Finland has won.
The big climber on the list is Costa Rica, which is fourth. As recently as 2023, the Central American country was in 23rd place.
The US is in 23rd place this year; Afghanistan is in last place.
Around 1,000 people from each country participate in the survey annually.
Facts: World Happiness Report 2026
Top 10:
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Finland
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Iceland
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Denmark
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Costa Rica
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Sweden
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Norway
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Netherlands
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Israel
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Luxembourg
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Switzerland
The World Happiness Report is based on surveys in which populations have assessed their own perceived happiness.
