Every year, a little something called the World Happiness Report ranks countries based on how stoked their citizens are on life.
The report used data from the Gallup World Poll to score countries based on six factors: GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom and corruption income.
Canada has been a mainstay in the top 10 since the Gallup Poll began in 2005. This year, however, we dropped two places from 2019, to 11th. It’s part of a nearly 10-year downward after Canada ranked 4th in 2012.
The world’s happiest country is Finland. It’s the third year in a row Finland has taken the crown. Denmark finished runner-up, just as it did last year, while Switzerland took Norway’s three spot.
Interestingly, the editors of the report say crises like the current coronavirus pandemic can increase happiness.
“People are pleasantly surprised by the willingness of their neighbors and their institutions to work in harness to help each other,” the editors write. “This delivers a heightened sense of belonging, and pride in what they have been able to achieve by way of mitigation. These gains are sometimes great enough to compensate for the material losses.”
Despite the drop, Canada is still the happiest country in the G8. Here’s a look at the top 20:
The report also highlights the happiest cities in the world. Toronto is the only Canadian city to feature in the top 100.
Meanwhile, the countries reporting the least happiness are Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Zimbabwe.