Finland remains the happiest in the world; Israel ranks 8th, Phl at 57th

For the ninth consecutive year, Finland has secured the top spot in the latest World Happiness Report.

Following Finland are fellow Nordic countries Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden, while the Netherlands ranks fifth.

Key factors contributing to these countries’ high rankings include strong levels of trust, safety, effective welfare systems, work-life balance, access to nature, social support, freedom, and equality.

Notably, the top five countries are also among the 10 least corrupt in the world, based on Transparency International data. Denmark ranks first, followed by Finland, while Sweden is sixth, the Netherlands eighth, and Iceland tenth.

Despite the ongoing war involving Israel, the country still placed eighth in the happiness rankings.

Anat Fanti, a happiness policy researcher at Bar-Ilan University, told The Times of Israel that there is a clear reason behind this.

“Israelis have a strong sense of meaning and purpose, which contributes to their overall life satisfaction,” she said, noting the country’s strong social and family ties, as well as cultural resilience.

Meanwhile, despite being known as “happy people,” the Philippines ranked 57th on the list.

While Filipinos are recognized for their friendliness, bayanihan, and pakikisama, other factors such as economic strength, healthy life expectancy, work-life balance, connection to nature, and perceptions of corruption also influence the rankings.

In the 2024 Global Life-Work Balance Index, the Philippines ranked 59th out of 60 countries. In the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the country placed 120th out of 181 nations.