One proud Finn has revealed why he believes his country has been crowned the world’s happiest. (Image: Miika Mäkitalo/ Getty)
Finland has retained its position as the world’s happiest country for an impressive eighth year in a row, according to the World Happiness Report 2025. The study was done in partnership with the analytics firm, Gallup, and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
The rankings were based on answers people gave when asked to rate their own lives. Speaking to the Express, the CEO of HappyOrNot, and proud Finn, Miika Mäkitalo, has given an insight into what life is like in Finland and why he believes it is the happiest country on Earth. Miika, 47, has lived his whole life in Finland but has spent the last 15 years working with international businesses and travelling the world, including the US.
READ MORE: The 5 happiest countries in the world – the UK didn’t make the list
According to Miika, Finns are happy for the recognition. (Image: Getty)
Thanks to his experience of many different cultures, he’s well placed to see first-hand how Finnish culture differs from elsewhere. HappyOrNot is a company that makes feedback terminals for measuring customer satisfaction. “As we measure employee and customer happiness and satisfaction all the time, we do know what drives happiness, contentedness and joy,” Miika said.
“Clearly, all Finns are happy for the recognition – eight years in a row feels like an unbelievable [achievement], so of course proud and happy for that.
“But yet at the same time, anyone will see with this kind of recognition that it is not known for ‘tooting one’s horn’, and of course Finns are rather modest.
“There is this surreal feeling that there has to be a mistake in the spreadsheet when they are calculating because it can’t be like that. Like the Brits, we like to moan about the weather, the winters are too cold, the summers are not warm enough, it’s raining too much…”
Finns do not have the façade of happiness that Americans have, like Kimi Raikkonen (Image: Getty)
If you were to visit Finland, he continued, you would be unlikely to see this general state of happiness on the faces of its inhabitants, however.
“If you see Finnish faces and the Finnish smile, like the Formula 1 champions Mika Hakkinen or Kimi Raikkonen, when it’s the biggest moment of their entire career, you can see that they are smiling, but it’s not this kind of façade of happiness that, say, the Americans have.
“This façade of being happy and energetic is something that is required in the American culture, but is not required here.”
While Finland holds on to its top spot, the United States has fallen to its lowest-ever position at 24, peaking with 11th place in 2012. The UK, meanwhile, also reported its lowest average life evaluation since the 2017 report, claiming 23rd place.
Miika asserted that the word “happiness” should be used in context, however, and perhaps the world “content” would be a better choice: “Do you feel that things are fine around you, especially if things go south? Do you have to worry? I think in this, Finland works well.”
Finland’s hospitals are among the world’s best and Miika said the healthcare system ‘just works’. (Image: Getty)
On the whole, Finns can trust society, the systems in place and their neighbours, Miika continued: “We have a healthcare system that just works. It’s minimal out of our pocket money and everything is taken care of.”
Finland’s hospitals are among the world’s best. The healthcare system is publicly funded, universal, accessible to all residents, and strongly emphasizes primary care and prevention. In addition, every person has the right to receive emergency treatment during their stay in Finland.
According to the latest findings, believing in the kindness of others is much more closely tied to happiness than previously thought. For example, people who believe that others are willing to return their lost wallets are a strong predictor of a population’s overall happiness.
Nordic nations rank among the top places for expected and actual return of lost wallets, the study found.
“In Helsinki, 11 out of 12 wallets were returned. This is something we can normally feel here, that if we lose something, most likely you will get it back.”
A big part of the Finnish mentality is to reserve time for family. (Image: Getty)
For Miika, the trust element is the most important: “You can trust the healthcare system, you can trust that the political system works for the benefit of citizens and the military police are all highly respected and highly trusted.
“There is a healthy amount of critique but overall, trust.”
The unemployment benefits, meanwhile, are so good that “you don’t have to worry” about losing your job or the effect that will have on your family. When there are not these feelings, I think it builds on the elements that are measured highly [in Finland].”
Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup, who partnered on the study, shared this sentiment: “Happiness isn’t just about wealth or growth—it’s about trust, connection, and knowing people have your back. If we want stronger communities and economies, we must invest in what truly matters: each other.”
A big part of the Finnish mentality is the fact that life does not revolve around work: “family is super important and reserving time for that.”
For example, both parents are now entitled to 160 days of paid paternal leave each, to be used before the child turns two, with 63 days transferable between parents. The reforms, brought in in 2022, aimed at providing great flexibility for families and improving equality in working life.
It’s not just Finland that scored highly in the Happiness Report. Other Nordic countries, once again, dominated the top rankings. Besides Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden remained the top four countries and in the same order.
Miika specifically mentioned Estonia, which gained independence in 1991. Since then, Estonia has built a close relationship with Nordic countries, especially Finland and Sweden.
“It’s been outstanding just how quickly they have been able to gain a lot from being one of the poorest countries in Europe […] it comes from seeing what works and putting those practices in place.”
Afghanistan once again ranked as the unhappiest country in the world, with Afghan women saying their lives are especially difficult. What did come as a surprise, however, was Israel’s securing of eighth place, above the likes of Mexico, despite its ongoing war with Hamas.