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Story: Finland is the happiest country in the world for seven years in a row.
Denmark and Iceland are close behind, according to this year’s World Happiness Report, released on Wednesday.
Afghanistan and Lebanon are at the bottom of the 143 countries and regions.
Professor Jean-Emmanuel de Neve, one of the report’s editors and director of the Center for Wellbeing Research at the University of Oxford, said GDP per capita makes an important difference to people’s well-being, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. He said that he did not do so.
“Wealth certainly matters, but especially how wealth is distributed. So in Finland, Denmark and other Scandinavian countries, wealth is more evenly distributed, so in those countries We see more people benefiting from the wealth that is being created, and each supports a welfare state that provides mental security.”
The United States fell outside the top 20 for the first time.
Due to a sharp drop in happiness among people under 30, the ranking dropped from 15th place last year to 23rd place.
The United Nations-backed report also shows that it’s not just young Americans who are unhappy.
“The main call for policy action in this year’s World Happiness Report is that something needs to be done about the significant decline in happiness among young people in North America, Western Europe and the UK alike. is.”
De Neve said a variety of factors were likely at play.
These include increasing polarization around social issues, the negative aspects of social media, and economic inequality that has made it harder for young people to afford a home than before.
In contrast, many of the countries with the greatest improvements in young people’s welfare are former communist countries in central and eastern Europe.
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