Finland has taken the lead in the world's happiest countries ranking for the sixth consecutive year, according to the 2023 World Happiness Report published on Monday, 20 March. Although its score (7.80) is significantly ahead of all other countries, a significant portion of the top ten is also made up of Nordic countries – Denmark is in second place (7.59), Iceland is third (7.53), Sweden is sixth (7.40) and Norway is seventh (7.32).

Slightly lower in the ranking are the United States in 15th place and the United Kingdom in 19th place, with the United Kingdom having dropped one position for four consecutive years. At the bottom of the world happiness ranking are Zimbabwe (3.20), Sierra Leone (3.14), Lebanon (2.39) and Afghanistan (1.86).

Critics argue that the index is problematic for several reasons. Firstly, some dispute the terminology of 'happiness' and claim that, at least in the case of Finland, 'life satisfaction' would be a more accurate summary. A Finnish writer in a 2018 article on the subject pointed out that if Nordic countries topped the list based on factors such as GDP per capita and freedom from oppression, then Latin American countries like Paraguay and Guatemala would be considered the happiest if the index were based on the amount of positive emotions people experience, while African countries, including Togo and Senegal, would have ranked higher if they were based on whether residents felt their lives were 'meaningful'.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera political commentator Marwan Bishara questions the methodology by which Israel is ranked in the top ten despite the ongoing conflict, and Bahrain is quite high on the list despite 'strict and political control'.

The results of the 2023 World Happiness Report were determined using three-year averages from 2020 to 2022. Despite C19, the war in Ukraine, the rise in energy prices and the cost of living, scores in many countries remained fairly similar to pre-pandemic levels, and many residents even reported higher levels of acts of kindness.