Finland has been named the happiest country in the world for the fifth year in a row, according to the United Nations’ World Happiness Report. The UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network releases an annual report, the most recent edition of which was released on Friday, two days before the annual International Day of Happiness. It ranks 150 countries (146 in 2022) based on characteristics such as personal happiness, GDP, life expectancy, and so on. The list, now in its tenth year, assigns a score on a range of 0 to 10 based on a three-year average of data.

Also Read|Switzerland ready to pay for defending democracy in Russia-Ukraine war

Finland has been named the world’s happiest country for 2022! This is not the first time the country has won the prestigious award, but it is the fifth time in a row! Denmark (second), Iceland (third), Switzerland (fourth), and the Netherlands (fifth) round out the top five countries on the list (fifth). Luxembourg, Norway, Israel, and New Zealand round out the top ten.

In addition, the World Happiness Report will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2022. Life assessments, good feelings, and negative emotions are the three basic factors used to determine happiness. The rankings are based on subjective assessments of people’s lives.

Also Read|Did PM Boris Johnson meet Russian donor on eve of Ukraine invasion?

The World Happiness Report this year paid extra attention to distinct daily feelings in light of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected people’s lives.

“Finland continues to occupy the top rank, one of five Nordic countries in the top 10,” according to the World Happiness Report.

Austria, Australia, Ireland, Germany, and Canada are the next five happiest countries on the list after the top ten. While the United States is now ranked 16th in the world’s happiest countries (up from 19th last year), the United Kingdom is ranked 17th. Czechia is ranked 18th, followed by Belgium (19th) and France (20th).

Also Read|COVID toe, early COVID’s ugly side-effect, may finally have an explanation

Lebanon, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Jordan, Zambia, India, Mexico, and Botswana were among the ten countries with the highest declines, according to the research.

Afghanistan is at the bottom of the list, ranked 146th. In the meantime, India improved its position slightly, moving up three points to 136 from 139 a year earlier.