Luxembourg world's eighth happiest country, according to UN report

Luxembourg has been ranked eighth in the United Nations' “World Happiness Report 2021”, up from tenth in 2020. This advancement is mainly thanks to the good economic performance of the country in this period of crisis.

Finland holds the top spot, with runners-up Denmark (2nd) and Switzerland (3rd). Afghanistan is the last of the 149 countries ranked this year, preceded by Zimbabwe and Rwanda.

The World Happiness Report seeks to quantify happiness with a view to making societies healthier and more efficient. To establish the ranking, the authors conduct interviews with residents of the various countries to scale their level of happiness. The data are then aligned with the respective national GDP, international indices of solidarity, individual freedom and institutional corruption. The pandemic is clearly visible in the figures globally, with a significantly higher frequency of negative emotions in about a third of countries. The United Nations published their first such study in 2012.

Last update