The first three places belong to the Scandinavian countries. Apart from Finland, Denmark also finished on the podium, with Iceland in third place. In total, the 137 positions in the first round were dominated by countries from Western Europe and North America. The further away, the more countries from Asia, both smaller and closer to the countries of Oceania and Africa.

When determining a country’s level of happiness, the report’s authors took 6 factors into account:

• gross domestic product per capita
• knowing that we have someone who will help us in trouble
• secure prospects for the future (mental and physical health)
• freedom and choice
• involvement in charity work
• the level of corruption in the country

Unsurprisingly, war-torn Ukraine ranks 92nd, but interestingly, it still has a higher satisfaction rating than in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and waged a hybrid war. In many countries there has been an increase in helping activities in the last two years. Researchers suggest that this is related to the pandemic, which awakens the human desire to help each other.

The author hopes that the report fully available onlinewill go to officials in charge of the development goals of countries, regions and international organizations. Thanks to this, they can adapt their policies to the current needs of society and anticipate future policies based on them. The thing is, humanity still faces many unpredictable challenges: a dictator who suddenly causes war, the outbreak of a pandemic, a harsh and unexpected economic crisis. There should be more of this soon. So now it’s better to enjoy our 39th position and defend it as much as possible.