Q COSTARICA (BBC Mundo) While the Nordic countries have long dominated the United Nations World Happiness Index, 2026 brings a surprise.
For the first time in the index’s 14-year history, a country from the Americas has entered the top five, thanks to Costa Rica’s rise in recent years from 23rd place in 2023 to fourth currently.
The rankings, produced annually by Gallup, the Oxford Centre for Wellbeing Research, and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, are based on the average of how residents of 140 countries rate their own lives, along with factors such as GDP, social support, life expectancy, perceived freedom, generosity, and corruption.
For the second year running, no English-speaking country made the top 10, with Australia ranking 15th, the United States 23rd, Canada 25th, and the United Kingdom 29th.
This year, the countries in the top five have unique aspects that contribute to their happiness, although freedom to make life choices scored highly across the board.
The BBC spoke to residents of each of these countries to find out what contributes to their daily and long-term sense of happiness, and how travelers can get a taste of the local “happy life” when they visit.
1. Finland
For nine of the last 10 years, Finland has been ranked number one. The country scores highly for social support and low perceived corruption, and residents frequently point to the social safety net—including education and healthcare—that creates a sense of security and well-being.
“I love the fact that Finland is safe and I can trust the average person here,” said Olli Salo, co-founder of the Helsinki-based company Skimle. “Children walk to school from the age of seven, you don’t feel threatened walking home, and you can trust that if someone makes a promise, they’ll keep it.”
While the country has high taxes, residents see a clear trade-off. Salo compares it to paying for a premium software subscription; it may cost more, but the quality is better.
“Most of the really important things in life, like healthcare, education, and transportation, are public services, so why not spend a little and then enjoy them with good quality?” he commented.
He also finds Finnish workplaces more collaborative than in other parts of the world, with less hierarchy and less “corporate drama.”
For Daniel Sazonov, the current mayor of Helsinki, happiness also comes from the proximity to nature. “Being able to step outside and, in just a few minutes, be at the sea, a park, or a forest for an evening stroll is something special,” he said.
For visitors, experiencing Finland’s sauna culture should be the first stop. With some three million saunas for a population of just 5.5 million, the nation is certainly not short on options.
“I suggest trying the different saunas in Helsinki and maybe taking a dip in the chilly Baltic Sea,” Sazonov recommended.
Helsinki’s Oodi Central Library, opened in 2018, is a striking modern landmark and a popular meeting place for locals and tourists alike.
Beyond the capital, Salo recommends heading north in winter, renting a cabin, and watching the Northern Lights. But he cautions against overcrowding his itinerary.
“I’ve never understood those who book four activities a day and rush from a dog sledding tour to a Northern Lights tour,” Salo remarked. “That’s not the Finnish way.”
2. Iceland
Pushing Denmark out of second place for the first time since 2014, this island nation of just 400,000 people ranked first in social support, which measures the level to which residents feel they have someone to rely on in times of hardship.
It also ranks in the top 10 for GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, and generosity, giving it the most comprehensive performance in the ranking.
“Historically, our isolation meant that survival was a communal effort. For centuries, there was no outside help. It was just us, and we had to stick together,” noted Ingibjörg Friðriksdóttir, a Reykjavík resident and digital commerce manager at Hotel Rangá. “That legacy has shaped a culture where helping each other is simply second nature.”
Icelanders also possess a remarkable adaptability, forged from surviving harsh, dark winters.
“We learn to appreciate the little things: a good cup of coffee, warm pools, and spending time with friends,” said Bryndís Björnsdóttir, executive director of the Laugara geothermal lagoon in Reykjavík. “When summer arrives, we suddenly have daylight almost all night, and everyone becomes more energetic and cheerful.”
No matter the season, residents suggest getting outside despite the weather. “The fresh air, the open landscapes, and the feeling of freedom are a big part of what makes this a great country,” Björnsdóttir said. It’s also worth taking the time to enjoy the food, especially the fresh fish.
At the Rangá Hotel, guests can sign up for the “Live Like an Icelander” program, where they’ll learn to pronounce the phrase “Þetta reddast,” which translates to the core Icelandic sentiment that contributes to the country’s happiness: no matter the situation, everything will be alright.
3. Denmark
A perennial top-ranked country, Denmark has never fallen below fourth place in the index’s history and has frequently held the top spot. Ranked third this year, the country also ranks third in social support and low corruption, and seventh in GDP per capita. But this sense of happiness isn’t always readily apparent.
“It’s not about having a big smile and laughing,” said Laura Hall, a Copenhagen-based journalist and author of The Year I Lay My Head in the Water, a book about swimming in Scandinavia.
“It’s really about faith in society, mutual trust, and the belief that everyone works together for the common good.”
Hall is raising two daughters here and says the sense of security is constant.
She also loves Copenhagen’s clean harbor, which the city transformed from an industrial canal in the 1990s into a place where residents now swim year-round.
In Ribe, the country’s oldest village, resident Lise Frederiksen sees happiness rooted in civic engagement. “Every day I walk along the cobblestone streets, I feel grateful for the life I have here,” she said.
She values the Danish education system, where children from all economic backgrounds attend the same public school for 10 years and parents are expected to coordinate playgroups in every household. “It’s important for children to visit each other’s homes so they can see that people can live in many different ways,” she said.
For travelers, Frederiksen advises visiting during one of Ribe’s many festivals, which range from oyster and tulip celebrations to heavy metal music. Visitors who come in the fall can appreciate the “black sun” period, when millions of starlings migrate across the region in flocks so dense they momentarily block out daylight.
In Copenhagen, visitors don’t need to plan a perfect itinerary to feel the laid-back vibe.
“Most of the time, visitors leave with a sense of calm and peace, and a touch of envy seeing people cycling about, going about their lives in a relaxed way,” Hall added. “There really isn’t a culture of rushing here.”
4. Costa Rica
Climbing to fourth place in this year’s rankings, Costa Rica is the first Latin American country to crack the top five, with its scores for freedom and social support measures nearly doubling since 2021.
While Costa Rica’s GDP and government support scores aren’t as high as those of the Nordic nations, residents report a high degree of freedom to make their own life choices.
They also have a significantly higher appreciation of their lives than the measured factors alone might predict, according to the index.
When resident Adrian Hunt was asked what makes Costa Rica such a happy place, he didn’t hesitate. “Community, community, community,” repeated the digital nomad who lives in Las Catalinas, a car-free village on the Guanacaste coast.
“Having people who share your passion for healthy living, being outdoors, and being neighbors,” he summarized.
Nature is also a source of daily happiness.
Hunt describes waking up in the morning, walking along the beach, and watching howler monkeys swing from tree to tree while fish chase each other in the bay.
“I think Costa Rica has the best quality of life of any country in Central America,” Hunt emphasized. “There’s something about the energy of the people, both locals and expats, that makes this country special.”
To get a sense of happiness in Costa Rica, he recommends sitting in a café and striking up a conversation or walking along the country’s many kilometers of trails.
“We want people to take away from this place how truly peaceful and tranquil it is,” he concluded.
5. Sweden
Entering in fifth place this year, Sweden has fluctuated between fourth and tenth place over the past decade. It ranks seventh in the world for healthy life expectancy and fifth for low perceived corruption.
Its presence at the top reflects what residents describe as a balance between progressive urban living and easy access to nature.
“One of the main reasons Sweden consistently ranks so high in happiness is that we are a small country,” explained Micael Dahlen, Professor of Wellbeing, Social Welfare, and Happiness at the Stockholm School of Economics.
“Distances are short—between people, between cities, and between nature.” We have learned to trust and depend on one another, to share and appreciate what we have, to live in harmony with nature, and to welcome new ideas and people.”
One cultural detail encapsulates this egalitarian trend: the universal use of the informal “du” (you) to address someone, regardless of status.
“No matter who you are—a pop star, a Nobel laureate, a prime minister, or a professor of happiness like myself—above all, you are du,” Dahlen emphasized.
Her center recently partnered with the capital to launch the Stockholm Wellbeing Index, ensuring that wellbeing is measured and developed alongside economic growth.
“I love the people and their kindness, the slower pace of life, the beautiful nature and landscapes, and the feeling that I made a good decision for my future and the future of my children,” commented Karolina Pikus, who moved here from Poland and writes a blog, LikeSweden.com.
In Gothenburg, where she now lives, she particularly enjoys being able to swim in the sea, visit a lake, and walk in the forest, all in the same day thanks to the excellent public transportation.
Locals recommend visiting during the summer, especially for first-timers. In the height of summer, visitors can dance to traditional songs, eat jordgubbstårta (strawberry cake), and enjoy the long Scandinavian evenings.
In Stockholm, Dahlen suggests simply walking. “Everything in Stockholm and our cities is within walking distance, and you might bump into anyone,” she said. The archipelago is a short boat trip away and “really worth it.”
But the simplest entry point is fika: sitting down with a coffee and a cinnamon roll and observing the rhythm of the street. “That, for me, is one of the best ways to understand Sweden,” Pikus said. “To pause, take a deep breath, and allow yourself to enjoy the moment.”