Best countries ranking: The United States drop out of the top 20
This year's ranking of the best countries to live in brings an upset to the United States of America. The country is not even in the top twenty. The best country in the world to live in is Finland. Other Scandinavian countries also place themselves very high.
Finland is the best place in the world to live in
Finland wins The World Happiness Report for the seventh time in a row. It is the best country to live in with the highest level of live satisfaction. Experts say it is due to its social system and general mentality. One could think it is very strange that the country which has very tough climate and not very many famous attractions is so high in the ranking, it turns out it is exactly the opposite. Finland is one of the best countries for the citizens, its social contract is based on trust and solidarity, Finland has also one of the best education systems in the world.
The USA drop out of top 20
The United States are dropping out of top 20 for the first time. The reasons are numerous including the severe crisis in the mental health of the younger generations. The political situation and growing social inequalities are not helping either.
Other Scandinavian countries are also very high in the ranking. Denmark is right behind Finland, in second place, possibly for similar reasons as its eastern counterpart. The Danish country can be characterized by a friendly society and government, a high level of education, and a very sophisticated mentality. Iceland and Sweden took accordingly the third and the fourth spots in the ranking, no surprises either. This shows that the top four places to live in in the world are all Scandinavian countries.
Israel on the fifth place
The suprise is the fifth place of Israel which is currently in the gruseome situation of war and the far-right authoritarian government of Benjamin Nataniahu. The topic of Israel is very wide and is outside of the scope of this short article.
Costa Rica - the highest ranked Latin American country
The other countries that gained top spots in the ranking are for instance Costa Rica which is known for its high standard of life satisfaction despite the obvious issues in the country. Costa Rice is the highest ranked Latin America country in The World Happiness Report.
Sources: CNN
