World Happiness Report 2025: Finland Leads Again, Russia Rises to 66th Place

The United Nations published the "World Happiness Report" for 2025, prepared by the Oxford University Wellbeing Research Centre with the support of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. In this annual ranking, released on International Happiness Day, Finland has been recognized as the happiest country in the world for the eighth consecutive year. Meanwhile, Russia ranked 66th among 144 countries, six positions higher than in the previous year when it was in 72nd place.

Finland — Leader of the Happiness Ranking

Finland continues to hold the top position thanks to its high scores on the key criteria considered in the ranking. These include:

• GDP per capita;
• Life expectancy;
• Social support;
• Freedom of choice;
• Generosity;
• Corruption level.

These factors are assessed based on Gallup surveys, where residents of each country rate their lives on a scale from 0 to 10. Finland demonstrates stable results, confirming the effectiveness of its social systems, high level of freedom, and low corruption. Following Finland, the top 10 happiest countries include:

2. Denmark;
3. Iceland;
4. Sweden;
5. The Netherlands;
6. Norway;
7. Costa Rica;
8. Israel;
9. Luxembourg;
10. Mexico.

Notably, Costa Rica, Israel, and Mexico have made it into the top ten for the first time, highlighting changes in the global landscape of happiness.

Russia's Position in the Ranking

In 2025, Russia ranked 66th out of 144, a step forward compared to its 72nd place in 2024. This progress indicates improvement in one or more aspects affecting the level of happiness, although specific data for each factor regarding Russia is not detailed in the report. Possible reasons for the rise could include enhanced social support, economic stabilization, or positive changes in how citizens perceive their lives. For comparison, among Russia's neighbors, Lithuania ranked 16th, Poland 26th, Latvia 51st, and Ukraine 111th. Afghanistan once again proved to be the "least happy" country.

How Has Russia's Position Changed?

The rise from 72nd to 66th place demonstrates a positive trend. In the previous ranking, Russia was closer to the middle of the list, and now it has moved toward the upper half. This improvement may reflect both objective changes in the country and the subjective perception of well-being by its citizens. For context: in 2022, Belarus ranked 65th, but there is no data for it in the 2025 report. Interestingly, despite the 66th position in the global ranking, internal surveys by VTsIOM show that most Russians consider themselves happy. In October 2024, Russia's happiness index was 62 out of 100, slightly lower than in 2023 (65 points), but significantly higher than in the 1990s (42–60%).

Global Trends: Increasing Benevolence

The report's authors noted an important global trend — an increase in benevolence following the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2025, people around the world are more frequently engaging in charity, volunteering, and helping strangers. The frequency of such acts has increased by 18% compared to the pre-pandemic period, and the overall level of good deeds remains 10% higher than before 2020. This shift underscores a strengthening sense of community and empathy in society.

Ranking Summary

The 2025 World Happiness Report once again confirmed Finland's leadership and showed an improvement in Russia's position in the global ranking. The rise from 72nd to 66th place is a positive signal, although the country is still far from the leaders. The ranking emphasizes the importance of social support, freedom, and good governance in enhancing happiness levels, which remains a relevant challenge for many countries in the post-pandemic period.