Australia just scraped in the top 10 list, at number 10.

Following Finland are Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand and Sweden.

The report, released ahead of the United Nations World Happiness Day on March 20, ranked 156 countries on six variables - income, life expectancy, freedom, social support, trust and generosity. The report included surveys of 117 nations based on the happiness of immigrants there. Finland came out on top in both categories.

The same countries over the past two years have been in the top 10 spots. They are characterised by lower wealth inequality, high taxes, good access to health care, long life expectancy, low corruption and support for those who need help from the state or communities.

A main focus this year was migration and the happiness of immigrants, included in the report for the first time. The 10 overall happiest countries were also listed in the top 11 for the happiness of their immigrants.

'Happiness is not only a matter of choice'

Of the 5.5 million people living in Finland, about 300,000 are immigrants.

Meik Wiking, chief executive of the Happiness Research Institute, an independent think tank based in Copenhagen, said the high-ranking Nordic countries "are doing something right in terms of creating good conditions for good lives".


He said the immigrant happiness finding "shows the conditions that we live under matter greatly to our quality of life, that happiness is not only a matter of choice".

"The most striking finding of the report is the remarkable consistency between the happiness of immigrants and the locally born," said one of the report's editors, John Helliwell, of the University of British Columbia.

He said although immigrants move from countries with varying levels of happiness, in their new homes their happiness levels become similar to those born locally. "Those who move to happier countries gain, while those who move to less happy countries lose," Helliwell said.

Topping the list of least happy countries are Burundi, Central African Republic and South Sudan, where political turmoil exists, incomes are low and access to adequate health care is difficult.

The report, published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and funded in partnership with the Ernesto Illy Foundation, is the sixth since 2012.

These are the world's happiest countries:

1. Finland

2. Norway


3. Denmark

4. Iceland

5. Switzerland

6. Netherlands

7. Canada

8. New Zealand

9. Sweden

10. Australia


And the least happy countries:

1. Burundi

2. Central African Republic

3. South Sudan

4. Tanzania

5. Yemen

6. Rwanda

7. Syria


8. Liberia

9. Haiti

10. Malawi

MCT