Finland Tops World Happiness Ranking, as Nigeria Drops to 106th
March 26, 2026, 9:02 a.m.
Finland has retained its topmost ranking as the country with the happiest people in the world, according to the World Happiness Report 2026.
The World Happiness Report 2026 is based on an annual survey conducted in collaboration with the United Nations, under the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which ranks countries based on citizens’ self-assessed life satisfaction.
It also considers key indicators such as income levels, social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.
Finland’s dominance in the World Happiness rankings is attributed to strong social trust, effective governance, high-quality public services, healthy work-life balance and close connection to nature enjoyed by the people.
Other Nordic European countries in the top ten are Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and Netherlands, followed by Costa Rica in South America, and then Norway, Israel, Luxembourg and Mexico.
Nigeria is ranked in the lower part of the global half at 106th on the World Happiness Report, dropping one spot from its 105th ranking in 2025.
In Africa, the World Happiness Report 2026 ranks Nigeria between tenth and twelfth positions, with Mauritius, Libya, and Algeria taking the lead of the happiest people on the continent.
In 2019, Nigeria was ranked 85 out of 156 countries and second in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the annual Global Happiness Policy Report produced by the Global Happiness Council.
