According to the UN’s 2018 World Happiness Report, Finland is now rated as the happiest country in the world. It’s followed by three other Nordic countries, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. But what makes this little country such a happy place? And what can we learn from the Finn’s? Keep reading to find out.

The UN report measured things like “income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust and generosity”. They found that Finland, and Nordic countries in general, scored higher than every other country in these areas.

But how is that possible in a place that has more cold, less sunlight, and a relatively low GDP compared to other countries?

According to Meik Wiking, author of The Little Book of Hygge and CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Denmark, “The Finns are good at converting wealth into wellbeing.”

Considering how Finland is now the happiest country in the world, “good” may be a bit of an understatement.

Wiking goes on to explain that “In the Nordic countries in general, we pay some of the highest taxes in the world..but people see them as investments in quality of life for all. Free healthcare and university education goes a long way when it comes to happiness.”

You may be wondering how the US ranks in the 2018 World Happiness Report. It looks like the US has dropped five places from last year, and now holds the 18th position. Report author, Jeffrey Sachs, of Columbia University in New York, attributes this to “three interrelated epidemic diseases, notably obesity, substance abuse (especially opioid addiction) and depression.”