Today, Gallup unveiled its 2025 World Happiness Report, which shared the happiest countries on Earth and, more importantly, what makes them so happy anyway.

For the eighth consecutive year, Finland secured the top spot, thanks in large part to its citizens’ commitment to volunteering, donating to causes, and helping others in need. The country scored 7.736 out of 10 (which was slightly less than its 2024 result).

Fins indicated they implicitly trust those around them, with most people responding they think the police, a neighbor, or even a stranger would return their wallet, no questions asked. And Finland isn’t alone—all its neighbors scored high marks, too. 

“In the latest happiness rankings, Nordic countries continue to dominate the top spots, with Finland, Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden maintaining their positions as the happiest countries in the world,” a Gallup report shared with Travel + Leisure stated. “Finland remains in a league of its own, followed by Denmark and Iceland, which are closely grouped together, and Sweden rounding out the top four.” Norway is seventh.

As for what makes these countries so happy, Gallup explained that its citizens live with the understanding of being kind to one another. 

“One of the report’s most striking revelations is that being kind and expecting kindness from others—believing that your wallet would be returned if you lost it—are stronger predictors of happiness than avoiding major negative events like crime or economic hardship,” Gallup’s findings explained. “In other words, believing in the goodwill of those around us can have a bigger impact on our wellbeing than earning a higher salary.” The report also found that sharing a meal and household size are closely linked to perceived happiness.

For the first time in the report’s 13-year history, Costa Rica and Mexico score in the top 10, with the Central American country ranking sixth and our southern neighbor in 10th. However, there’s little good news for the United States as it fell one spot down from last year to its lowest position ever—No. 24. Afghanistan was once again at the bottom of the overall ranking.

Gallup noted that this year’s report comes at a critical time. It found that “acts of benevolence,” such as helping a stranger, volunteering, and donating money, have significantly decreased from their pandemic-era peak. The findings added, “Though still higher than pre-pandemic levels, the sudden drop-off in these behaviors raises questions about where these trends might be headed.”

“This year’s report quantifies the human elements of life that are often hard to measure,” Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, professor of economics at the University of Oxford and an editor of the World Happiness Report, added. “It turns out that sharing meals and trusting others are even stronger predictors of wellbeing than expected. These findings push us to look beyond traditional determinants like health and wealth and encourage people to get back around the table together.”

See the full list of the happiest countries on gallup.com.