UN ranks Finland happiest country

HELSINKI— If cold weather and a lack of sunlight in winter are enough to get you down, chances are you’re not Finnish.

The World Happiness Report published Wednesday ranked 156 countries by happiness levels, based on factors such as life expectancy, social support and corruption.

Finland has emerged as the happiest place to live even though little sun and low temperatures are often blamed for high rates of depression. Meanwhile, Canada’s ranking remained unchanged from last year, holding at No. 7. Canada’s highest-ever ranking is fifth, which it achieved in 2012 and 2015.

“Well, our politics and our economics — I think the basics are quite good in Finland,” said Sofia Holm, 24, of Helsinki. “So, yes, we have the perfect circumstances to have a happy life here in Finland.”

The annual report published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network also evaluated 117 countries by the happiness and well-being of their immigrants.

John Helliwell, a co-editor of the report, noted that all the countries in the Top 10 scored highest both in overall happiness and regarding the happiness of immigrants.

“The most striking finding of the report is the remarkable consistency between the happiness of immigrants and the locally born,” Helliwell said. “Those who move to happier countries gain, while those who move to less happy countries lose.”

Rounding out the Top 10 are Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Australia. The United States fell to 18th place from 14th last year.