Europe is the biggest winner in the 2026 World Happiness Report rankings, which place 19 European countries inside the top 30 happiest nations globally.

Among the top-ranked countries, European states take most of the highest spots. The rankings open with Finland (1), Iceland (2), Denmark (3), then continue with Sweden (5), Norway (6), Netherlands (7), Luxembourg (9), Switzerland (10), Ireland (13), Belgium (14), Germany (17), Slovenia (18), Austria (19), Czechia (20), Poland (24), Lithuania (28), the United Kingdom (29), and Serbia (30). Costa Rica (4), Israel (8), New Zealand (11), Mexico (12), Australia (15), Kosovo (16), the United Arab Emirates (21), Saudi Arabia (22), the United States (23), and other non-European countries appear as exceptions within the same top-30 group.