March 20th is the International Day of Happiness. On the same day this year, as usual, the eight World Happiness Report was published. Happiness is a measure of general satisfaction with life and, more importantly, the confidence that one lives in a place where people take care of one another. Countries are ranked on six key variables that support well-being in the report. Those are income, freedom, trust, healthy life expectancy, social support and generosity.
We received some amazing news! Finland has once again made the top of the list and we are officially the happiest country in the world, the third time in a row! The report ranked cities as well for the very first time by subjective well-being. The happiest city in the world is Helsinki, the capital of Finland.
Where does our happiness come from?
Happiness is a sum of many different factors. One is the level of equality in Finland. It is very high and you can see it when considering, for example, the education system and public healthcare.
Good quality public healthcare
A very big part of well-being is our good quality public healthcare. It’s among the best in the whole world. It doesn’t matter if you are a citizen of Finland or a student from outside of the European Union. You would still be enabled to enjoy the same benefits as anyone else.
In addition to our healthcare system, Finland is the premier location for health R&D due to our longstanding tradition of digitalizing health data and large biobanks. We have top-notch technology and we know how to use it to benefit and cure the people. Finland is one of seven countries in the world that exports more health technology than it imports. There are a lot of job possibilities in the health sector. You can study AI in Finland and become a specialist in health ICT.
Also, one key factor for Finland being the happiest country is a good foundation to start your life. You can be anything if you’re willing to work hard for your dreams. Our social security system is built to support you.
Top-notch education system
We have one of the best education systems in the whole world. Everyone in Finland gets the same rights to receive a good quality education throughout comprehensive school, high school, and university. In other words, in Finland, we have an equal chance to educate ourselves as far as we want to. For example, your age doesn’t matter! You can be a fifty-year-old and study at a university! As it’s said, age is just a number.
Happiness is always relative, of course. But in general, as the report states, we are the happiest nation in the world. Finland is great, and most importantly, an equal place to live and study!
More awesome things about Finland and why it is the perfect study destination for students.
