Yay! We're ninth happiest

Photo: surrey.ca

Smile! Canada is the ninth happiest country in the world.

The United Nations' World Happiness Report has placed Finland at the top of the list for a second year.

The report ranks 156 countries on factors including economic wealth, life expectancy, social support, freedom to make life choices and government corruption.

Nordic countries claimed the top four spots, with Denmark, Norway and Iceland in second through fourth.

Rounding out the top ten were the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada and Austria.

Canadians are happier than Americans, according to the report, which noted the United States has dropped from the 18th to 19th place.

In general, happiness levels have decreased worldwide, however.

“The worldwide tendency of a considerable decline in average happiness, despite the general growth in GDP per capita, is proof that measuring happiness and life satisfaction in terms of economic wealth alone is not at all sufficient,” Meik Wiking of The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen told The Associated Press.

“The divide between rich and poor ... creates an erosion of the cohesion and trust between people, which is so vital for the feeling of safety and security and therefore for the overall happiness level of the American people,” Wiking said.

The least happy countries were: South Sudan, Central African Republic, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Rwanda, Yemen, Malawi, Syria, Botswana and Haiti.