The published World Happiness Report 2026 — the annual study released to mark the UN’s International Day of Happiness — is becoming almost a tradition: Finland has taken first place for the ninth year in a row. The country’s average life evaluation was 7.764 out of 10.
However, the main intrigue was not who came first, but the fact that improving scores in the top 10 has become rare. Of all the countries in the top 10, only three were able to improve their ratings compared with last year — Finland, Iceland and Costa Rica.
Against this backdrop, Costa Rica stands out in particular. The country entered the top 10 in 2025 and, in just one year, rose from sixth to fourth place. This is not only the best result in its history, but also one of the most notable jumps in the ranking in recent years. And this is not a random fluctuation: Costa Rica has been gradually moving upward for several years and is now establishing itself among the world leaders.
This result is notable because it breaks the familiar idea that “happiness equals wealth.” Costa Rica is not among the largest economies, but it focuses on strong social ties, an environmental agenda and access to basic goods. This shows that happiness is no longer a linear function of the economy and depends more and more on subtler things — trust, a sense of safety and the quality of human relationships.
