Context: 

UN World Happiness Report 2024 has released recently.

Background:

The World Happiness Report is an influential publication that ranks national happiness across countries. It is based on survey data collected from respondents who evaluate their own lives.

About UN WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT 2024:

1. The report was initiated by the United Nations General Assembly, which adopted a resolution in 2011 inviting member countries to measure the happiness of their people and use the data for public policy guidance.
2. The first World Happiness Report was released in 2012 as a foundational text for the UN High-Level Meeting on Well-being and Happiness.

Finland’s Consistent Happiness:

1. Finland has consistently secured the top spot as the world’s happiest country for seven consecutive years.
2. Nordic nations continue to dominate the top rankings, with Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden following closely behind Finland.
3. Out of the 143 countries surveyed, Afghanistan remained at the bottom of the list, facing ongoing humanitarian crises since the Taliban regained power in 2020.
4. India maintains its position at 126th in the global happiness index, which is the same as last year.

Recent Changes:

1. As of March 2024, the report is now published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford.
2. Previously, it was a publication of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a global initiative of the United Nations.