This Is the Happiest Country in the World, According to New Data

Sometimes, life is tough. Be it stress at home, work, school, or anywhere in between, the world can be an overwhelming place from time to time. And when you need to escape, there are a few destinations that are proven to be happier and more carefree than others, which make for an ideal getaway from it all. 

In June, Casino.com released its analysis that looked at the list of nations with a Human Development Index Score of over 0.8, according to The United Nations Development Program, and then analyzed each on their average salaries, unemployment rates, crime rates, sunshine hours, and average retirement ages, all to uncover the happiest countries on earth. After crunching the numbers, it named Austria the happiest nation of all. 

“Austria is crowned the happiest country, scoring 7.26 out of 10 in our index. The Central European nation scores relatively high across the board, placing in the top 10 for four of the six factors we looked at,” the team wrote in its findings. “It scores particularly high for its retirement age of 62.5, sharing second place for the factor.” 

Up next is Slovenia, which came in second thanks to its Happiness Score of 72. “The nation has the lowest retirement age, at 62. It’s also one of the safest countries on the list, taking third place for the factor with a safety index score of 77.3 out of 100. Overall, it scores 7.20 out of 10,” the researchers added. 

Switzerland came in a close third with a score of 7.15, thanks to its incredible safety and because it ranks within the top five nations for salary, with the average annual salary hitting $72,993. 

Rounding out the top 10 are South Korea in fourth, followed by Luxembourg, Iceland, Japan, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany. 

The researchers also gave a special shoutout to Greece for its extremely low retirement age of 62, which is also shared by Luxembourg, Slovenia, and South Korea, making it another top destination if you’re looking to not just vacation but retire early from the grind too.

See more about each country’s happiness score at casino.com.