Ireland has dropped to the 17th happiest country in the world, down from 14th last year in the annual UN-sponsored World Happiness Report
Finland remains the world’s happiest country for a seventh straight year.
Nordic countries kept their places among the 10 most cheerful, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden trailing Finland.
Afghanistan, under Taliban control since 2020, stayed at the bottom of the 143 countries surveyed.
For the first time since the report was published more than a decade ago, the United States and Germany were not among the 20 happiest nations, coming in 23rd and 24th respectively.
Finlan’s strong welfare society, trust in state authorities, low levels of corruption and free healthcare and education were key to its happiness, said organisers of the poll.
