Viet Nam has moved up four places to rank 79th in the United Nations-sponsored World Happiness Report 2021 which was released on March 19.

Viet Nam has moved up four places to rank 79th in the United Nations-sponsored World Happiness Report 2021 which was released on March 19. (Photo: VNA)

The country even surpasses China that ranks 84th, and other Southeast Asian nations like Malaysia (81st) and Myanmar (126th) in the report.

Finland once again takes the top spot as the happiest country in the world according to survey data taken from the Gallup World Poll. This is the fourth year in a row Finland has ranked first in the report.

Top five countries in the happiness ranking are dominated by European nations, comprising Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and the Netherlands. New Zealand is the only country outside Europe to be included in the top ten, claiming the ninth position.

Lesotho, Botswana, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan are at the bottom of the list.

The World Happiness Report 2021 focuses on the effects of COVID-19 and how people all over the world have fared.

Jeffrey Sachs – co-author of the report - said: “We need urgently to learn from COVID-19. The pandemic reminds us of our global environmental threats, the urgent need to cooperate, and the difficulties of achieving cooperation in each country and globally. The World Happiness Report 2021 reminds us that we must aim for wellbeing rather than mere wealth, which will be fleeting indeed if we don’t do a much better job of addressing the challenges of sustainable development.”

Source: VNA