28 July 2026

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve is and economist and behavioural scientist at Oxford University. He is also the editor of the ‘World Happiness Report’ which has just published its findings. Once again, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world. It has retained this position for the past nine years!

De Neve gives several reasons for their quality of life. Firstly, they have high levels of economic productivity but their wealth is more evenly distributed. Wealth inequality is much lower and as De Neve says, ‘Greater income inequality is associated with worse well-being’.

Secondly, money gets distributed through a welfare state. Thirdly, there’s a healthy life expectancy. Fourthly, and most importantly, there are strong social ties in Finland. This relates to the number of shared meals and the number of friends you can rely on.

Fifthly, the people in Finland have high levels of social trust. ‘If you lost your wallet what is the likelihood that you think you would get it back?’ asks the survey. In Finland and in other Nordic countries people expect wallets to be returned much more frequently than in other countries.

Lastly, the population of Finland is slightly larger than Scotland but its area is four times as big. There are a lot of forests and lakes and people value the outdoor life. ‘It is well documented that spending time outside enhances well-being.’ said De Neve.

It is striking that the sharing of resources, strong social ties and a relationship with the natural environment are all factors which are espoused by the Church. The Body of Christ is a fellowship of people who are happy to share things in common and to enjoy the Creator and his creation!