19
Mar
2026

The world’s happiest countries for 2026 – and what they get right

the future of wellbeing measurement cause and effect policy and interventions

BBC Travel

While the Nordic countries have long dominated the World Happiness Report, 2026 brought one surprise. For the first time in the report’s 14-year history, a Latin American country made its way into the top five as Costa Rica continued its multi-year rise to fourth place, jumping from 23rd in 2023.