A Nordic nation is the world’s happiest country for the ninth year in a row | CNN

If happiness were an Olympic event, the Nordic countries would be guaranteed a spot on the podium. Actually, all three spots on the podium. According to the latest edition of the World Happiness Report, the three happiest countries in the world are Finland, Iceland and Denmark. Finland was named the happiest country in the world for a record 9th time in a row, with Iceland, at No. 2, and Denmark in third place in the ranking, which is compiled by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, and included in the annual report on global happiness. Costa Rica had a strong showing, coming in at No. 4 — the highest ranking ever for a country from Latin America — but then it’s back to Nordic countries, with Sweden and Norway capturing the 5th and 6th places, respectively. Three other countries in Europe appear in the top 10: the Netherlands at No. 7, Luxembourg at No. 9 and Switzerland at No. 10. Israel, the only country in the Middle East in the top 20, captured No. 8. The US is in 23rd place this year, while Canada took the 25th spot, and the UK ranked 29th. This is the second consecutive year that none of the native English-speaking countries — the US, New Zealand