Why is Iceland such a happy place to be ? 😊
A UN report published in 2019, ranked Icelandis people as the world’s 4thhappiest people!
So why do Icelanders rank so high on the Scale of Happyness in Life?
You maybe already know that Iceland is a country with one of the highest HDI (human development index) with 0.938/1 registered, in the world.
Here are some facts that can explain all this happiness:
Icelanders pay some hefty taxes, which is not so good, but they do get A LOT in return.
People don’t have to worry about:
- Health care
- Hospital/doctor appointment costs
- Higher education
- Maternity/Paternity leave
- Day-care
Iceland has great social services. The country tries to take care of its people.
Iceland does not have an army, navy, or an air force, and what is more, the Icelandic police don’t carry guns. Crime in Iceland is very low and violent crime is practically non-existent , ascthe country averages about 1 murder a year.
Low unemployment: Although Iceland was rocked by the global financial crisis of 2008, they have a low unemployment rate of 4%
Gender equality: Iceland consistently ranks very high for gender equality
LGBTQ++++ friendly
Big sense of community
Personal Freedom – According to Forbes, Iceland ranks #1 in the personal freedom category of all countries.
Icelanders have also developed a fierce resilience honed over centuries of deprivation and isolation. Think winter darkness, volcanic eruptions and unforgiving terrain so otherworldly that NASA dispatched the Apollo astronauts here in 1965 to train for their upcoming moon walks!
In times of strife Icelanders look straight ahead and have the general attitude/thinking that things will have a way of working out, try not to worry too much! As the locals say ‘Þetta reddast!’ that is the icelandic “Hakuna Matata”
