The social democracy of Finland was once again ranked number one on the United Nations’ World Happiness Report, released on Wednesday, while the corporate-dominated United States fell one place to rank at 19th.

For the seventh year in a row, the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network released a report ranking 156 countries according to measures including income, freedom, trust in government, and social support.

The United States fell one place from last year, ranking as only the 19th-happiest nation in the world despite being the wealthiest nation in the world.

Finland has less wealth than the U.S., but the UN’s report suggests that the country’s commitment to ensuring an equitable quality of life for all its residents has led to greater satisfaction among the population.

The top ten countries were largely Nordic nations with strong social welfare systems and an emphasis on equality.

“It’s not about Finnish DNA. It’s the way life is lived in those countries.” —John F. Helliwell, economistFinland was followed by Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and the Netherlands, all of which were highly ranked last year as well. Among the top 20 countries, all but the U.S. has […]