Finland has been named the happiest country in the world for seven years in a row thanks to its strong social welfare system and policies such as generous parental leave.
But one of the most comprehensive is Annual Expat Surveys The country has just seen its ranking drop to 51st in 2024 from 16th last year.
So why is there such a big gap between the happiness rating and expat satisfaction?
Expats Find World’s Happiest Country Is One Of The Worst Places To Live
The annual Expat Explorer survey by InterNations, a global networking and advice site for expats, has shown that Finland came in third from last this year, ahead of only Turkey and Kuwait.
From 16th in 2023 to 51st in 2024
Finland’s rating has fallen.
Finland performed well in the environment category – even taking first place for air quality – and in the “digital life” category, which includes online administration services and the availability of card payments.
But expats face difficulties in dealing with many other aspects of life in the country. The country has been ranked as one of the most difficult places to learn the language, which negatively affects friendships and job opportunities.
“Even if the company language is English and the job can only be done in English, companies still require almost native Finnish from applicants,” said one Estonian expat.
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The country ranked very low for job opportunities and job security. One expat from the UK commented: “Local job opportunities for expats are poor and often discriminatory.”
When it comes to making friends, expats described Finnish people as “intolerant of foreigners” and “very closed.”
Many of the comments referred to racism, with one Greek adding that they experienced “favoritism and very difficult situations every day.”
When it comes to making friends, expats described Finnish people as “intolerant of foreigners” and “very closed.”
While Finland ranked 16th in the Expat Explorer ranking in 2023, previous years have shown that a mid-to-low ranking is actually the norm for the country.
Many people move to Finland to join a Finnish partner, says Catherine Chudoba, marketing manager at Internations, meaning they’re not necessarily moving for their career prospects or a desire to live there.
“I can imagine that these people who may not have a clear career path when they move may be hit hard by the recession or the difficulties they have entering the job market,” she says.
Poor job opportunities may also be responsible for the low incomes and cost-of-living difficulties that many expatriates say they face.
“If you are not satisfied with your financial situation or if your disposable household income is not enough to live a comfortable life, you are more likely to evaluate a whole range of categories more negatively, such as entertainment options or housing, because you cannot afford to access them,” says Chudoba.
Why don’t expats in Finland benefit from living in the happiest country in the world?
The World Happiness Report is based on completely different questions than the Expat Insider survey.
The study uses data from a survey that asks participants to think of a scale, where the best possible life is 10 and the worst life is 0. They are then asked to rate their lives on this scale.
“I don’t know how I achieved the status of “happiest country””
British comment on expat survey.
Expat Insider’s survey focuses on specific, “practical” experiences, says Chudoba. Asking the general population or expats specifically yields very different results, she adds.
“Expats always compare their current location to their home country or other places they have lived,” she says. “In the case of Finland in particular, the aspects that most people didn’t like were all expat-specific reasons like the language or how welcoming the locals were.”
While expats may theoretically have access to all the services and benefits available in Finland, the unique difficulties foreigners face in living there spoil the experience.
As one Briton commented in an expat survey, “I don’t understand how the UK managed to achieve ‘happiest country’ status.”
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