These nations are the happiest in the EU. New Eurostat data

Citizens of the European Union are satisfied with their lives, and the highest satisfaction is declared by Finns – according to the Eurostat study “Quality of life indicators”, containing statistics on the quality of life in the EU.

The study shows that in 2024, EU residents expressed an average life satisfaction score of 7.2 out of 10.

Finland received the highest rating – 7.8, next Romania and Slovenia – after 7.7, Bulgaria – 6.2, Greece – 6.7, a Latvia – 6.9.

In all EU countries, the average level of life satisfaction was above 6, indicating that respondents were more satisfied than dissatisfied.

In 2024, at EU level, people aged 16-29 reported higher life satisfaction than other age groups, although this trend varied by country.

In most EU countries, levels of life satisfaction decreased with age. However, people aged 25–64 and over 65 had, on average, similar levels of life satisfaction.

In 11 EU countries (Slovakia, Poland, France, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Ireland, Luxembourg, Finland, the Netherlands and Denmark), the age group (25–64 years) was characterized by the lowest average level of life satisfaction.

In Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands, people over 65 years of age reported the highest life satisfaction.

Households with dependent children consistently reported the highest levels of life satisfaction among different household types. At EU level in 2024, the rate was 7.4, compared with 7.3 for households with two adults living together, 7.2 for households with three or more adults without dependent children and 6.8 for single-person households.

Eurostat reports that the fact that households with dependent children were more satisfied than households without dependent children is rather specific to the European context, as studies on other continents have often shown the opposite.

People in the highest income quintile rated their life satisfaction higher than those in the lowest income quintile (7.8 vs. 6.6). However, even most people in the lowest income quintile rated their life satisfaction above 6 on average, meaning they were more satisfied than dissatisfied. (PAP Business)

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