Days Until International Day of Happiness

About International Day of Happiness

The General Assembly voted to establish March 20 as an annual observance in 2012, recognizing happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations, and calling for a more balanced, inclusive approach to economic growth that promotes happiness and well-being.

The day is associated with the annual World Happiness Report, a ranking and analysis of self-reported well-being across countries, published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Finland has topped the associated annual World Happiness Report rankings for multiple consecutive years running, based on factors including social support, life expectancy, and perceived freedom to make life choices.

Bhutan's long-standing use of "Gross National Happiness" as a policy framework, rather than GDP alone, is frequently cited as an early influence on the UN's own adoption of happiness as a measurable policy goal.

The World Happiness Report's ranking methodology combines self-reported life satisfaction surveys with measures including GDP per capita, social support, and healthy life expectancy, a multi-factor approach the UN adopted specifically to avoid ranking countries on income alone.