But one of the most comprehensive annual expat surveys<\/a> has just seen the country\u2019s ranking plummet to 51st place in 2024 from 16th last year.<\/p>\n So why is there such a gulf between the happiness ranking and expat satisfaction?<\/p>\n The annual Expat Insider survey by InterNations \u2013 a global networking and advice site for expats \u2013 saw Finland placed third to last this year, beating only T\u00fcrkiye and Kuwait.<\/p>\n 16th in 2023 to 51st place in 2024<\/p>\n Finland\u2019s ranking plummeted.<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Finland performed well in the environment category\u2014even placing first for air quality\u2014and in the \u2018digital life\u2019 category which covers the online administration services and availability of card payments.\u00a0<\/p>\n But expats struggle with many other aspects of life in the country. It ranked one of the most difficult places to learn the language, which has a knock-on effect on friendships and career opportunities.<\/p>\n One Estonian expat said, \u201ceven if the company language is English and the position can be done only in English, the companies still require almost native Finnish from applicants.\u201d<\/p>\n peeterv via Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The country ranked very low for career prospects and job security. \u201cLocal work opportunities for expats are poor and often discriminatory,\u201d an expat from Britain commented.<\/p>\n As for making friends, expats described Finnish people as \u201cnot tolerant of foreigners\u201d and \u201ctoo internal.\u201d<\/p>\n Several comments referred to racism, with one Greek adding that they had experienced \u201cnepotism and highly problematic situations every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n As for making friends, expats described Finnish people as \u201cnot tolerant of foreigners\u201d and \u201ctoo internal.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n While Finland placed 16th in the expat ranking in 2023, previous years show a middle to low placement is actually the norm for the country.<\/p>\n Kathrin Chudoba, marketing manager for InterNations, says that many people move to Finland to join a Finnish partner, meaning they aren\u2019t necessarily moving for their own career prospects or desire to live there.<\/p>\n \u201cI can imagine these people who may not have a clearly laid out career path when they move might be hit particularly hard by a recession or difficulties entering the job market,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Poor job opportunities could also account for the lower incomes and difficulties with the cost of living many expats say they experience.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you are not satisfied with your financial situation or your disposable household income is not enough to live a comfortable life, you\u2019ll likely rate a whole range of categories more negatively such as leisure options or housing because you can\u2019t afford to access them,\u201d says Chudoba.<\/p>\n The World Happiness Report is based on questions that are very different from the Expat Insider survey.<\/p>\n It uses data from a poll that asks respondents to think of a ladder, with the best possible life being a 10 and the worst being a 0. They are then asked to rate their own lives on that scale.<\/p>\n \u201cHow it achieves \u2018happiest country\u2019 status is beyond me\u201d<\/p>\n A Brit\u2019s comment in the expat survey.<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Chudoba says that, in contrast, the Expat Insider survey focuses on specific and \u201chands-on\u201d experiences. She adds that asking the population in general or expats specifically results in very different outcomes.<\/p>\n \u201cExpats will always compare their current location to their home country or other places they have lived,\u201d she says. \u201cEspecially in the case of Finland, the aspects most people didn\u2019t like were all very expat-specific reasons such as speaking the language or how welcoming local people are.\u201d<\/p>\n So while expats may in theory have access to all the services and advantages of Finland, the unique difficulties of living there as a foreigner mar the experience.<\/p>\n As one Brit commented in the expat survey, \u201cHow it achieves \u2018happiest country\u2019 status is beyond me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nExpats find the world\u2019s happiest country one of the worst places to live<\/h2>\n
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Why don\u2019t expats in Finland benefit from living in the world\u2019s happiest country?<\/h2>\n
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