「幸福度ランキング」米国は孤食率上昇で後退　フィンランド８年連続首位

【ヘルシンキＡＦＰ＝時事】世界各国を「幸福度」で順位付けした国連（ＵＮ）の「世界幸福度報告書」の最新版が２０日に公表され、フィンランドが８年連続で１位となった。一方、米国の順位は報告書が公表されるようになった２０１２年以降、最低となる２４位に落ち込んだ。一因として、一日のすべての食事を一人で取る「孤食率」の上昇が挙げられている。（写真は資料写真）
　フィンランドが連続１位となった理由について、フィンランド国民や専門家は、広大な湖などの自然の豊かさと手厚い福祉制度を挙げている。
　一方、米国は２４位に後退。２０１２年に報告書が発表されて以降、最低となった。
　報告書の筆者らは、その理由として「米国ではこの２０年間、一人で食事をする人の割合が５３％増加した」とし、誰かと食事を共にすることは「幸福と密接に関連している」との考えを示している。
　米国については、自殺や薬物乱用による死亡者数が増加している数少ない国の一つだとも指摘された。
　北欧諸国はいずれも１０位以内に入った。デンマークがフィンランドをわずかに下回り２位となり、アイスランド、スウェーデンが続いた。
　また、コスタリカが６位、メキシコが１０位となり、ともに初めてトップ１０入りを果たした。
　アフガニスタンは、今回も最下位となった。２０２１年の米軍撤退に伴うイスラム主義組織タリバンの政権復帰により、人道的危機が深刻化している。
　日本は５５位。韓国は５８位、中国は６８位だった。
　幸福度ランキングは、１人当たりの国内総生産（ＧＤＰ）や社会的支援、健康寿命、選択の自由度、他者への寛容さ、腐敗の認識の６項目について、自身の幸福度を０から１０までの段階で国民に評価してもらい、過去３年間の平均値を基に算定している。
　最新の報告書は、２０２２～２０２４年の対象国の世論調査結果に基づいている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/03/21-16:58）

The United States fell to its lowest happiness ranking ever partly due to a rise in the number of Americans eating their meals alone, an annual UN-sponsored report said Thursday.
Finland ranked as the world's happiest country for the eighth straight year in the World Happiness Report, with locals and experts thanking its grand lakes and strong welfare system for boosting its mood.
Afghanistan, plagued by a humanitarian catastrophe since the Taliban regained control in 2020, once again ranked as the unhappiest country in the world.
The United States fell to 24th place, its lowest score since the report was first published in 2012, when it recorded its highest showing at number 11.
The number of people dining alone in the United States has increased 53 percent over the past two decades, the authors said, noting that sharing meals is strongly linked with well-being.
In 2023, roughly one in four Americans reported eating all their meals alone the previous day, the report said.
The increasing number of people who eat alone is one reason for declining well-being in the United States, it said.
It also noted that the United States was one of few countries to see a rise of so-called deaths of despair -- from suicide or substance abuse -- at a time when those deaths are declining in a majority of countries.
The report surveyed people worldwide in 2022-2024, before US President Donald Trump's shakeup of national and global affairs since returning to the White House in January.
Nordic countries all stayed among the 10 happiest, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden trailing Finland, which slightly extended its lead over runner-up Denmark.
Meanwhile, Costa Rica and Mexico entered the top 10 for the first time, at the sixth and 10th spot respectively.
The happiness ranking is based on a three-year average of individuals' self-assessed evaluations of life satisfaction, as well as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and corruption.
- Finns 'relatively satisfied' -
It seems that Finnish people are relatively satisfied with their lives, Frank Martela, an assistant professor specialised in well-being and happiness research at Aalto University, told AFP.
It could largely be explained by Finns living in quite a well-functioning society, he said.
Democracy is functioning well, we have free elections, free speech, low levels of corruption and all of these have shown to predict higher levels of national well-being, Martela said.
He added that the Nordic countries also all have relatively strong welfare systems -- with parental leave, unemployment benefits and mostly universal healthcare -- which also contribute to higher levels of well-being on average.
Eveliina Ylitolonen, a 23-year-old student in Helsinki, said she believed that Finns' focus on enjoying beautiful nature could help explain the consistently high level of happiness in the Nordic country, known for its deep forests and over 160,000 lakes.
Nature is an important part of this happiness, Ylitolonen told AFP.
Jamie Sarja-Lambert, a professional video gamer who moved to Finland from the United Kingdom, agreed.
Seems like everyone is a lot more in touch with nature, going outside and socialising, more of a community, he told AFP.
This year, the authors of the happiness report said new evidence indicates that engaging in acts of generosity and believing in the kindness of others are significant predictors of happiness, even more so than earning a higher salary.
They also noted that in general people are too pessimistic about the kindness of their communities, and that the return rate of lost wallets is much higher than people expect.
Nordic countries also rank among the top places for expected and actual return of lost wallets.