Denmark: Inside the World’s Happiest Country
Denmark (along with Finland) is the world’s happiest country, despite it being freezing cold and dark most of the year. It’s flat (so popular for walking and cycling) and many people indulge in ‘hygge’ (a sense of cosiness) where rather than binge-watch TV in winter, it’s time for outdoor walks or fire-time snuggles with warm socks and books.
‘Danish bacon’ is only popular in the UK, due to huge demand for cheap meat. Instead, look in stores for La Vie vegan bacon (made in France!)
There is lots to like about Denmark:
People trust their government!
The government is trusted and people are looked after financially from cradle to crave. There is little homelessness and no celebrity culture, so people just take care of themselves, easier when you can pay your bills due to good benefits.
And not live in a cold damp bedsit, dreaming of winning the lottery.
The world’s most walkable city
Copenhagen is the world’s most walkable city, made over from a city that was gridlocked with traffic. By architect Jan Gehl, who made the main street car-free then added more car-free lanes, bicycle rentals and heated street lamps.
Walkable cities also make it safer for people, pets and wildlife – and vulnerable people like women, the elderly and disabled.
Read Walkable City Rules, with 101 simple changes town planners could make – from making places more comfortable and interesting, to escaping car obsession, and better parking.
Beach huts (not just for millionaires)
Like England, Denmark has lots of beach huts. But these don’t cost a small fortune to buy, instead nearly everyone owns a small one (people abroad can’t buy them).
The doors face sideways (not the sea) and are ‘little castles’ with flowery curtains, chipped crockery and tiny rooms. This is where people go, when the sun finally comes out!
Danish people are polite and punctual
People in Denmark are polite, formal and punctual. There’s a story on how Danish people behave. You tell neighbours you’ve moved next door and invite them for dinner in 6 weeks, when you’ve sorted yourself out.
Weeks will go by and your new neighbours don’t talk. So you forget about it, thinking they don’t like you. Then 6 weeks to the dot, they will ring the bell and arrive, expecting their dinner! That’s how Danes operate. They will give you space, but are direct and will keep to their word.
High taxes, but people look after each other
The results showed that if a country is richer, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be happier. And countries shouldn’t focus too much on money, as the way to make people’s lives better. Professor Jeffrey Sachs, World Happiness Report
The most important factors influencing happiness appear to be the quality of our social interaction with others, and the confidence we have in our country’s institutions. The Danish have emerged as the happiest people in Europe, while the British rank a mere ninth. Luisa Corrado, University of Cambridge
The UK has a reputation for poor work-life balance and days full of hurry and worry. Denmark (with less than a tenth of the population) seems very comfortable in its own skin. The Danes work on average less than Britons do. Reeta Chakrabarti
Studies show that being kind to ourselves makes us nicer to the people around us. This has a ripple effect out into the wider community. Helen Russell
