Finland is the world’s happiest and Europe’s second most innovative country.
Helsinki and Finland did quite well in international smart city comparisons in 2022. We have put together a list of key comparison results.
1. The world’s happiest country – once again
Last year, Finland was named the world’s happiest country for the sixth time in a row. Second place was taken by Denmark and third by Iceland. All Nordic countries were in the top ten. The World Happiness Report compares aspects such as gross domestic product and life expectancy. In addition to those, interview surveys are conducted in 150 countries, in which the residents of each country self-evaluate aspects such as their quality of life, their freedom and the degree of corruption in their country. It is worth noting that the same countries that do well in innovation comparisons tend to have top rankings in happiness comparisons as well. Learn more about the comparison here
2. Finland is Europe’s second most innovative country
The European Innovation Scoreboard compares the innovation performance of EU countries. Finland did well in last year’s comparison, taking second place with a result nearly equal to that of the winner, Sweden. In Finland, innovation performance had increased considerably from two years ago. Learn more about the comparison here
“In Finland, innovation performance had increased.”
European Innovation Scoreboard 2022
3. Third best balance between work and leisure time
Helsinki has the world’s third best balance between work and leisure time, a report by Kisi indicates. The comparison takes into account aspects such as holiday durations, workday durations, remote work opportunities and cities’ service and price level. The ranking is also affected by the quality of health care, the amount of green areas and air quality. The best balance was found in Oslo, Norway, while the second best was in Bern, Switzerland. Learn more about the comparison here
4. The eighth best smart city in the world
The Smart City Index of the Swiss research institute IMD is the number one smart city comparison in the world. A couple of years ago, Helsinki took second place in the comparison. Helsinki’s ranking has since dropped slightly, to eighth place, but remains in the top ten. The comparison delves into cities’ basic quality of life and degree of technological development. Learn more about the comparison here
5. The ninth most innovative country in the world
The Global Innovation Index compares countries’ level of innovation. Finland is in ninth place in the comparison. The top three consists of Switzerland, the USA and Sweden. Learn more about the comparison here
6. Helsinki, the world’s 11th best smart city
The Smart Cities Index, a joint research project by several universities (not to be confused with IMD’s Smart City Index), ranks Helsinki as the world’s 11th best smart city. The City is applauded for its innovation company Forum Virium Helsinki, the open data service Helsinki Region Infoshare and the Smart Kalasatama smart city area. Learn more about the comparison here
Additional information
Jussi Karmala
Communications Manager, Head of team
+358 40 591 6744
jussi.karmala@forumvirium.fi
