20 March is World Happiness Day. It is officially called the International Day of Happiness. It was created by the United Nations to publicise happiness, well-being and quality of life as political and social goals. On 12 July 2012, the UN General Assembly decided to declare 20 March the International Day of Happiness with Resolution 66/281. The day was officially celebrated for the first time in 2013.
This date is particularly interesting for water sports. After all, many of the things that research associates with life satisfaction are almost a matter of course on the water. Experiencing nature, exercise, socialising and getting away from everyday life are all integral parts of sailing.
What the new happiness ranking shows
World Happiness Day also regularly brings the World Happiness Report into focus. The report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University together with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. It does not just measure mood or spontaneous good humour. It is based on the so-called Cantril Ladder, i.e. the assessment of one's own life on a scale of 0 to 10.
Finland remains at the top
It is no longer a surprise that Finland is once again in first place. The country has been ranked first without interruption since 2017, and the report points not to a single secret of success, but to several stable factors. These include social trust, social security, functioning institutions and a close relationship with nature.
The high level of trust in everyday life is also repeatedly mentioned in this context. It is particularly noticeable in the Nordic countries that reliability in public life is especially pronounced. People who experience their everyday life as predictable and fair often also rate their own life more positively.
Germany recovers somewhat
The trend for Germany has recently been pointing slightly upwards. In the 2022 report, the Germans were still in 16th place. 2023 saw a downward trend to 24th place. From then on, however, things started to look up, with Germany in 17th place in 2026.
This means that Germany is still a long way off the top. However, the most recent increase suggests that life evaluation has stabilised somewhat. The decisive factor here is that the report does not just look at income or consumption. It also includes social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom in life decisions, generosity and trust in institutions.
Water, nature and trust are important
Finland in particular shows how closely happiness and living environment can be linked. The country has around 188,000 lakes. Access to nature is traditionally relatively open. The so-called Every Person's Right allows a wide range of activities such as hiking, swimming, canoeing and boating.
Life on the water is also deeply rooted there. In mid-2019, 217,236 watercraft were registered in Finland, including 14,243 sailing boats. Finland has the highest boat density with 132 boats per 10,000 inhabitants. This does not prove that sailing alone is responsible for the top position in the happiness ranking. But it does show how naturally nature and water experiences are integrated into everyday life.
If you would like to take a trip to the happiest people in the world, our Comprehensive area report all relevant information.
At this point, World Happiness Day also becomes interesting for sailors. The report makes it clear that well-being usually grows where social stability, trust, access to nature and personal room for manoeuvre come together. Many of these factors also characterise life on the water.
What sailing has to do with well-being
There has not yet been a large global study that clearly proves that sailors are fundamentally happier than non-sailors. Nevertheless, there is some evidence to suggest that sailing combines several factors that are regularly associated with greater well-being in research.
This includes time in nature, experiences in the water, physical activity and social interaction. Added to this is the feeling of self-efficacy. Anyone who guides a boat, makes decisions, observes the weather and environment and co-operates with crew, family or friends often experiences their own actions as directly effective.
What research on "Blue Spaces" shows
There is a particularly robust body of research on blue spaces, i.e. spending time near or on bodies of water. A systematic review of 35 studies came to the conclusion that contact with such environments tends to be positively related to mental health, well-being and physical activity.
Other reviews of water-related health and recreation programmes also tend to describe positive effects overall. The strength of the evidence varies depending on the topic. A standardised promise of miracles cannot be derived from this. However, the basic tenor is clear.
Tips from the world of sailing
For sailing itself, the data situation is smaller, but interesting. In a randomised study of people with severe mental illness, a sailing rehabilitation programme significantly improved quality of life during the study period. The authors were deliberately cautious in formulating their results and did not make any simple long-term promises. In an essay we will deal with this aspect in detail.
Similar trends can also be found in the youth sector. Studies on sail training and dinghy sailing repeatedly cite increased self-confidence, social skills, team spirit, enjoyment and perceived well-being. The samples are significantly smaller than in the World Happiness Report. Nevertheless, the results are relevant as an indication.
Sailing is therefore not a scientifically proven direct route to happiness. But it combines an astonishing number of conditions that are obviously good for people. Nature, wind, water, movement and collective action are closely intertwined here. This is precisely why World Happiness Day fits so well with sailing.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
