According to UNICEF’s latest research, Dutch children are officially the happiest kids in the world. Not bad for a country that spends half its time under the rain.
How did they reach this conclusion? It’s not as simple as asking children to give a thumbs up or thumbs down.
UNICEF’s Innocenti Report Card 19 ranks countries based on factors such as mental and physical health, life satisfaction, and academic skills.
The top three? The Netherlands, Denmark, and France — which sounds suspiciously like the start of an interesting Eurovision lineup.
Dutch children are pretty satisfied
Ok, so why should parents in the Netherlands feel smug right now?
Between 2018 and 2022, life satisfaction among Dutch children barely budged, dipping just slightly from 90% to 87%. In a world full of chaos, that’s pretty impressive.
It turns out that bikes, stroopwafels, and a healthy work-life balance might actually do wonders for a child’s mood.
READ MORE | 5 reasons why Dutch kids are happier than American kids
Let’s get into the specifics. Dutch kids rank first in the world for mental health, fourth for physical wellbeing, and 11th for skills.
Let’s take a look at the top ten countries overall. 👇
| Ranking | Country | Mental Health | Physical Health | Skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 1 | 4 | 11 |
| 2 | Denmark | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 3 | France | 11 | 2 | 9 |
| 4 | Portugal | 2 | 10 | 22 |
| 5 | Ireland | 24 | 11 | 1 |
| 6 | Switzerland | 13 | 7 | 6 |
| 7 | Spain | 4 | 25 | 16 |
| 8 | Croatia | 9 | 31 | 3 |
| 9 | Italy | 8 | 16 | 23 |
| 10 | Sweden | 14 | 13 | 14 |
But don’t brag too much yet
However, it’s not all sunshine. The report also revealed a worrying trend: academic skills are slipping.
Despite being among the happiest, Dutch 15 year olds experienced a drop in functional literacy and numeracy, from 66% down to just 49%.
In other words, more than half of them may now struggle with basic maths or reading.
The culprit? Unsurprisingly, the pandemic. School closures and remote learning left a mark, proving once again that trying to learn algebra over Zoom is no one’s idea of a good time.
Let’s end on a positive note
However, it’s very important to note that COVID-19 has had no effect on their social and emotional skills, meaning that 15 year olds are still capable of making friends, even if it’s from behind a screen.
While Dutch kids may be smiling, there’s still work to be done to keep both their spirits and their grades high.
Do you agree with these findings? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
When I look at families out on their bikes on the perfectly organised cycle paths in The Hague, I can understand how Dutch children are (arguably) the happiest in the world. They look cheerful and relaxed, they don’t care that it might rain, they are out and about together on safe routes. It’s part of a contented life.