You Have the Right to Remain Happy: How Finland’s Laws and Infrastructure Foster Happiness

By: Liam Moore

Finland has consistently topped the charts of the world’s happiest countries. While it may seem surprising given its cold climate and dark winters, an analysis of Finland’s laws and infrastructure offers a sensible explanation for their consistent happiness.

Public Transportation Infrastructure

Inaccessibility to public hubs breeds both social isolation and spatial occupation barriers. Finland solves this fundamental issue through its extensive public transport system. Its capital, Helsinki, and its surrounding municipalities operate the Helsinki Region Transport (HSL). By providing 292 routes and around 361 million yearly trips across the municipalities, the HSL gives Finns the ability to reliably travel to and from the main cities. Thus, public hubs are accessible to virtually everyone, dampening social disparity caused by wealth inequality. Furthermore, the Finnish government enacted the Act on Transport Services in 2018, aiming to eliminate the monopoly on ticket sales held by public transport administrators. By digitalizing ticket sales, Finland was able to promote competition in the public transport market, reducing inequities in accessibility. With their access to routine bus and train routes at a low cost, Finns’ happiness benefits greatly from their government’s institutional framework.

Similarly, Helsinki’s streets are designed to be easily walkable. Since 2021, Helsinki’s City Strategy has focused its road layout on favouring pedestrians rather than cars. The City Board has sought to expand its pedestrian centre, approving programs and changes to encourage walking. So, rather than the streets being packed with automobiles that limit interactions to honks behind a metal sarcophagus, pedestrians are able to appreciate the niceties of passersby through simple glances or gestures. Additionally, the advent of walking-focused programs limits the amount of pollution generated by transportation. Put simply, Finland’s transportation environment promotes genuine connection.

Education and Welfare Support

The prospect of succeeding in life, living each day without the fear that the next will be unaffordable, is perhaps the best indicator of happiness. The gap between destitution and sufficiency is where most happiness gains lie. Finland seeks to unambiguously provide potential for success and sufficient resources to its citizens through its Universities Act and its social safety net laws.

The Universities Act improves access to post-secondary education institutions by guaranteeing free education for Finnish and EU students. Higher education, on the individual level, is closely correlated with financial success. Unfortunately, many countries only offer post-secondary education at the cost of prohibitively high tuition fees. This concentrates education and opportunities in wealthier families, leaving individuals with fewer resources either in massive amounts of debt or unable to attend these institutions altogether. By eliminating this barrier to entry, Finland effectively diffuses opportunities for success to all of its citizens regardless of their economic standing (though some class stickiness may persist). The simple fact that all citizens can attend school, pursue interests, and become successful without the fear of significant financial repercussions is enough to inspire hope in Finland’s citizens. It is no surprise, then, that Finland has among the highest indices of wealth equality and class mobility. The class ladder, whose rungs seem ever more unclimbable in North America, is actually within reach in Finland.

If citizens do not desire to climb this ladder or are unable to, Finland ensures a minimum income for essential expenses when citizens cannot afford them. The Act on Social Assistance serves to provide Finns with a minimum standard of living based on a household’s income and their needs. It serves as a last resort, with predictable funds allowing individuals to survive times of struggle. Moreover, Finland’s Social Welfare Act offers social work, guidance, support, and rehabilitation services as legal rights. Their focus on sickness and unemployment benefits, coupled with affordable healthcare and elderly support, makes Finland a country where all citizens can live comfortably. By creating support programs for those most in need, Finland provides a safety net at the bottom of the ladder.

Finland as a Model Country

Finland demonstrates that accessibility, trust, and support are paramount to any natural environmental factors in sustaining a happy nation. If Aristotle’s account of happiness as the central goal of humankind is correct, then perhaps other nations should seek to adopt features from Finland’s legal and institutional structures.

References

“The Act on Transport Services Must Promote the Creation of New Services.” HPP Attorneys, 26 Sept. 2019, hppattorneys.com/news/the-act-on-transport-services-must-promote-the-creation-of-new-services/.

“Act on Transport Services to Cover the Entire Transport System.” Finnish Government, valtioneuvosto.fi/en/-/act-on-transport-services-to-cover-the-entire-transport-system. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.

HSL as an Organization | HSL | HSL.FI, HSL, www.hsl.fi/en/hsl/hsl-as-an-organization. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.

“New Pedestrian Areas in the Centre.” City of Helsinki, 29 July 2025, www.hel.fi/en/urban-environment-and-traffic/urban-planning-and-construction/plans-and-building-projects/new-pedestrian-areas-in-the-centre?utm_source=chatgpt.com.

“Scholarships and Tuition Fees.” Aalto University, 4 Dec. 2025, www.aalto.fi/en/admission-services/scholarships-and-tuition-fees?utm_source=chatgpt.com.