9 years and counting: Finland is first in the World Happiness Report
The World Happiness Report singles out Finland as the happiest country in the world in 2026, for the ninth year running. To celebrate, we seek out people named Onni (Happiness) to ask what makes them happy (see video).
Happiness doesn’t just happen. In Finland, it’s the result of strong social systems and a culture of wellbeing that has been carefully built over the past 100 years.
Looking at life, photos and Finnish happiness after four decades in Finland
Tim Bird’s new book, Happy Land, reflects a life of observing, photographing and finding contentment in Finland. It holds some wisdom for more recent arrivals, too.
These self-portraits from Finland are everything that selfies are not
Throughout history artists have expressed themselves through self-portraits. These Finnish and Finland-based artists have made an international splash with theirs.
Peek into one of Finland’s most famous buildings, in Paimio
Created by renowned Finnish designers and architects Alvar and Aino Aalto, Paimio Sanatorium was built between 1929 and 1933. Our video visits this world-famous Finnish architectural landmark.
Catching the pike: How Finnish author Juhani Karila reeled in a literary phenomenon
Juhani Karila grew up in a corner of Lapland so quiet that his imagination became loud. Decades later, it has helped him become one of Finland’s most distinctive literary voices.
8 questions on the Kalevala, the epic that shaped Finland’s identity
The epic Kalevala relates ancient tales, mainly from the Karelia region, and has become a cornerstone of Finland’s cultural identity. Its poetry has reached readers all over the world, including J.R.R. Tolkien, who took inspiration from it.
Finnish artist creates world’s largest light installation in Australia
World-renowned light artist Kari Kola sets up the world’s largest light installation in southwestern Australia, together with photonics experts from his eastern Finnish hometown, Joensuu.
When a Northern Finnish child picked up a kantele mostly to annoy her sister, no one imagined she would become one of the instrument’s boldest contemporary voices.
Regenerative tourism in Finland gives travel a deeper meaning
Shovelling snow to save endangered seal pups might not be everyone’s idea of a holiday. But for some travellers in Finland, it’s exactly the kind of meaningful experience they’re looking for.
Finnish winter fun: Zooming across a frozen lake on an ice route
Across Finland, ploughed and marked routes on frozen bodies of water turn winter landscapes into public playgrounds. On Lake Tuusula, the atmosphere resembles a festival.
Warm, windproof and Finnish: How Finns dress for the ski tracks
People in Finland love cross-country skiing. But how should you dress for exercising in freezing conditions? We let the skiers share their best advice.
Polar-night hike: A winter walk in the northern Finnish woods
In the deepest darkness of winter, Finland reveals a softer kind of light. A snowshoe trek in Oulanka National Park shows why the polar night is something to embrace.
Momentous Sámi exhibition arrives at Helsinki’s Kiasma Museum
We Who Remain is the first comprehensive exhibition of Sámi art ever shown at the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki. The Sámi are the only recognised Indigenous People in the EU area.
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