Romania in third place, alongside Poland and Finland

According to Eurostat data, Austria tops the ranking of the happiest countries in the European Union, with an impressive score of 7.9 out of 10 on "quality of life indicators". In a report tracking trends in the subjective well-being of European citizens, Romania took a respectable third place, alongside Poland and Finland, with a score of 7.7 out of 10.

While Austria receives praise for its high level of happiness, Bulgaria is at the opposite end of the scale, with the lowest score of 5.6. The report points out that factors such as level of education, family stability and financial situation have a significant influence on respondents' overall satisfaction, reports The Independent.

It is also notable that countries such as Romania and Poland, previously associated with lower income levels, are now among the leaders in terms of subjective well-being. Italy, Spain and France rank around the EU average, while Germany ranks among the least happy countries, coming second to last with a score of 6.5.

The report highlights the complexity of the relationship between subjective well-being and economic well-being, showing that EU citizens generally score an average of 7.1 out of 10 on their satisfaction with life in general.