Canada tops luckiest nations ranking in 2026 study
The November 2026 study ranks Canada as the luckiest nation overall. Residents recorded 400,692 casino wins between 2000 and 2026, the highest total by far, with an average payout of $9,025. The country posted an average happiness score of 6.8, life expectancy of 83.0 years, passport mobility allowing visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 169 destinations, and a jackpot rate of 0.72 wins per 10 million lottery tickets. The composite score placed Canada at the top of the 1-100 ranking.
Sweden finished second with 33,297 casino wins, an average win of $10,041, a happiness score of 7.3, life expectancy of 83.7 years, passport mobility of 173, and 1.49 jackpot wins per 10 million tickets. Norway took third place on 6,709 casino wins, an average win of $15,424, the same 7.3 happiness score, life expectancy of 83.8 years, identical 173 passport mobility, and the second-highest jackpot rate at 1.86 per 10 million tickets. Denmark ranked fourth after 2,408 casino wins, an average win of $7,315, the highest happiness score in the top four at 7.5, life expectancy of 82.4 years, 173 passport mobility, and 1.2 jackpot wins per 10 million tickets.
New Zealand placed fifth with 13,354 casino wins, an average win of $8,643, a happiness score of 7.0, life expectancy of 82.5 years, passport mobility of 169, and the highest jackpot rate in the top ten at 2.61 per 10 million tickets. Australia followed in sixth on 65,437 casino wins, an average win of $11,041, a 7.0 happiness score, the longest life expectancy in the group at 84.3 years, passport mobility of 168, and 1.23 jackpot wins per 10 million tickets. Finland ranked seventh after 11,303 casino wins and the largest average win of $16,339, a happiness score of 7.7, life expectancy of 82.7 years, 173 passport mobility, and the lowest jackpot rate at 0.54 per 10 million tickets. Luxembourg finished eighth with 747 casino wins and an average win of $7,025, a happiness score of 7.1, life expectancy of 82.6 years, 173 passport mobility, and 0.07 jackpot wins per 10 million tickets. The Netherlands took ninth place on 8,788 casino wins, an average win of $7,535, a 7.3 happiness score, life expectancy of 82.6 years, 173 passport mobility, and 1.23 jackpot wins per 10 million tickets. Slovenia completed the top ten with 380 casino wins, an average win of $6,245, a happiness score of 6.8, life expectancy of 92.1 years, passport mobility of 171, and 1.42 jackpot wins per 10 million tickets.
Marieta Cembranos, Head of Communications at the live streaming platform, commented on the findings: “Data consistently find that the strongest predictors of national happiness are social support systems, trust in institutions, and freedom from corruption, and not personal temperament or cultural disposition. Finland leads the happiness rankings for eight consecutive years specifically because of universal healthcare, strong social safety nets, and low income inequality. The luckiest countries are also the countries that have spent decades building policy frameworks that reduce the role of individual bad luck in determining life outcomes.”
The study examined 45 countries using casino wins recorded from 2000 through 2026, average monetary win amounts, and jackpot wins per 10 million lottery tickets. Additional metrics included average happiness scores, life expectancy, and passport mobility measured by visa-free or visa-on-arrival destinations. Countries received a final composite score on a 1-100 scale where 100 represented the greatest accumulation of fortunate events and advantageous opportunities. The complete dataset is available at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSfapzyK32RLFnlT5g54-p7dAD5s7WPik0HDcwyByl4JddKSdsOy5PMLqT937G-Mk20dLPlgdumYRZz/pubhtml.
