World Kindness Day: Data reveals Spain as one of the world’s kindest countries

World kindness day

World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. Celebrated on November 13 of each year, this day is to help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together.

In the run-up to World Kindness Day, Icelandair, Iceland’s flagship airline, analysed factors such as healthcare systems, minimum wage rates, world giving index rank and global peace index score to find the kindest countries in the world.

New Zealand comes out on top, with a world-beating public healthcare system and ranking in the top 3 on the World Giving Index. New Zealand’s total estimated giving equates to New Zealanders giving 1.35 percent of New Zealand GDP to charitable and community causes. Known as friendly and down-to-earth, the Kiwis have made New Zealand a welcoming home for expats, too.

New Zealand’s pacific neighbour, Australia, comes in at number two, scoring just one rank lower on the World Giving Index and with an almost identical minimum wage.

Canada bagged third place and, as its lively and liveable city Vancouver was voted world’s friendliest city in a recent survey, it’s clear to see why!

Spain ranked highly, ranking joint-seventh with neighbouring Portugal – a great result for the Iberian Peninsula.

You can see the full ranking below:

Country Healthcare score Minimum wage score Best for expats score Global peace index score Total score
NZ 4 33 26 49 150
Australia 4 34 24 40 139
Canada 4 32 23 44 137
Denmark 4 35 9 48 123
Netherlands 2 27 22 36 119
Germany 3 28 16 39 111
Portugal 4 20 30 47 109
Spain 4 26 28 35 109
Scotland 4 30 4 33 106
Belgium 3 24 19 37 105
England 4 31 3 32 103
Taiwan 4 19 32 31 100
UAE 2 22 13 29 95
Singapore 3 0 27 43 93
USA 1 23 10 18 92
Switzerland 2 0 15 46 91
Vietnam 2 11 31 30 83
Iceland 4 0 0 50 80
Sweden 4 0 11 41 80
Hungary 3 17 18 38 80
Japan 3 25 14 32 79
South Africa 4 9 25 17 76
Morocco 2 15 20 24 71
Ireland 4 29 12 45 69
Mexico 2 12 29 14 69
Thailand 2 8 21 20 66
Oman 4 16 17 26 63
Sri Lanka 4 6 0 22 63
Greece 4 21 5 27 59
Italy 4 0 1 34 56
Kenya 2 2 0 19 53
Colombia 3 13 7 12 53
Malawi 0 1 0 28 52
Dominican Republic 2 3 0 23 47
China 3 10 8 21 43
Brazil 4 7 2 16 42
Ukraine 3 18 0 13 41
Cambodia 2 5 0 25 38
Russia 3 14 6 11 37
India 3 4 0 15 33

5 Inspirational random acts of kindness 

It might seem like we live in a world of doom and gloom, but kindness can be found when you least expect it. To prove just how kind people can be, Icelandair consulted Reddit to find some of the most inspirational stories of random acts of kindness. From food donation to paying it forward, these caring acts prove that you’re never far from a kind soul.

Neighbourly Care

I’m a doctor. I’ve worked every day of the lockdown so far. When I came home from work yesterday, I found this unrequested care package left by my neighbours. Tea, cleaning supplies, toilet paper. Just thought I’d share this act of kindness from my neighbours.

Animal Rescuer

The owner in this shop allows stray dogs to come in when it is dark so that they can spend the nights safely . He put blankets to cover the cold tiles so everyone has a comfortable bed .. such initiatives must be shared! 💗

Animal Kindness

Paying it forward for the kids

“A couple asked to pay for all of my children’s back to school needs. Everything from clothes, to shoes, school supplies, and a new backpack. This morning I was randomly pulled aside by a lady and her husband. They said anything the kids (6 and 3) needed, clothes/school supplies/shoes, they would buy it for them. My son got to pick out a nice backpack, better quality pencils, and they both got new shoes. Colouring books for my three-year-old, and so many school supplies. Thank you so much, you know who you are”.

A little air goes a long way

“One day on my way to work, I saw a neighbour out and waved to him. He waved me down and came out into the street, so I backed up and heard him out. My tire was flat against the ground. He offered to fill it, and I reluctantly agreed, worried more about being late to work than anything.

So, he filled up my tire and told me to be careful because it sounded like there was a hole, and to check it after work before driving. I drive twenty minutes to work every day, over a not so well maintained railroad, a construction zone and a lot of sharp turns and curves. Not only did he save me several thousand dollars for car damages, it also saved me from probably spinning out or rolling the car.”

A stic-key situation

“I was at Bushman park  with my two daughters feeding the turtles on the boardwalk when I dropped my car keys and house key and Safe key into the pond. The boys overheard me freaking out and two of them took their shirts off and jumped in and got my keys back out. I couldn’t believe the kindness and generosity these kids showed me. They didn’t know me, nor was it their problem to help!”

Methodology: 

To reveal how kind each country is, they were compared them against a list of factors including minimum wage rates, healthcare, and world peace index score.


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