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The Czech Republic has been named the world’s funniest nation, topping a new international ranking based on how people use humor in everyday life.
The index, commissioned by payments platform Remitly, surveyed over 6,000 adults across 30 countries using the Humour Styles Questionnaire (HSQ), a psychological tool that evaluates four distinct humor types: affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating. The Czech Republic scored an average of 72.3 out of a possible 112: the highest among all 30 nations tested.
Conducted through the research platform Prolific, the ranking also analyzed how humor correlates with certain personality traits, particularly “agreeableness,” one of the Big Five traits in modern personality theory.
According to researchers, individuals high in agreeableness tend to use humor to strengthen social bonds and diffuse conflict—a key factor in how the national rankings were shaped.
“Czechs excel at self-defeating humour and also rank highly for aggressive humour, a potent mix of self-deprecation, razor-sharp irony, and expertly wielded sarcasm. This isn't your typical loud, performative comedy,” the report boldly states.
Drawing on history, Remitly continues: “Czech humor is legendarily dry, operating through deadpan delivery and subtle verbal jabs that can sometimes catch you off guard. Czechs have refined humor into a survival tool.”
According to the ranking, Czechs “use wit as psychological armor.”
Portugal, Ireland, Belgium, and Greece rounded out the top five respectively. Neighboring Poland was placed eighth.
While European nations dominated the top 10, Chile and Australia were the only non-European countries to make the list. The UK ranked 18th, while the U.S. placed 29th— both perhaps unexpectedly low, given their well-known comedic exports.
Researchers emphasized that the ranking measures the potential for humor use, not its absence. A lower national score does not equate to being unfunny, but may reflect differing cultural attitudes toward humor or limitations in participant sampling.
