Around the world, Aussies are loved for their dry, sarcastic sense of humour that’s pointed at everything from dodgy politicians and deadly animals to coffee snobs and interstate rivals. And while we might think we’re the most entertaining bunch on the planet, a new study reckons we’re only the seventh-funniest nation behind some unexpected contenders.
Sense of humour is undeniably subjective, so the researchers at Remitly decided to take a scientific approach to the rankings (yep, no funny business here). They surveyed more than 6,000 participants from 30 countries using the Humour Styles Questionnaire, which measures four styles of humour: affiliative (friendly banter), self-enhancing (laughing through the pain), aggressive (roasting others) and self-defeating (laughing at yourself). The higher a country scored across the board, the funnier it was deemed by the rest of the world.
Turns out, the Czech Republic is the world’s funniest nation, excelling in both self-defeating and aggressive humour. “Czech humour is legendarily dry, operating through deadpan delivery and subtle verbal jabs that can sometimes catch you off guard,” the researchers said.
Coming in next were Portugal and Ireland, where humour tends to be affiliative – the kind that brings people together through shared laughs. Belgium, Chile and Greece also ranked highly, with Australia following as the seventh-funniest country in the world. We’ll take it!
Australians would likely hit it off with the Czechs, since our humour shares a love of both self-deprecating and cheeky roast styles – so while we love making fun of others, we’re also happy to crack a joke at ourselves. Check out who's 'scientifically' funnier than us below.
The 10 funniest countries in the world
- Czech Republic
- Portugal
- Ireland
- Belgium
- Chile
- Greece
- Australia
- Poland
- Denmark
- Hungary