In 2025, the five Nordic nations – Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland – along with the Baltic state of Estonia, stand out as the world’s least corrupt countries. According to the latest global indices, these countries top corruption-perception rankings with scores in the high 70s and 80s (out of 100), far above the global average. This feature explores how they’ve achieved such clean governance, the historical and cultural roots of their integrity, and why it matters – from innovation to public happiness.

Iceland has made history as the first Nordic nation – and the fifth country overall – to officially boycott the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 (the 70th edition set for May 2026 in Vienna). The decision by Iceland’s public broadcaster RÚV was driven by widespread domestic backlash to Israel’s inclusion in the contest amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

Pamela Anderson, now 58, has been reinventing herself and reconnecting with her heritage. Known for her iconic glamour in the 1990s, she has recently adopted a more natural look and candid approach to life. At the height of her fame, Anderson was synonymous with Baywatch and the quintessential California beach persona. Now, in a heartfelt turn of events, the Hollywood icon is baring a different side of herself – one deeply connected to the Nordic roots in her family tree.

The three Baltic nations – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – are charting a new course in 2025 by exploring nuclear energy as part of their strategy for energy security and decarbonization. Historically dependent on imported fossil fuels and the Soviet-era grid, these countries have faced pressing geopolitical and environmental challenges, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted a rapid shift away from Russian gas and electricity.

The European Union’s top court has delivered a historic victory for LGBTQ+ rights, ruling that all member states must recognize same-sex marriages lawfully performed in any EU country. In a decision announced on November 25, 2025, the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) held that refusing to acknowledge such marriages is “contrary to EU law” because it infringes fundamental rights – specifically the freedom of movement and the right to respect for private and family life.

Locals in Riga like to pose a trivia question: What was the biggest city in the 17th-century Swedish Empire? The answer, surprisingly, is Riga. This stately Hanseatic port on the Baltic Sea once outshone Stockholm itself. Yet today, Riga is a relatively modest Baltic capital, eclipsed by Nordic powerhouses like Stockholm and Copenhagen. How did a city that was once the Swedish Empire’s largest fail to become the dominant metropolis of the Baltic?

Imagine riding a subway under the snow-dusted streets of Scandinavia, surrounded by art-covered tunnel walls or gliding driverless through a sleek station. The Nordic countries boast a handful of metro systems – in Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, and Copenhagen – each reflecting the era and ethos in which it was built. Meanwhile, across the Baltic Sea, ambitious subway plans once flickered in Soviet times, only to be halted by history.