Methodology

For the report, researchers surveyed over 100,000 people in more than 140 countries between 2021 and 2023 through the Gallup World Poll. Participants were asked to evaluate their happiness on a scale from 0–10, with 10 representing "the best possible life for them."

Researchers also evaluated six factors that could explain different levels of happiness in each country:

• Social support
• GDP per capita
• A healthy life expectancy
• Freedom to make life choices
• Generosity
• Perception of corruption

The happiest (and unhappiest) countries in the world

This year, the 10 happiest countries in the world were:

1.       Finland (Score: 7.741)

2.       Denmark (Score: 7.583)

3.       Iceland (Score: 7.525)

4.       Sweden (Score: 7.344)

5.       Israel (Score: 7.341)

6.       Netherlands (Score: 7.319)

7.       Norway (Score: 7.302)

8.       Luxembourg (Score: 7.122)

9.       Switzerland (Score: 7.060)

10.   Australia (Score: 7.057)

According to USA Today, the top 10 countries in the happiness ranking have largely remained the same over time, with Nordic countries near the top. Finland has also ranked first in happiness for seven years in a row.

In comparison, the 10 unhappiest countries in the world were:

1.       Afghanistan (Score: 1.721)

2.       Lebanon (Score 2.707)

3.       Lesotho (Score: 3.186)

4.       Sierra Leone (Score: 3.245)

5.       Congo (Kinshasa) (Score: 3.295)

6.       Zimbabwe (Score: 3.341)

7.       Botswana (Score: 3.383)

8.       Malawi (Score: 3.421)

9.       Eswatini (Score: 3.502)

10.   Zambia (Score: 3.502)

For the first time, this year the report also ranked each country's happiness by age group. The 10 happiness countries for people under the age of 30 were:

1.       Lithuania (Score: 7.759)

2.       Israel (7.667)

3.       Serbia (Score: 7.658)

4.       Iceland (Score: 7.598)

5.       Denmark (Score: 7.329)

6.       Luxembourg (Score: 7.301)

7.       Finland (Score: 7.300)

8.       Romania (Score: 7.284)

9.       Netherlands (Score: 7.248)

10.   Czechia (Score: 7.198)

For adults ages 60 and older, the 10 happiest countries were:

1.       Denmark (Score: 7.916)

2.       Finland (Score: 7.912)

3.       Norway (Score: 7.660)

4.       Sweden (Score: 7.588)

5.       Iceland (Score: 7.585)

6.       New Zealand (Score: 7.390)

7.       Netherlands (Score: 7.360)

8.       Canada (Score: 7.343)

9.       Australia (Score: 7.304)

10.   United States (Score: 7.258)

US falls to a new low in happiness rankings

Notably, the United States fell to a new low in this year's happiness rankings, falling out of the top 20 for the first time since the report began in 2012. This year, the United States ranked 23rd with a score of 6.725. In 2023, the United States ranked 15th, and in 2022, it was 16th.

According to the researchers, the United States' drop in overall happiness was likely due to decreased well-being for Americans under the age of 30. Although the United States ranked 10th in happiness among people ages 60 and older, it was 62nd for those under the age of 30.

This decline in happiness among younger adults was also seen in Canada, Australia, and, to a lesser extent, some parts of western Europe.

"I have never seen such an extreme change," said John Helliwell, an economist and a co-author of the report. "This has all happened in the last 10 years, and it's mainly in the English-language countries. There isn't this drop in the world as a whole.”

"We knew that a relationship existed between age and happiness, but the biggest surprise is that it is more nuanced than we previously thought, and it is changing," said Ilana Ron-Levey, managing director at Gallup.

According to Lorenzo Norris, an associate professor of psychiatry at George Washington University, disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, which contributed to mental health challenges and other issues, likely contributed to the decline in happiness among younger Americans. In fact, the report found that loneliness was twice as high for millennials in North America than it was for those born before 1965.

"The literature is clear in practice — the effect that this had on socialization, pro-social behavior, if you will, and the ability for people to feel connected and have a community," Norris said.

"Many of the things that would have normally taken place for people, particularly high school young adults, did not take place," he added. "And that is still occurring." (O'Connell-Domenech, The Hill, 3/20; Gooch, Becker's Hospital Review, 3/20; Gomez, USA Today, 3/20; Aubrey, "Shots," NPR, 3/20; Bloom, Forbes, 3/19; Deb, New York Times, 3/20; World Happiness Report press release, 3/20; World Happiness Report FAQ, accessed 3/21; World Happiness Report, accessed 3/21)

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