The UK and US have both slumped to their lowest ranking in years according to the World Happiness Report for 2025
Finland is the happiest place in the world for the eighth year in a row – according to the World Happiness Report 2025. Denmark, Iceland and Sweden also remained in the top four and in the same order, according to the report published yesterday (Thurs).
The United Kingdom, now ranked 23rd in the happiness league table, is in its lowest position since 2017, a time when the divisive Brexit vote had taken place just months prior. Donald Trump’s USA came 24th. The study by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford was done in partnership with the analytics firm Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
“Happiness isn’t just about wealth or growth – it’s about trust, connection and knowing people have your back,” said Jon Clifton, the chief executive of Gallup. “If we want stronger communities and economies, we must invest in what truly matters: each other.”
Country rankings were based on answers people give when asked to rate their own lives. Researchers say beyond health and wealth, it’s the simple things that make people happy – including sharing meals with others, having somebody to count on for social support and household size.
In Mexico and Europe households of four to five people have the highest levels of happiness, the study said. Believing in the kindness of others is also much more closely tied to happiness than previously thought, according to the latest findings.
While European countries dominate the top 20 in the ranking, there were some exceptions. Despite the war with Hamas, Israel came in at eighth.
Costa Rica and Mexico entered the top 10 for the first time, ranking at sixth and 10th respectively. But the US, ranked 24th, has dropped to its lowest ever position, having previously peaked at 11th place in 2012.
The report states that the number of people dining alone in the United States has increased by 53 percent over the past two decades. Afghanistan is again ranked as the unhappiest country in the world, with Afghan women saying their lives are especially difficult.
Sierra Leone in western Africa is the second unhappiest, followed by Lebanon. In a concerning development, the study said almost one in five young adults globally reported in 2023 that they have no one they could count on for social support.
That is a 39 percent increase compared to 2006.All countries are ranked according to their self-assessed life evaluations averaged over 2022 to 2024.
Experts in economics, psychology, sociology and beyond then seek to explain the variations across countries and over time using factors such as GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, a sense of freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption.
WORLD HAPPINESS LEAGUE TABLE TOP 20
- 1. Finland
- 2. Denmark
- 3. Iceland
- 4. Sweden
- 5. Netherlands
- 6. Costa Rica
- 7. Norway
- 8. Israel
- 9. Luxembourg
- 10. Mexico
- 11. Australia
- 12. New Zealand
- 13. Switzerland
- 14. Belgium
- 15. Ireland
- 16. Lithuania
- 17. Austria
- 18. Canada
- 19. Slovenia
- 20. Czechia