The United States just hit a new low in the World Happiness Report. Last year, the U.S. fell out of the top 20 for the first time. This year, it slipped even further, while countries like Costa Rica and Mexico climbed into the top 10 for the first time.
What is the World Happiness Report?
The World Happiness Report, a collaboration between Gallup, Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, measures happiness through a simple yet profound question: if life were a ladder with 10 steps, where would you stand? Over 100,000 people worldwide answer this each year.
Researchers use six main factors to evaluate a country's happiness: social support, GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity and perceived corruption. Social support is the strongest indicator—people who feel they have someone to rely on are more likely to feel secure and satisfied.
Where does the U.S. rank among the world’s happiest countries?
After falling out of the top 20 last year, the U.S. now comes in at number 24. The report points to a lack of social trust is increasingly evident, and the country is grappling with rising political polarization.
Nordic countries lead once again, taking the top four spots: Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden.
European countries like Lithuania (16), Slovenia (19) and Czechia (20) continue to climb in the rankings, driven by increased social trust and stability. Even nations that have faced significant hardship like Serbia, Bulgaria and Georgia have improved their happiness levels since the ranking began in 2012.
The U.S.'s slide down the list suggests a nation struggling with deeper issues of community and connection. While material wealth plays a role, it appears that the American dream may be missing something essential: a stronger sense of togetherness.
Find the full report here.
Top 25 happiest countries
- Finland
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Sweden
- Netherlands
- Costa Rica
- Norway
- Israel
- Luxembourg
- Mexico
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Switzerland
- Belgium
- Ireland
- Lithuania
- Austria
- Canada
- Slovenia
- Czechia
- United Arab Emirates
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Belize