Karmactive Staff
Finland has maintained its position as the world’s happiest country for the eighth year in a row, according to the 2025 World Happiness Report released March 20. With an average score of 7.736 out of 10, Finland continues to lead the global happiness rankings, followed closely by other Nordic nations.
Nordic Dominance Continues
The top four positions remain unchanged from 2024, with Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden following Finland. The Netherlands rounds out the top five, while Norway holds the seventh spot. These countries benefit from “universally available and high-quality health, education and social support systems,” according to Ilana Ron-Levey, managing director at Gallup.
Professor John Helliwell, an economics professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia and founding editor of the report, points to both social systems and individual behavior as key factors. “Having a welfare state doesn’t find lost wallets and return them to the owners,” Helliwell noted, referring to data showing Nordic nations rank highly for returning lost property.
Latin American Nations Enter Top 10
For the first time, Costa Rica (6th) and Mexico (10th) have broken into the top ten happiest countries. Both nations showcase “strong social networks and strong perceptions about the direction of their economy and confidence in leaders and institutions,” Ron-Levey explained.
Israel (8th) and Luxembourg (9th) complete the top ten list.
US Happiness Declines to Record Low
The United States dropped to 24th place, its lowest ranking since the report began in 2012. This decline appears particularly pronounced among younger Americans.
“Today’s young people report feeling less supported by friends and family, less free to make life choices and less optimistic about their living standards,” Ron-Levey said.
The report identifies social isolation as a contributing factor to declining American happiness. About one in four Americans reported eating all their meals alone the previous day, with solo dining increasing by 53% over the past two decades. The report emphasizes that “sharing meals is strongly linked with well-being.”
The United Kingdom also fell to 23rd place, its lowest ranking since 2017, while Germany improved from 24th to 22nd, overtaking the US.
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Trust and Kindness Exceed Expectations
A key finding reveals people are approximately twice as kind as expected. The study measured trust by deliberately losing wallets and tracking return rates, finding actual returns were almost double what people predicted.
“People are much happier living where they think people care about each other,” Helliwell said.
The report suggests that believing in others’ goodness can improve personal happiness: “People’s fellow citizens are better than they think they are, and to realize that will make you happier.”
Afghanistan Remains at Bottom
At the opposite end of the happiness spectrum, Afghanistan ranks last (147th) with a score of 1.364. Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Malawi, and Zimbabwe make up the rest of the bottom five countries.
Social Connections Matter
Jeffrey D. Sachs, president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, said the findings reconfirm that “happiness is rooted in trust, kindness and social connection.“
Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, added: “In this era of social isolation and political polarisation we need to find ways to bring people around the table again – doing so is critical for our individual and collective wellbeing.”
