According to the annual UN-sponsored World Happiness Report, Finland has retained its title as the world’s happiest country for the seventh consecutive year.
Ranking 108th, Pakistan’s report highlighted its youth as the happiest demographic, contrasting with its older population’s lower happiness levels. Surpassing India, which remained at 126th place, Pakistan showed a notable position in the happiness index. Afghanistan found itself at the survey’s end, involving 143 countries.
Nordic nations continued to dominate the top happiness ranks, with Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden following Finland closely.
For the first time in over a decade, neither the United States nor Germany ranked within the top 20 happiest countries, placing 23rd and 24th, respectively. Meanwhile, Costa Rica and Kuwait debuted in the top 20, ranking 12th and 13th.
Among the top 10 happiest countries, only the Netherlands and Australia boast populations exceeding 15 million, while only Canada and the UK exceed 30 million within the top 20.
Countries like Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Jordan experienced significant declines in happiness, while Serbia, Bulgaria, and Latvia saw substantial improvements.
Happiness rankings are derived from individual life satisfaction assessments, considering factors such as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption perceptions.
The report detailed the world’s 20 happiest countries in 2024, with Finland leading the list and the UK rounding it out at the 20th spot. The United States and Germany’s rankings fell due to rising happiness scores in countries like Czechia, Lithuania, and Slovenia.
Lithuania stood out for its youth happiness, ranking first among respondents under 30, while older demographics placed it 44th. The happiness disparity between younger and older populations was also stark in the United States and Canada, with younger individuals reporting significantly lower happiness scores than their older counterparts. Similarly, Australia and New Zealand observed lower happiness rankings among younger residents.
