The United States is no longer one of the top 20 happiest countries in the world...
So you best get out there and start having a good time to get the US back where it belongs.
Happiness is a pretty difficult thing to measure, especially across an entire country because some people are definitely having a better time than others.
Each year, the comprehensive World Happiness Report outlines the 20 happiest nations globally, drawing data from over 140 countries. The report is produced collaboratively by Gallup, the United Nations, and the University of Oxford, per Forbes.
The ranking is based on six factors - social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption.
Once again, Finland emerges as the front-runner, securing its position as the happiest country for the seventh consecutive year. However, in a significant shift, the United States finds itself ranked outside the top 20 for the first time since the report's creation in 2012.
A notable addition to this year's report is the inclusion of age-based data, which highlights differences in happiness levels between generations.
Particularly alarming is the declining happiness among young Americans since 2010.
The top 20 happiest countries continue to be dominated by European nations, with Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway maintaining their positions in the top tier. Meanwhile, the US, which held 15th place in the 2023 report, has plummeted seven spots to 22nd in the latest ranking.
Explaining Israel's inclusion in the top 20, the report's authors cite the timing of the survey, which occurred "after the hostage-taking but before much of the subsequent warfare" between Israel and Hamas.
While Lithuania emerges as the sole new addition to the top ten, other countries like Serbia and Bulgaria have witnessed significant climbs up the rankings, despite not making it into the top 20.
One of the most striking findings of the report concerns the mental well-being of young people aged 15 to 24. Data indicates a decline in happiness levels across North America, Western Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.
Emmanuel De Neve, an economist at the University of Oxford and editor of the report, stresses the urgency of addressing these trends, stating: "Once again, the World Happiness Report uncovers some special empirical insights at the cutting edge of the well-being research frontier.
"To think that, in some parts of the world, children are already experiencing the equivalent of a mid-life crisis demands immediate policy action."
Here are the top 20 happiest countries according to the report:- Finland
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Sweden
- Israel
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Luxembourg
- Switzerland
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Costa Rica
- Kuwait
- Austria
- Canada
- Belgium
- Ireland
- Czechia
- Lithuania
- United Kingdom
- Afghanistan
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Sierra Leone
- Congo (Kinshasa)
- Zimbabwe
- Botswana
- Malawi
- Eswatini
- Zambia