World Happiness by Country
Finland is the world's happiest country for the ninth year running, with an average life evaluation of 7.764 out of 10 in the World Happiness Report 2026, based on Gallup World Poll surveys from 2023–2025. Afghanistan ranks last of 147 countries at 1.446. Since 2006–2010, far more countries have become significantly happier (79) than less happy (41), but young people in North America, Australia and New Zealand have seen sharp declines.
Key World Happiness Insights
Nordic Countries Still Lead
Finland (7.764) tops the World Happiness Report 2026 for the ninth consecutive edition, followed by Iceland (7.540), Denmark (7.539) and Costa Rica (7.439). Sweden and Norway complete the top six. Costa Rica's 4th place is the highest rank ever reached by a Latin American country, and Mexico (12th) also makes the top 20.
A Six-Point Gap Between Top and Bottom
More than six points on the 0–10 ladder separate Finland from Afghanistan (1.446). The bottom of the ranking is far more spread out than the top: the 20 happiest countries span less than one point, while the 20 least happy span three times as much. Afghan women report an average of just 1.26.
Eastern Europe Is Catching Up
Comparing 2023–2025 with 2006–2010, the five biggest gainers are all in Central and Eastern Europe: Serbia (+2.13), Bulgaria (+1.81), Georgia (+1.63), Latvia (+1.60) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (+1.52). Eight countries fell by more than a point, led by Afghanistan (−2.87), Malawi (−1.34) and Lebanon (−1.31), mostly in or near zones of conflict.
The Young Are Less Happy in the West
The 2026 report focuses on social media and youth wellbeing. Under-25s are happier now than in 2006–2010 in 85 of 136 countries, but in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand their life evaluations fell by an average of 0.86 points. These four countries rank between 122nd and 133rd of 136 for youth happiness change.
10 Happiest Countries — World Happiness Report 2026
Average life evaluation (Cantril ladder, 0–10), survey years 2023–2025
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| Life evaluation 2023–2025 (0–10) | |
|---|---|
| Finland | 7.764 |
| Iceland | 7.54 |
| Denmark | 7.539 |
| Costa Rica | 7.439 |
| Sweden | 7.255 |
| Norway | 7.242 |
| Netherlands | 7.223 |
| Israel | 7.187 |
| Luxembourg | 7.063 |
| Switzerland | 7.018 |
Key Finding: Finland (7.764) stands alone at the top; Iceland, Denmark and Costa Rica form a close group of three whose rank ranges overlap (2nd–4th). Five of the top six are Nordic countries.
10 Least Happy Countries — World Happiness Report 2026
Average life evaluation (Cantril ladder, 0–10), survey years 2023–2025, ranks 138–147
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| Life evaluation 2023–2025 (0–10) | |
|---|---|
| Tanzania | 3.902 |
| Egypt | 3.862 |
| DR Congo | 3.761 |
| Lebanon | 3.723 |
| Yemen | 3.532 |
| Botswana | 3.464 |
| Zimbabwe | 3.346 |
| Malawi | 3.284 |
| Sierra Leone | 3.251 |
| Afghanistan | 1.446 |
Key Finding: Afghanistan (1.446) is in a category of its own, nearly two points below the next-lowest country, Sierra Leone (3.251). Six of the bottom ten are in sub-Saharan Africa.
What Explains Happiness? The Six Factors (WHR 2026)
Contribution of each factor to the ladder score, relative to "Dystopia" (1.16); survey years 2023–2025
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| GDP per capita | Social support | Healthy life expectancy | Freedom | Generosity | Perceptions of corruption | Dystopia (1.16) + residual | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finland (7.764) | 1.915 | 1.638 | 0.939 | 1.105 | 0.093 | 0.491 | 1.582 |
| Costa Rica (7.439) | 1.697 | 1.483 | 0.739 | 1.101 | 0.059 | 0.122 | 2.236 |
| Germany (6.882) | 1.948 | 1.49 | 0.876 | 0.948 | 0.145 | 0.349 | 1.128 |
| United States (6.816) | 2.002 | 1.516 | 0.678 | 0.776 | 0.155 | 0.155 | 1.534 |
| Japan (6.130) | 1.858 | 1.414 | 1.041 | 0.875 | 0.019 | 0.202 | 0.722 |
| China (6.074) | 1.662 | 0.963 | 0.905 | 0.793 | 0.089 | 0.161 | 1.502 |
| India (4.536) | 1.397 | 0.732 | 0.298 | 1.015 | 0.121 | 0.124 | 0.848 |
| Lebanon (3.723) | 1.428 | 1.05 | 0.416 | 0.434 | 0.074 | 0.057 | 0.265 |
| Afghanistan (1.446) | 0.921 | 0 | 0.176 | 0 | 0.079 | 0.131 | 0.139 |
Key Finding: Income, social support and healthy life expectancy explain most of the gap between countries. Afghanistan's contributions from social support and freedom are both zero — it sets the world minimum on both.
Biggest Risers and Fallers: 2006–2010 to 2023–2025
Change in average life evaluation (points on 0–10 scale), 136 countries compared
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| Change in life evaluation, 2006–2010 to 2023–2025 | |
|---|---|
| Serbia | 2.127 |
| Bulgaria | 1.814 |
| Georgia | 1.625 |
| Latvia | 1.603 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.523 |
| Kosovo | 1.49 |
| Romania | 1.45 |
| China | 1.395 |
| United States | -0.454 |
| Canada | -0.758 |
| Yemen | -1.027 |
| Egypt | -1.108 |
| Botswana | -1.117 |
| Venezuela | -1.166 |
| Jordan | -1.229 |
| Lebanon | -1.307 |
| Malawi | -1.34 |
| Afghanistan | -2.874 |
Key Finding: Serbia's life evaluations rose by 2.13 points, the largest gain of any country, while Afghanistan's fell by 2.87. Among rich Western countries, Canada (−0.76) and the United States (−0.45) saw notable declines.
Happiness Over Time: Selected Countries (WHR 2013–2026)
Three-year average life evaluation by report edition (e.g. WHR 2026 = surveys 2023–2025)
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| Finland | United States | Serbia | China | Lebanon | Afghanistan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHR 2013 | 7.389 | 7.082 | 4.813 | 4.978 | 4.931 | 4.04 |
| WHR 2015 | 7.406 | 7.119 | 5.123 | 5.14 | 4.839 | 3.575 |
| WHR 2016 | 7.413 | 7.104 | 5.177 | 5.245 | 5.129 | 3.36 |
| WHR 2017 | 7.469 | 6.993 | 5.395 | 5.273 | 5.225 | 3.794 |
| WHR 2018 | 7.632 | 6.886 | 5.398 | 5.246 | 5.199 | 3.632 |
| WHR 2019 | 7.769 | 6.892 | 5.603 | 5.191 | 5.197 | 3.203 |
| WHR 2020 | 7.809 | 6.94 | 5.778 | 5.124 | 4.772 | 2.567 |
| WHR 2021 | 7.842 | 6.951 | 6.078 | 5.339 | 4.584 | 2.523 |
| WHR 2022 | 7.821 | 6.977 | 6.178 | 5.585 | 2.955 | 2.404 |
| WHR 2023 | 7.804 | 6.894 | 6.144 | 5.818 | 2.392 | 1.859 |
| WHR 2024 | 7.741 | 6.725 | 6.411 | 5.973 | 2.707 | 1.721 |
| WHR 2025 | 7.736 | 6.724 | 6.606 | 5.921 | 3.188 | 1.364 |
| WHR 2026 | 7.764 | 6.816 | 6.691 | 6.074 | 3.723 | 1.446 |
Key Finding: Serbia climbed from 4.81 to 6.69 and China from 4.98 to 6.07 between WHR 2013 and WHR 2026, while Afghanistan collapsed from 4.04 to 1.45 and Lebanon fell below 2.4 before partially recovering.
Change in Life Evaluations of Under-25s by Region
Change in ladder score (0–10) from 2006–2011 to 2020–2025, Gallup World Poll
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| Change in under-25 life evaluation, 2006–2011 to 2020–2025 | |
|---|---|
| US, Canada, Australia & NZ | -0.812 |
| UK & Ireland | -0.416 |
| Western Europe | -0.312 |
| Latin America | 0.264 |
Key Finding: Youth life evaluations fell by 0.81 points in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, compared with smaller drops in the UK/Ireland (−0.42) and Western Europe (−0.31), while young Latin Americans became happier (+0.26).
Understanding World Happiness Data
How happiness is measured
The World Happiness Report ranks countries by their average life evaluation from the Gallup World Poll. Respondents are asked to imagine a ladder where 10 is the best possible life for them and 0 the worst, and to say where they stand today — the Cantril ladder. Around 1,000 people are surveyed per country each year, and the 2026 ranking uses a three-year average (2023–2025) for greater precision.
The six explanatory factors
Rankings are not built from an index. Instead, the report uses six variables — log GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity and perceptions of corruption — to statistically explain differences between countries. Each factor's contribution is measured relative to "Dystopia", a hypothetical country with the world's lowest value on every factor (ladder score 1.16 for 2023–2025). The remainder is shown as "Dystopia + residual".
Editions and survey years
Each report edition covers the three preceding survey years: WHR 2026 uses 2023–2025, WHR 2025 used 2022–2024, and so on. Long-run changes are measured against the 2006–2010 base period, the first years of the Gallup World Poll. Youth comparisons in Chapter 2 split respondents into under-25s and those aged 25 and older.
Caveats
Every score has a confidence interval; in the crowded middle of the table a country's rank can be uncertain by more than 25 places, so small rank changes are often not meaningful. Sample sizes differ by country, the set of countries covered varies from year to year (147 in 2026 vs 156 in 2013), and life evaluations measure how people judge their lives, not momentary mood or emotions.