The US has fallen out of the top 20 happiest countries in the world according to the latest World Happiness Report. This is a concerning revelation for the country, which has never before seen such a decline in the 12-year history of the survey. According to findings, the US has dropped in ranking from 15 last year to 23 this year in overall happiness. The report reveals further changing trends in the happiness quotient across different countries and different age groups within them.
The World Happiness Report 2024– Overview
The World Happiness Report is created via a partnership involving Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the editorial board of the World Happiness Report.
The current report is based on data collected after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic from over 143 countries. Respondents had to answer questions from 2021 to 2023. It was released on March 20 to mark the United Nations International Day of Happiness. The rankings were determined based on the average score of each country based on the population’s self-assessment of their well-being over the three years. They also consider the factors of gross domestic product (GDP), life expectancy, having someone to count on, a sense of freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption to explain the variations across countries and generations.
John F. Helliwell, professor at the Vancouver School of Economics and founding editor of the World Happiness Report observed that the global happiness rankings are different for the young and the old in each country. Commenting on this generational difference in happiness, Gallup Managing Director Ilana Ron Levey explained that social connections could be one factor at play in this. She pointed out that different generations have different levels of social connections, and social support and loneliness are well-recognized factors affecting happiness. She further emphasized that the quality of interpersonal relationships may affect the young and the old differently.
How Happy Are The Americans?
The most noteworthy finding for the US is the sharp decline in its overall happiness, as indicated by its drop in global ranking from 15 to 23. One of the main reasons for this is a significant decline in happiness in the younger age group. Among those below 30, the US ranks 62nd in happiness. The report notes that this is a big change from the period 2006 to 2010 when the young were happier than the middle-aged. The young were in fact as happy as the above-60 age group at the time.
Notably, the decline was greater for females than for males.
On the bright side, the US managed to stay in the top 10 list of happiest countries for those above 60.
Global Rankings And Implications
For the seventh time in a row, Finland topped the list of the world’s happiest countries. Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden follow close behind, continuing the trend of Nordic nations ranking highest in the chart over the years. However, in the under-30 age group, Lithuania emerged as the happiest country. Denmark has the happiest population of people over 60. Both the US and Germany (24th rank) fell out of the top 20 rankings for the first time.
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The only countries that newly made their way into the top 20 are Costa Rica and Kuwait, which ranked 12th and 13th respectively.
The report clearly marks a shift in the world’s largest nations ranking high on the list. Among countries exceeding 15 million in population, only Australia and the Netherlands managed to find their place in the top 10.
The least happy country is Afghanistan which has been facing humanitarian challenges since the Taliban overtook power in 2023. Lebanon and Jordan are among the countries that saw a significant decline in happiness according to the report. On the flip side, Eastern European countries like Serbia, Bulgaria, and Latvia moved up the rankings considerably.