Study Shows: 7 Nations With High Happiness Ratings and 3 Facing Lower Well-Being
Finland – Eight Years Straight at the Top
Finland has maintained its position as the world’s happiest country for seven consecutive years, with an overall happiness score of 7.741 out of 10. The Nordic nation’s remarkable achievement isn’t just about impressive numbers on paper. Finnish citizens demonstrate strong feelings of communal support and mutual trust, which helped them navigate the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining their sense of freedom and showing minimal suspicion of government corruption. What makes Finland truly special is how roughly five and a half million people have created a society where trust isn’t just an ideal but a daily reality.
The World Happiness Report evaluates countries based on six key factors: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. Finland excels across all these metrics, but it’s their social fabric that really sets them apart. As happiness researcher John Helliwell puts it, having a welfare state doesn’t automatically mean lost wallets get returned to their owners – that requires genuine human kindness.
Denmark – The Consistent Runner-Up
Denmark consistently ranks as the second-happiest country with a score of 7.583, and remarkably outperforms Finland in multiple categories including GDP per capita and generosity. The Danish approach to happiness seems almost paradoxical – they embrace what locals call “hygge,” a concept that celebrates coziness and contentment even during their notoriously dark winters. Denmark also scored highest in happiness among older adults aged 60 and above.
What’s fascinating about Danish happiness is how it translates across generations differently. Denmark topped the happiness rankings in 2012, 2013, and 2016 before Finland took the crown. Their consistent high ranking suggests they’ve discovered something sustainable about well-being that goes beyond temporary economic booms or political changes.
Iceland – Social Support Champions
Iceland ranks third globally with a happiness score of 7.525, and notably boasts the highest feeling of social support among all top-ranking countries. This island nation of just about 400,000 people punches well above its weight when it comes to citizen satisfaction. The World Economic Forum has recognized Iceland as the best country for gender equality, and it’s been deemed the most peaceful nation for over a decade.
Interestingly, Iceland ranks higher for youth happiness at number four compared to Finland at seventh and Denmark at fifth. With its enchanting landscapes, low taxes, free healthcare and education, Iceland’s high happiness ranking comes as little surprise. The country also has a unique cultural trait – roughly one in ten Icelanders will write a book during their lifetime, suggesting a population deeply engaged with creative expression.
Costa Rica – The Latin American Breakthrough
Costa Rica ranked 12th in the 2024 World Happiness Report, consistently placing in the top 20 happiest countries. This Central American nation of roughly five million people offers profound lessons about happiness that don’t depend on wealth. Despite one in five citizens living below the poverty line, Costa Ricans enjoy universal healthcare, education, and solid pension benefits – funded largely by their decision to abolish their military in 1949.
Costa Ricans report higher life satisfaction than Americans despite having less than half the income. The combination of strong family ties, beautiful landscapes, and perfect weather creates an environment where citizens feel genuinely content with their way of living. Costa Rica proves that happiness isn’t always about having more money – sometimes it’s about making smarter choices with the resources you have.
Netherlands – High GDP Meets High Generosity
The Netherlands ranks sixth among the world’s happiest countries with a score of 7.319, achieving the highest GDP and generosity scores among the top seven nations. The Dutch have managed to create something remarkable – a society that’s both prosperous and caring. Gaining one spot in recent rankings, the Dutch are more affluent, educated, and free to make their own life choices than at any point in their history.
What sets the Netherlands apart is their approach to work-life balance and social support. The country has stepped up from last year’s ranking by enforcing welfare systems with better healthcare and enhancement of citizens’ mental well-being. Their success demonstrates that economic prosperity and social generosity can reinforce each other rather than compete.
Mexico – Family Ties That Bind
Mexico ranked 25th in the 2024 World Happiness Report with a score of 6.465. This achievement is particularly striking given Mexico’s economic challenges compared to traditional happiness leaders. Mexico’s GDP per capita is roughly one-fifth of the richest nations and about one-third of Nordic countries, yet money truly doesn’t buy happiness.
Mexican society, with its large households and strong family ties, offers valuable lessons about happiness – life satisfaction is higher among couples with children and those living with extended family. While single-person households make up 34% of European households and two-member households are 23%, in Mexico these figures are just 20% and 11% respectively, and Mexicans score very high on social connections, knowing they can count on relatives and friends for help.
Luxembourg – Small Country, Big Happiness
Just a decade ago, Luxembourg sat at the lower end of the top 20, but it made it into the top 10 in 2020 and has remained there since. This small nation of less than 700,000 people scores above average in social connections, subjective well-being, freedom to make life choices and life expectancy, while workers enjoy an average gross salary of almost 7,000 euros per month.
Luxembourg distinguishes itself as a small yet autonomous state that fosters unity in society and a strong sense of oneness among its citizens, ranking as the eighth happiest country while boasting an exceptionally high GDP per capita. The country proves that size doesn’t matter when it comes to creating conditions for citizen happiness – what matters is how effectively you use your resources and build community bonds.
Afghanistan – The World’s Most Challenging Place for Well-Being
Afghanistan ranks dead last at 143rd place with a happiness score of just 1.721, attributed to low life expectancy, low GDP per capita, and most importantly, the recent Taliban takeover. Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the overall rankings as the world’s unhappiest nation. The devastating impact of political instability on human well-being couldn’t be more starkly illustrated than by Afghanistan’s position.
With Finland scoring 7.74 points and Afghanistan scoring just 1.72 points, the gap between the happiest and unhappiest countries is enormous. This isn’t just about economics – it’s about fundamental human needs for safety, freedom, and hope. The Taliban’s restrictions on women’s education and employment, combined with ongoing economic collapse, have created conditions where basic human dignity is under constant threat.
Lebanon – Economic Crisis Takes Its Toll
Lebanon rounds out the bottom five unhappiest countries with a score of 2.707. Lebanon faces substantial drops in happiness rankings due to economic challenges and social instability. The country that once positioned itself as the “Switzerland of the Middle East” has seen its dreams crumble under the weight of financial collapse, political paralysis, and social breakdown.
Lebanon ranks 145th out of 147 countries, placing it among the five least happy nations globally. What makes Lebanon’s situation particularly tragic is how quickly things deteriorated – this was once a prosperous, cosmopolitan society that served as a bridge between East and West. The current crisis demonstrates how economic instability can rapidly destroy the social fabric that underpins human happiness.
The United States – A Surprising Decline
The United States ranked 23rd in the 2024 World Happiness Report, dropping from 15th place in 2023 when it likewise broke a new record low. For the first time since the report began in 2012, the United States fell out of the top 20, ranking 23rd in 2024 with a score of 6.725. This represents a dramatic fall from grace for a nation that often considers itself exceptional.
Young people under 30 are driving this downward shift, with no recovery in terms of young people’s perception of their lives. Loneliness is twice as high for millennials in North America compared to those born before 1965. The World Happiness Report noted that the increasing number of people dining alone is one reason for declining well-being in the United States. America’s happiness crisis isn’t about poverty – it’s about isolation and disconnection in an increasingly fragmented society.
The data reveals a world where happiness isn’t simply about having the most money or the biggest economy. Nordic countries continue to demonstrate that strong social safety nets, high levels of trust, and genuine community bonds create the foundation for human flourishing. Meanwhile, countries facing political upheaval, economic collapse, or social fragmentation struggle to provide their citizens with the basic conditions needed for well-being and contentment.
