Finland takes top spot, US gets lowest-ever rank in World Happiness Report

In the wake of growing social isolation and political polarization, the US placed at the bottom of the World Happiness Report’s 2025 edition, while Finland and other Nordic nations remained at the top.

The report, which was released on Thursday by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Center in collaboration with Gallup and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, evaluates various factors, including wealth, freedom, generosity, and freedom from corruption, to assess overall happiness across societies based on self-reported assessments from 147 countries, including health, wealth, freedom, freedom, freedom from corruption, and freedom from corruption.

Finland held onto the top spot this year, joining Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Norway, Israel, Luxembourg, and Mexico.

Afghanistan came in second place in the list of nations, followed by Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, Comoros, and Lesotho.

The survey began with a high of 11th place in 2012, when the United States was ranked 24th, one spot below last year.

The report highlighted a growing unhappiness in the US, noting an increase in eating alone.

According to the report, “about one in four Americans reported eating all of their meals alone the day before,” an increase of 53 percent since 2003.

“Dining alone is becoming more and more prevalent in all age groups, particularly among young people,” he said.

The report also noted a rise in “deaths of despair” in the US, which is in contrast to a global decline. These deaths have decreased by 75% worldwide since 2000, but they are still high in countries like South Korea and Slovenia.

According to researchers, growing unhappiness may be a result of growing political polarization, which is also prevalent in Europe.

The decline in life satisfaction is related to the rise in anti-system votes as a whole, but there is also the issue of trust in others. Low-trust candidates are more frequently found on the far right, according to the report, while high-trust candidates are more likely to vote for the far left, according to the report.

Mexico, which placed among the top 10 happiest nations this year, is a stark contrast to the sense of social isolation in the US. According to the report, factors like frequent meal sharing and having larger households contribute to overall well-being.

According to the World Happiness Report, “sharing meals has a significant impact on subjective well-being, on par with the influence of income and unemployment.” This is true for all ages, genders, nations, cultures, and regions.

Larger households “offer a potential advantage in fostering positive social interactions,” which may explain why, despite having lower overall wealth, Mexico and Costa Rica, which are ranked sixth this year, perform as well as many European countries.

The report continued, “Latin American societies, which have larger household sizes and strong family bonds, offer valuable lessons for other countries seeking higher and more sustainable wellbeing.”

The strong correlation between happiness and the belief that someone would retrieve a lost wallet was another important finding. While it may seem like a small act, Gallup’s CEO Jon Clifton emphasized that it reflects deeper societal forces.

In the report, he stated that “happiness isn’t just about wealth or economic growth; it’s also about trust, connection, and knowing that others have your back.” We must invest in what truly matters: each other, if we want stronger communities and economies.

Source: Aljazeera