In a surprising and unhappy turn of events, the U.S. found itself nowhere among the top 20 happiest nations of the world, while the UK found itself right at the bottom of the list, as per the newly released 2024 World Happiness Report.
The new data from Gallup and its partners, which powers the World Happiness Report, revealed that Finland topped the annual list of the happiest countries in the world. This is the seventh year in a row where Finland comfortably clinched the No. 1 spot.
Finland was followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Israel, and the Netherlands in that order.
Finland topped the overall rankings for the seventh year in a row
The report, released on Wednesday, served bad news for the U.S., which plunged to the 23rd spot from No. 15 last year. This is the first time the U.S. has dropped out of the top 20 happiest countries list since the launch of the World Happiness Report 12 years ago.
The researchers attribute part of this decline to how America’s youth (individuals aged under 30) perceive their lives. "In the US, happiness or subjective well being has decreased in all age groups, but especially for young adults," Ilana Ron Levey, Gallup's managing director, told CBS News.
The U.S. was nowhere on the list of the top 20 happiest countries in the world, as per the recent report
Image credits: Mark Stebnicki / Pexels
"The World Happiness Report and the Gallup/Meta social connectedness data show peak loneliness for younger Americans. It's widely recognized that social support and feelings of loneliness are influential factors in determining overall happiness, and these dynamics differ across various age groups," she added.
"The quality of interpersonal relationships may impact the well being of younger and older individuals in distinct ways," Ilana said.
Americans, particularly young adults, showed a drop in happiness or subjective well-being
The UK also took a blow, as it sits at the 20th spot, dropping from rank 19 in last year's list of the 20 happiest countries in the world.
Sitting at the bottom of the list at rank 143 is Afghanistan.
The Wednesday release of the World Happiness Report coincided with the International Day of Happiness, a day designated by the United Nations and celebrated on March 20 every year.
The following is the list of countries that placed in the world’s 20 happiest countries in 2024:
1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Israel
5. Netherlands
6. Sweden
7. Norway
8. Switzerland
9. Luxembourg
10. New Zealand
11. Austria
12. Australia
13. Canada
14. Ireland
15. United States
16. Germany
17. Belgium
18. Czech Republic
19. United Kingdom
20. Lithuania