In 2012, the United Nations proclaimed March 20 as the International Day of Happiness or World Happiness Day, which has been held on this date every year since. The aim is to promote awareness for a "more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes the happiness and well-being of all people". Although happiness and satisfaction are subjective parameters, the team behind the World Happiness Report has once again produced a country ranking this year that reveals clear differences between Western industrialized nations and countries in Asia and Africa.
In order to map the satisfaction of respondents in the 147 countries surveyed, participants were asked to rate their level of satisfaction with their current life on a ten-point scale. This was used to calculate an average value for the results between 2023 and 2025 for each country. It’s important to note that the ranking obtained is not based directly on objective indicators like GDP per capita, life expectancy or social system quality. Instead, it reflects people's own life evaluations, while these factors are used only to help explain the differences in scores.
As our infographic shows, Finland (7.8), Iceland (7.5) and Denmark (7.5) are the countries with the most satisfied residents according to the calculations, while the three lowest scores are found among the residents of Malawi (3.3), Sierra Leone (3.3) and Afghanistan (1.4). The United States (6.8) is ranked 23rd out of 147 countries in this year's evaluation, between Saudi Arabia and Poland.
The report found that life evaluation is positively influenced by factors that reinforce both individual security and social cohesion, such as strong social support, higher income, good physical and mental health, freedom to make life choices and trust in others/institutions. Conversely, negative life evaluations are associated with loneliness, low social trust, economic insecurity (including unemployment), inequality and poor mental health. The report also highlights problematic or excessive social media use, especially among younger populations, as an emerging factor linked to declines in well-being.
