World Happiness Report 2025: US drops to record low, Northern Europe continues to lead

Finland retained its title as the world’s happiest country for the eighth year in a row, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden rounding out the top ten. The big surprise in this year’s rankings was the rise of Mexico and Costa Rica, both of which made it into the top 10 for the first time.

world happiness report 2025 record beauty north europe continues to lead image 1 — Illustration photo: Pexel

Meanwhile, the US dropped to 24th place, marking the second consecutive year it has fallen out of the top 20. The main reason is believed to be a decline in social connections, with the number of people eating alone increasing significantly over the past two decades. The report found that by 2023, one in four Americans will eat all their meals alone, up from 53% in 2003.

In addition, trust in the social and political system has also declined, leading many Americans to vote for "anti-system" political parties. The report points out that increasing political polarization and social discontent are among the factors that negatively affect the happiness of Americans.

Another notable point is the study on kindness and social trust. The report found that people who believed that others would return a lost wallet reported higher levels of happiness. Not only did the Nordic countries rank high in the overall rankings, they also had the highest rates of returning lost wallets.

In addition to the US, the UK also saw a decline in happiness ratings, falling to 23rd place. On the other hand, Latin American countries such as Mexico and Costa Rica improved their rankings significantly, thanks in part to large household sizes and strong family ties.

At the bottom of the rankings, Afghanistan continues to be the unhappiest country in the world, with Sierra Leone and Lebanon coming second and third from the bottom respectively.

The World Happiness Report 2025, conducted by the Oxford University Happiness Research Centre in collaboration with Gallup and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, analyzed data from 2022 to 2024. The criteria included GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, generosity and perceived corruption.

This year's results continue to highlight the important role of social relationships, trust and community cohesion for individual and national happiness.