India's ranking improves on World's Happiness Index 2025, Afghanistan ranked unhappiest

Finland retained its position as the happiest country for the eighth consecutive year, with an average life evaluation score of 7.736 out of 10. ​​Other Nordic countries—Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden—secured the second, third, and fourth positions, respectively. ​

The World Happiness Report 2025, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, provides insights into global happiness levels and the factors influencing them. (Photo: Generative AI)

The United States fell to its lowest-ever ranking at 24th, a decline attributed to factors like increased social isolation and a rise in "deaths of despair" from suicide, alcohol abuse, and drug overdose. The United Kingdom also reported its lowest average life evaluation since the 2017 report, now ranking 23rd. (Generative AI)

India improved to the 118th position, up from 126th in the previous year, but still ranks below neighbouring countries like Nepal (92nd) and Pakistan (109th). ​

Sharing meals with others is strongly linked to well-being across all global regions. However, in the United States, the number of people dining alone has increased by 53% over the past two decades, contributing to declining happiness.

Household size is closely linked to happiness. Four to five people living together enjoy the highest levels of happiness in Mexico and Europe, but many people in Europe are living on their own. (Generative AI)

Mega-cities like New York, London, and Mumbai struggle with increasing stress levels, despite economic opportunities. The report shows that while urbanization can provide jobs and services, it also leads to overcrowding, social disconnection, and environmental issues. In contrast, smaller cities and rural communities tend to report higher happiness due to stronger social bonds and lower cost of living. (Generative AI)

The 2025 World Happiness Report provides insights into the well-being of ASEAN nations, revealing varying happiness levels across the region. Singapore, despite being the happiest country in ASEAN, dropped four places to 34th globally, marking its lowest ranking to date. Meanwhile, Vietnam showed significant improvement, climbing to 46th place, making it the second happiest country in Southeast Asia. (Generative AI)

Afghanistan (143rd) remains the saddest country in the world, devastated by war, economic collapse, and severe restrictions on women's rights. Lebanon (142nd) follows closely, struggling with political corruption and economic instability. In countries like Haiti, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe, a combination of governance failure, inflation, and humanitarian crises has left citizens with little hope for improvement. (Generative AI)

The World Happiness Report is based on data collected from global surveys and research studies conducted by organizations like the Gallup World Poll. It evaluates happiness levels across countries using both objective indicators (such as income and life expectancy) and subjective well-being measures (such as people's self-reported life satisfaction). (Generative AI)