Population and Social Characteristics

The Unhappiest Country in the World

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: March 20, 2024 7:10 am

Once a year, research firm Gallup issues its Gallup World Poll for the World Happiness Report. This is the 15th year it has been published. Afghanistan was the unhappiest country it found, while Scandinavian nations dominated the top of the list. The firm rated nations on a scale of 1 to 10.

The foundation of the methodology used to create the rankings is the Gallup World Poll. The firm polled about 1,000 respondents in each country. Weighting creates “population-representative national averages for each year in each country.” The rankings are based on an average of the past three years of the Gallup data (2021 to 2023).

The nations at the bottom of the list are among the world’s poorest economically. Afghanistan has a score of 1.456. Zimbabwe follows it at 2.484 and Lebanon at 2.490.

The United States ranks poorly at 23, with a score of 6.725. According to The Wall Street Journal’s summary of the report, “In the U.S., self-reported happiness has decreased in all age groups, but especially for young adults. Americans 30 years and younger ranked 62nd globally in terms of well-being, trailing the Dominican Republic, Brazil, and Guatemala. Older Americans ranked 10th.” The report breaks out four age groups: under 30, 30-44, 45-59, and 60+. (See where 14 American cities rank among the 50 best cities in the world to move to.)

Finland is the happiest nation in the world, with a score of 7.916. Scandinavian nations dominate the top of the list. Denmark ranks second at 7.583. Then comes Iceland at 7.525, Sweden at 7.344, the Netherlands at 7.319, and Norway at 7.302. Israel breaks the pattern with a score of 7.341.