Population and Social Characteristics
The World's Happiest Countries: See Where the US Ranks
Published:
Happiness, by and large, is subjective, though it can certainly be influenced by different factors. So while lower or higher income may affect happiness to different degrees, not having enough to eat almost certainly would make someone less happy. To that end, Gallup World Poll has been surveying people of 143 countries, asking them to evaluate their life on a scale of zero to 10, with 10 being the best.
To find the 40 happiest countries in the world, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the World Happiness Report 2024. Countries are ranked by the average score for the years 2021-2023. We also added gross domestic product per capita in current U.S. dollars, life expectancy at birth (two factors found to explain happiness on a national level), and population totals from the World Bank.
Most of the countries on the list are in Europe or North America, but not all, with several in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. All countries but four have higher GDP per capita than the world average of $12,688, with the 10 happiest countries having GDPs per capita of over $50,000. In all, however, the report found that GDP per capita is the factor explaining most of the happiness score.
For the seventh year in a row, Finland ranks as the happiest country, while its Nordic neighbors are all in the top 10, which stayed largely the same. Meanwhile, the United States fell out of the top 20 for the first time since the report was first published in 2012, ranking 23rd, despite a GDP per capita ranking sixth highest. This was driven by a large drop in the wellbeing of Americans under 30. (Also see: The Richest Country In the World Is Not the US.)
In many regions, the young are happier than the old. But in North America, happiness has fallen so sharply, the report notes, that the young are now less happy than the old. There has been a more moderate decline in youth happiness also in Western Europe, but as a whole, happiness in that region is similar at all ages. By contrast, in Central and Eastern Europe, the young are much happier than the old. For these reasons, the ranking of countries by happiness is very different for the young and for the old.
Full methodology
To find the 40 happiest countries in the world, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the World Happiness Report 2024, which is published in partnership with Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and an editorial board. Countries are ranked by the average score for the years 2021-2023.
The Cantril ladder score is based on the Gallup World Survey, which asked people across 137 countries the following question: “Please imagine a ladder, with steps numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?”
The report attempts to explain a country’s average ladder score into components explained by six hypothesized underlying determinants: GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, social support, perceived freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perception of corruption. These factors have “been broadly found in the research literature to explain national-level differences in life evaluations.”
24/7 Wall St. added 2021 average life expectancy at birth, 2022 population, and gross domestic product per capita data from the World Bank. GDP per capita is in current U.S. dollars. Data for Taiwan was sourced from FocusEconomics for GDP per capita and the CIA World Factbook for life expectancy and population figures.
40. Malta
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.346 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 57)
- Least happy age group: Upper Middle Age (between 45 and 59) (age group rank: 38)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $34,128 — #25 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 82.9 years — #11 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 531,113
39. Panama
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.358 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 26)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 56)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $17,358 — #45 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 76.2 years — #47 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 4,408,581
38. Chile
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.360 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 39)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 46)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $15,355 — #47 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 78.9 years — #31 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 19,603,733
37. Serbia
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.411 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 3)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 54)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $9,538 — #60 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 72.7 years — #73 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 6,664,449
36. Spain
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.421 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Upper Middle Age (between 45 and 59) (age group rank: 29)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 29)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $29,675 — #32 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 83.2 years — #7 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 47,778,340
35. Poland
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.442 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Upper Middle Age (between 45 and 59) (age group rank: 24)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 40)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $18,688 — #42 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 75.6 years — #49 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 36,821,749
34. Estonia
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.448 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Lower Middle Age (between 30 and 44) (age group rank: 24)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 35)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $28,247 — #34 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 76.7 years — #41 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 1,348,840
33. El Salvador
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.469 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 17)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 52)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $5,127 — #82 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 70.7 years — #85 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 6,336,392
32. Romania
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.491 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 8)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 48)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $15,787 — #46 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 73.0 years — #70 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 19,047,009
31. Taiwan Province of China
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.503 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 25)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 34)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $32,698 — #27 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 81.4 years — #23 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 23,588,613
30. Singapore
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.523 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Upper Middle Age (between 45 and 59) (age group rank: 25)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 26)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $82,808 — #5 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 83.4 years — #5 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 5,637,022
29. Kosovo
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.561 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 23)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 39)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $5,340 — #81 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 76.8 years — #40 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 1,761,985
28. Saudi Arabia
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.594 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Upper Middle Age (between 45 and 59) (age group rank: 14)
- Least happy age group: Lower Middle Age (between 30 and 44) (age group rank: 39)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $30,448 — #30 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 76.9 years — #39 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 36,408,820
27. France
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.609 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Lower Middle Age (between 30 and 44) (age group rank: 23)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 25)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $40,886 — #23 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 82.3 years — #16 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 67,971,311
26. Uruguay
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.611 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 30)
- Least happy age group: Upper Middle Age (between 45 and 59) (age group rank: 34)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $20,795 — #41 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 75.4 years — #50 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 3,422,794
25. Mexico
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.678 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 22)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 33)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $11,497 — #54 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 70.2 years — #92 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 127,504,125
24. Germany
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.719 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Lower Middle Age (between 30 and 44) (age group rank: 16)
- Least happy age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 47)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $48,718 — #19 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 80.9 years — #27 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 83,797,985
23. United States
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.725 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 10)
- Least happy age group: Lower Middle Age (between 30 and 44) (age group rank: 42)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $76,330 — #6 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 76.3 years — #46 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 333,287,557
22. United Arab Emirates
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.733 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 11)
- Least happy age group: Lower Middle Age (between 30 and 44) (age group rank: 25)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $53,708 — #14 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 78.7 years — #34 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 9,441,129
21. Slovenia
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.743 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 15)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 32)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $28,439 — #33 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 80.9 years — #28 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 2,111,986
20. United Kingdom
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.749 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 20)
- Least happy age group: Lower Middle Age (between 30 and 44) (age group rank: 27)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $46,125 — #21 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 80.7 years — #29 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 66,971,395
19. Lithuania
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.818 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 1)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 44)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $25,065 — #36 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 74.3 years — #58 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 2,831,639
18. Czechia
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.822 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 10)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 23)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $27,227 — #35 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 77.4 years — #37 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 10,672,118
17. Ireland
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.838 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 21)
- Least happy age group: Upper Middle Age (between 45 and 59) (age group rank: 21)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $103,983 — #3 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 82.1 years — #18 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 5,127,170
16. Belgium
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.894 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Lower Middle Age (between 30 and 44) (age group rank: 13)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 19)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $49,927 — #17 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 81.9 years — #20 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 11,685,814
15. Canada
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.900 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 8)
- Least happy age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 58)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $55,522 — #12 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 82.6 years — #14 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 38,929,902
14. Austria
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.905 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 12)
- Least happy age group: Upper Middle Age (between 45 and 59) (age group rank: 18)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $52,085 — #15 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 81.2 years — #24 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 9,041,851
13. Kuwait
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.951 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 13)
- Least happy age group: Lower Middle Age (between 30 and 44) (age group rank: 20)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $41,080 — #22 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 78.7 years — #35 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 4,268,873
12. Costa Rica
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 6.955 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 11)
- Least happy age group: Upper Middle Age (between 45 and 59) (age group rank: 23)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $13,365 — #51 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 77.0 years — #38 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 5,180,829
11. New Zealand
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 7.029 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 6)
- Least happy age group: Lower Middle Age (between 30 and 44) (age group rank: 18)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $48,419 — #20 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 82.2 years — #17 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 5,124,100
10. Australia
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 7.057 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 9)
- Least happy age group: Lower Middle Age (between 30 and 44) (age group rank: 14)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $65,100 — #9 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 83.3 years — #6 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 26,005,540
9. Switzerland
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 7.060 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 13)
- Least happy age group: Upper Middle Age (between 45 and 59) (age group rank: 11)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $93,260 — #4 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 83.9 years — #3 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 8,775,760
8. Luxembourg
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 7.122 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 6)
- Least happy age group: Lower Middle Age (between 30 and 44) (age group rank: 11)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $125,006 — #1 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 82.7 years — #13 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 653,103
7. Norway
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 7.302 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 3)
- Least happy age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 20)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $108,729 — #2 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 83.2 years — #8 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 5,457,127
6. Netherlands
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 7.319 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 7)
- Least happy age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 9)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $57,025 — #10 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 81.5 years — #21 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 17,700,982
5. Israel
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 7.341 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 2)
- Least happy age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 18)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $54,931 — #13 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 82.5 years — #15 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 9,557,500
4. Sweden
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 7.344 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 4)
- Least happy age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 18)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $56,424 — #11 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 83.2 years — #9 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 10,486,941
3. Iceland
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 7.525 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 4)
- Least happy age group: Lower Middle Age (between 30 and 44) (age group rank: 4)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $73,467 — #7 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 83.1 years — #10 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 382,003
2. Denmark
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 7.583 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Negative
- Happiest age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 1)
- Least happy age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 5)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $67,790 — #8 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 81.4 years — #22 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 5,903,037
1. Finland
- Happiness score, 2021-2023: 7.741 out of 10
- Decade change in happiness : Positive
- Happiest age group: Old (age 60+) (age group rank: 2)
- Least happy age group: Young (below 30) (age group rank: 7)
- GDP per capita, 2022: $50,872 — #16 highest of 145 countries
- Life expectancy, 2021: 81.9 years — #19 highest of 145 countries
- Population, 2022: 5,556,106
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