This Is the Happiest Nation on Earth

Finland tops World Happiness Report for 8th straight year; US comes in at No. 24
Posted Mar 20, 2025 12:50 PM CDT
This Is the Happiest Nation on Earth
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/Kar-Tr)

Feeling down in the dumps? Maybe it's your country. Unless you're in Finland, which just took the top spot on this year's World Happiness Report for the eighth year straight, reports CNN. The annual ranking used Gallup World Poll data from more than 140 countries around the globe, with participants submitting "life evaluations" that were then analyzed alongside six key measures: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption perceptions. Half of the 10 happiest nations on the list are in the Nordic region, while the United States hit a new "record low," coming in at No. 24—one spot lower than last year, per Axios. Last year was the first time in the report's dozen or so years that the US didn't make it into the top 20. Last on this year's list? Afghanistan. Here, the top and bottom 10 countries:

Happiest Countries

  1. Finland
  2. Denmark
  3. Iceland
  4. Sweden
  5. Netherlands
  6. Costa Rica
  7. Norway
  8. Israel
  9. Luxembourg
  10. Mexico

Least Happy Countries

  1. Lesotho
  2. Comoros
  3. Yemen
  4. Democratic Republic of Congo
  5. Botswana
  6. Zimbabwe
  7. Malawi
  8. Lebanon
  9. Sierra Leone
  10. Afghanistan
See where other nations landed here, in honor of the UN's International Day of Happiness. (These are the happiest cities in the world.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X