World Happiness Index Explained: Your Top 10 Questions Answered

1. What is the World Happiness Report?

• The World Happiness Report is an annual publication released by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
• It ranks countries based on the happiness levels of their citizens, taking into account factors such as GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, generosity, and corruption perception.

2. Which country topped the global happiness ranking in 2024?

• Finland topped the global happiness ranking for the seventh consecutive year in 2024.

3. Which countries fell in the happiness rankings in 2024?

• The United States fell from the 16th spot in 2023 to the 23rd spot in 2024.
• Germany also dropped in the rankings, falling to the 24th spot.

4. How did Asian countries fare in the happiness rankings?

• Among Asian nations, Singapore ranked the highest at 30th globally.
• Japan ranked 50th, and South Korea ranked 51st.
• Other Asian countries' rankings: China (60th), Nepal (93rd), Pakistan (108th), Myanmar (118th), Sri Lanka (128th), and Bangladesh (129th).

5. What was India's ranking in the overall happiness index and among different age groups?

• India ranked 126th globally in the overall happiness rankings.
• For happiness among youth (aged 30 and below), India ranked 127th.
• For happiness among the elderly (aged 60 and above), India ranked 121st.

6. What factors contribute to the happiness rankings?

• The report considers six variables: GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and freedom from corruption.
• The rankings are based on life evaluation data gathered by the Gallup World Poll for the 2021-2023 period.

7. Which countries were ranked as the least happy?

• Afghanistan was deemed the least happy country in the rankings.
• Other countries at the bottom of the list included Congo, Sierra Leone, Lesotho, and Lebanon.

8. How did the gender gap in happiness vary across regions?

• Worldwide, women were less happy than men in every region, with the gender gap widening as they aged, according to the report.

9. Which countries ranked highest for happiness among the youth (aged 30 and below)?

• Lithuania, Israel, Serbia, Iceland, and Denmark ranked in the top five slots for happiness among the youth.
• Finland was ranked seventh in this category.

10. Which countries ranked highest for happiness among the elderly (aged 60 and above)?

• Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland — all Nordic nations — ranked the highest for happiness among the elderly.
• The report observed that countries ranking highest for the elderly are generally those with high overall rankings.