US Falls to Lowest-Ever Ranking in World Happiness Report 2025

• The U.S. fell to 24th in the 2025 World Happiness Report, its lowest ranking ever.
• Rising social isolation and political division are key factors behind the decline.
• Finland topped the list again, with strong social cohesion boosting Nordic nations.

The United States has recorded its lowest position ever in the 2025 World Happiness Report, slipping to 24th place amid growing concerns over social isolation and political polarisation. Meanwhile, Finland retained its spot as the world’s happiest country, with other Nordic nations also ranking highly.

Published on Thursday by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, in collaboration with Gallup and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the report evaluates happiness levels in 147 countries. It considers a range of factors including health, income, social freedoms, generosity, and corruption levels, drawing on self-reported data.

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Finland topped the index again, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Norway, Israel, Luxembourg, and Mexico. At the bottom of the list were Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.

The US has steadily declined since reaching 11th place in the report’s inaugural edition in 2012. This year’s drop highlights a trend of rising unhappiness, driven in part by a surge in social isolation. The report noted a significant rise in solitary dining, especially among young Americans: in 2023, about 25% of Americans said they ate all their meals alone the previous day – a 53% increase since 2003.

In contrast, countries like Mexico and Costa Rica have climbed the rankings, partly due to strong family bonds and communal living. The report linked frequent shared meals and larger households to higher levels of well-being, noting these social factors can have as much impact on happiness as income or employment status.

The study also pointed to a rise in so-called “deaths of despair” in the US – a term encompassing deaths due to suicide, drug overdoses, and alcohol-related causes – even as such deaths have declined globally by 75% since 2000 across 59 countries.

Rising unhappiness has been tied to growing political polarisation. Researchers observed that discontented individuals with low trust in others often lean towards far-right ideologies, while those with higher social trust tend to align with the far left.

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Trust was a recurring theme in the report. One notable finding was a strong correlation between happiness and the belief that someone would return a lost wallet, a simple but telling measure of social cohesion. Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup, stressed this point: “Happiness isn’t just about wealth or growth – it’s about trust, connection, and knowing people have your back.”

The report concluded that nations with higher happiness rankings often share traits like strong social safety nets and tight-knit communities, offering lessons for others seeking to improve well-being.

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