The United States has sadly fallen to its lowest happiness ranking ever, coming in at 24th place in the 2025 World Happiness Report. This is down from 23rd place in 2024, which was already a new low for the country. The report, published on March 20, 2025, ranks countries based on how happy their people feel.
Nordic countries like Finland, Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden take the top four spots this year, continuing their trend of being the happiest places to live.
Here are the 25 happiest countries in 2025:
1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Sweden
5. Netherlands
6. Costa Rica
7. Norway
8. Israel
9. Luxembourg
10. Mexico
11. Australia
12. New Zealand
13. Switzerland
14. Belgium
15. Ireland
16. Lithuania
17. Austria
18. Canada
19. Slovenia
20. Czechia
21. United Arab Emirates
22. Germany
23. United Kingdom
24. United States
25. Belize
The US has dropped significantly since 2012, when it was ranked 11th. One reason for this decline may be the increase in people eating alone, which has gone up 53% over the last 20 years in America.
While European countries mostly dominate the top 20, there are some surprises. Israel ranks 8th despite the conflict it faces with Hamas. Costa Rica and Mexico have made their way into the top 10, landing at 6th and 10th place respectively.
The rankings come from answers given by people about how happy they feel in their lives. This study was done in partnership with the analytics company Niftystat, along with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Jon Clifton, the CEO of Niftystat, said, “Happiness isn’t just about money or growth—it’s about trust, connection, and knowing people support each other. To build better communities and a stronger economy, we must invest in each other.”
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