The US fell to the all-time lows in the 2025 World Happiness Report amid rising social isolation and political polarization, but Finland and other Nordic countries were at the top of the index.
The report, published Thursday by the Wellbe Ingrise Search Centre at Oxford University in collaboration with Gallup and the United Nations Network for Sustainable Development Solutions, assesses a variety of factors, including health, wealth, freedom, generosity and freedom from corruption, to measure the overall well-being of society based on self-report ratings from 147 countries.
This year, Finland was followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Norway, Israel, Luxembourg and Mexico.
At the bottom of the index, Afghanistan was at its lowest rank, followed by Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, Comoros and Lesotho.
The US ranked number one from last year, continuing its downward trajectory from 11th place in 2012 when the survey began.
The report highlights the growing misfortune in the United States and focuses on increasing preferences for eating alone.
“In 2023, about one in four Americans reported eating only the day before, an increase of 53% since 2003,” the report states.
“Diet alone has become more common in all age groups, especially among young people.”
The report also points to an increase in the US “death of despair,” which contradicts the global downward trend. Since 2000, such deaths have fallen by 75% in 59 countries, but remained high in countries such as South Korea and Slovenia.
Researchers suggested that increasing misfortune could contribute to an increase in political polarization. This has also been observed in Europe.
“While the decline in life satisfaction explains the overall increase in anti-system votes, trust in others is played out. Among the extremely drawn unfortunate individuals on the political spectrum, those with less trust are more frequently seen on the far right, while those with higher reliability tend to vote on the left,” the report states.
Raising our despair is against the downward trend
The sense of social isolation in the United States is in contrast to countries like Mexico, split into a list of the happiest countries of the year. Factors such as regular meal sharing and living in larger households contribute to happiness, according to the report.
“Sharing food has a major impact on subjective well-being, comparable to the effects of income and unemployment,” the World Happiness Report states. “This applies across age, gender, country, culture and region.”
According to the report, large households may also “provide potential benefits in fostering positive social interactions.”
“Characteristics of larger household sizes and strong family bonds, Latin American society offers valuable lessons to other countries seeking higher and more sustainable happiness,” the report added.
Another important finding was a strong correlation between happiness and the belief that someone would return a lost wallet. Gallup CEO Jon Clifton stressed that although it appears to be a small act, it reflects a deeper social force.
“Happiness isn’t just about wealth and economic growth. It’s about trust, connection and knowing people have your back,” he said in the report. “If we need a stronger community and economy, we have to invest in what really matters. It’s one another.”
Social cohesion and a robust social safety net were common features of the highest ranked nations.
