Mapped: All of the World’s Countries Ranked by How Happy They Are

Kayla Zhu
2025-03-24 14:37:00
www.visualcapitalist.com

Which Countries are the Happiest (and Least Happy?)

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

In a rapidly evolving world, the pursuit of happiness remains one of humanity’s few constants. Yet capturing its essence is no simple task, as it depends on both quantifiable measures and personal perceptions—together providing a deeper understanding of societal well-being beyond mere economic figures.

This map showcases the findings from the 2025 World Happiness Report, an annual publication that measures global contentment based on life evaluations, social support, freedom of choice, GDP per capita, and additional indicators of well-being. The data is drawn from the Gallup World Poll and various supplementary sources.

Each nation’s score in the World Happiness Report reflects an average of life evaluations over a three-year span (2022–2024 for this edition), ranking countries from highest to lowest. A more detailed explanation of the report’s methodology can be found at the end of this article.

The Most and Least Happy Countries in 2025

Below, we show the full rankings from the World Happiness Report 2025, and each country’s score.

Rank	Country Name	Region	Average Happiness Score (2022-2024)
1	Finland	Europe	7.7
2	Denmark	Europe	7.5
3	Iceland	Europe	7.5
4	Sweden	Europe	7.3
5	Netherlands	Europe	7.3
6	Costa Rica	Central America	7.3
7	Norway	Europe	7.3
8	Israel	Middle East	7.2
9	Luxembourg	Europe	7.1
10	Mexico	North America	7.0
11	Australia	Oceania	7.0
12	New Zealand	Oceania	7.0
13	Switzerland	Europe	6.9
14	Belgium	Europe	6.9
15	Ireland	Europe	6.9
16	Lithuania	Europe	6.8
17	Austria	Europe	6.8
18	Canada	North America	6.8
19	Slovenia	Europe	6.8
20	Czechia	Europe	6.8
21	United Arab Emirates	Middle East	6.8
22	Germany	Europe	6.8
23	United Kingdom	Europe	6.7
24	United States	North America	6.7
25	Belize	Central America	6.7
26	Poland	Europe	6.7
27	Taiwan	Asia	6.7
28	Uruguay	South America	6.7
29	Kosovo	Europe	6.7
30	Kuwait	Middle East	6.6
31	Serbia	Europe	6.6
32	Saudi Arabia	Middle East	6.6
33	France	Europe	6.6
34	Singapore	Asia	6.6
35	Romania	Europe	6.6
36	Brazil	South America	6.5
37	El Salvador	Central America	6.5
38	Spain	Europe	6.5
39	Estonia	Europe	6.4
40	Italy	Europe	6.4
41	Panama	Central America	6.4
42	Argentina	South America	6.4
43	Kazakhstan	Asia	6.4
44	Guatemala	South America	6.4
45	Chile	South America	6.4
46	Vietnam	Asia	6.4
47	Nicaragua	Central America	6.3
48	Malta	Europe	6.3
49	Thailand	Asia	6.2
50	Slovakia	Europe	6.2
51	Latvia	Europe	6.2
52	Oman	Middle East	6.2
53	Uzbekistan	Asia	6.2
54	Paraguay	South America	6.2
55	Japan	Asia	6.1
56	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Europe	6.1
57	Philippines	Asia	6.1
58	Republic of Korea	Asia	6.0
59	Bahrain	Middle East	6.0
60	Portugal	Europe	6.0
61	Colombia	South America	6.0
62	Ecuador	South America	6.0
63	Honduras	Central America	6.0
64	Malaysia	Asia	6.0
65	Peru	South America	5.9
66	Russia	Europe	5.9
67	Cyprus	Europe	5.9
68	China	Asia	5.9
69	Hungary	Europe	5.9
70	Trinidad and Tobago	North America	5.9
71	Montenegro	Europe	5.9
72	Croatia	Europe	5.9
73	Jamaica	Central America	5.9
74	Bolivia	South America	5.9
75	Kyrgyzstan	Asia	5.9
76	Dominican Republic	Central America	5.8
77	Mongolia	Asia	5.8
78	Mauritius	Africa	5.8
79	Libya	Africa	5.8
80	Moldova	Europe	5.8
81	Greece	Europe	5.8
82	Venezuela	South America	5.7
83	Indonesia	Asia	5.6
84	Algeria	Africa	5.6
85	Bulgaria	Europe	5.6
86	North Macedonia	Europe	5.5
87	Armenia	Asia	5.5
88	Hong Kong	Asia	5.5
89	Albania	Europe	5.4
90	Tajikistan	Asia	5.4
91	Georgia	Europe	5.4
92	Nepal	Asia	5.3
93	Laos	Asia	5.3
94	Türkiye	Asia	5.3
95	South Africa	Africa	5.2
96	Mozambique	Africa	5.2
97	Gabon	Africa	5.1
98	Côte d’Ivoire	Africa	5.1
99	Iran	Middle East	5.1
100	Congo	Africa	5.0
101	Iraq	Middle East	5.0
102	Guinea	Africa	4.9
103	Namibia	Africa	4.9
104	Cameroon	Africa	4.9
105	Nigeria	Africa	4.9
106	Azerbaijan	Asia	4.9
107	Senegal	Africa	4.9
108	Palestine	Middle East	4.8
109	Pakistan	Asia	4.8
110	Niger	Africa	4.7
111	Ukraine	Europe	4.7
112	Morocco	Africa	4.6
113	Tunisia	Africa	4.6
114	Mauritania	Africa	4.5
115	Kenya	Africa	4.5
116	Uganda	Africa	4.5
117	Gambia	Africa	4.4
118	India	Asia	4.4
119	Chad	Africa	4.4
120	Burkina Faso	Africa	4.4
121	Benin	Africa	4.4
122	Somalia	Africa	4.3
123	Mali	Africa	4.3
124	Cambodia	Asia	4.3
125	Ghana	Africa	4.3
126	Myanmar	Asia	4.3
127	Togo	Africa	4.3
128	Jordan	Middle East	4.3
129	Liberia	Africa	4.3
130	Madagascar	Africa	4.2
131	Zambia	Africa	3.9
132	Ethiopia	Africa	3.9
133	Sri Lanka	Asia	3.9
134	Bangladesh	Asia	3.9
135	Egypt	Africa	3.8
136	Tanzania	Africa	3.8
137	Eswatini	Africa	3.8
138	Lesotho	Africa	3.8
139	Comoros	Africa	3.8
140	Yemen	Middle East	3.6
141	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Africa	3.5
142	Botswana	Africa	3.4
143	Zimbabwe	Africa	3.4
144	Malawi	Africa	3.3
145	Lebanon	Middle East	3.2
146	Sierra Leone	Africa	3.0
147	Afghanistan	Middle East	1.4

Nordic nations once again claim the top spots in global happiness rankings, with Finland holding on to first place for the eighth year running. Its score remains at 7.7, matching last year’s result.

Close behind are Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden, each retaining the same positions they held in the previous report.

Australia has dropped just outside the top 10, moving from #10 to #11.

Israel has slid from #5 to #8 this year, yet continues to rank among the world’s happiest nations. Despite the ongoing Gaza war, which began in 2023 and is partly reflected in this year’s three-year average, Israel maintains a place in the top tier.

One of the most significant changes comes from Costa Rica, which rose from #12 to #6. This achievement not only marks the highest ranking ever for a Latin American nation, but also positions it as the strongest-performing non-European country in this year’s report.

Most and Least Happy Countries by Region

In this table, we show the most and least happy countries in each region.

Region	Happiest Country	2024 Happiness Score	Least Happiest Country	2024 Happiness Score
North America	Costa Rica	7.3	Dominican Republic	5.8
South America	Uruguay	6.7	Venezuela	5.7
Europe	Finland	7.7	Ukraine	4.7
Middle East	Israel	7.2	Afghanistan	1.4
East Asia	Taiwan	6.7	Bangladesh	3.9
Africa	Mauritius	5.8	Sierra Leone	3.0
Oceania	Australia & New Zealand	7.0	—	—

Costa Rica, now ranked sixth, stands out as North America’s happiest country, surpassing both the U.S. and Canada. At the opposite end, the Dominican Republic (#76) ranks as the least happy in the region, likely due to persistent inequality and economic challenges.

In South America, Uruguay remains the happiest country at #28, while Venezuela (#82) retains its position as the least happy. Its ongoing economic crisis, political turmoil, and large-scale emigration have greatly diminished quality of life.

Ukraine (#111) is Europe’s lowest-ranked country, still grappling with the lingering effects of war, financial instability, and an uncertain future.

Afghanistan continues to occupy the bottom spot globally and in the Middle East. Prolonged conflict, restrictions on freedoms—especially for women—and a struggling economy have kept it the world’s least happy nation since 2020.

Taiwan emerges as East Asia’s happiest country at #27, surpassing Singapore. Bangladesh, meanwhile, ranks lowest among Asian economies at #134, weighed down by economic challenges and ongoing political instability.

Africa has the lowest average happiness scores worldwide. Within the region, Mauritius (#78) leads as the happiest country, helped by a relatively higher standard of living, while Sierra Leone remains second to last overall due to widespread poverty, political corruption, and inadequate infrastructure.

Lastly, in Oceania, Australia and New Zealand both record strong scores of 7.0, narrowly missing the global top 10. High life expectancy and robust social systems contribute to their elevated rankings.

Which Countries Saw the Greatest Change in Happiness?

Below, we show the three countries that saw the largest increases to their happiness scores from last year, and the three countries that saw the greatest decreases.

Country	2023 Happiness Score	2024 Happiness Score	Change in score
Lesotho	3.2	3.8	0.6
Lebanon	2.7	3.2	0.5
Zambia	3.5	3.9	0.4
Sierra Leone	3.3	3.0	-0.3
Kuwait	7.0	6.6	-0.3
Afghanistan	1.7	1.4	-0.4

Lesotho recorded the greatest improvement among all surveyed countries, with its happiness score rising by 0.6 points (from 3.2 to 3.8). Despite this notable gain, it still ranks among the least happy nations worldwide.

Lebanon and Zambia also registered significant increases in their scores but continue to sit near the bottom of the rankings, underscoring the entrenched economic and political hurdles they face. Meanwhile, some of the world’s least happy countries saw their scores dip even further. Sierra Leone, Kuwait, and Afghanistan experienced the largest drops, each declining by 0.3 to 0.4 points.

Which Countries Moved Up the Happiness Rankings Most?

Looking at overall ranking shifts, Latin American countries led the way, indicating a renewed sense of optimism in spite of persistent economic and political challenges. Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador recorded the most substantial climbs, moving up by 17, 15, and 12 places, respectively.

Colombia advanced from #78 to #61, Mexico reached the top 10 for the first time by jumping from #25 to #10, and Ecuador rose from #74 to #62.

By contrast, the United States slipped from #23 to #24, continuing a downward trajectory that has been evident since 2016. Declining social trust and growing inequality remain key contributors to the U.S.’s gradual slide in the rankings.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To compare country happiness rankings from a different source, check out this graphic that visualizes the happiest countries among the world’s major economies, based on analysis from Ray Dalio’s Great Powers Index 2024.

The post Mapped: All of the World’s Countries Ranked by How Happy They Are appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Source Link

Please read the Privacy and Security Disclaimer on how Techcratic handles your support.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, Techcratic may earn from qualifying purchases.