World Happiness Report 2025: Indians less happier than people of THESE conflict-ridden countries, check full list

World Happiness Report 2025: Finland was crowned the happiest country in the world for the eighth straight year, according to the World Happiness Report 2025, published on March 20.

India has slightly improved its happiness quotient, up from 126 in 2024 to 118 this year. However, India is less happier than conflict-affected countries like Ukraine, Mozambique, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Palestine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Gambia and Venezuela, according to the report.

Other Nordic countries once again top the happiness rankings in the annual report published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden remain the top four, in the same order.

Country rankings were based on answers people give when asked to rate their own lives. The study was carried out in partnership with the analytics firm Gallup, US-based multinational analytics, and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

India is at 118th place, Pakistan is at 109th, Ukraine at 111 and Palestine at 108, in the report.

The report was released on International Day of Happiness is celebrated throughout the world on March, 20. The day was  established by the United Nations General Assembly on June 28, 2012 and aims at making people around the world realise the importance of happiness within their lives.

Sharing meals with others

“Happiness isn’t just about wealth or growth — it’s about trust, connection and knowing people have your back," said Jon Clifton, the CEO of Gallup.

Researchers said that beyond health and wealth, some factors that influence happiness sound deceptively simple: sharing meals with others, having somebody to count on for social support, and household size. In Mexico and Europe, for example, a household size of four to five people predicts the highest levels of happiness, the study said.

Believing in the kindness of others is also much more closely tied to happiness than previously thought, according to the latest findings.

Afghanistan unhappiest country, US at lowest-ever

When it comes to decreasing happiness — or growing unhappiness —the United States has dropped to its lowest-ever position at 24, having previously peaked at 11th place in 2012. The report states that the number of people dining alone in the United States has increased 53 per cent over the past two decades, AP reported.

Afghanistan is again ranked as the unhappiest country in the world, with Afghan women saying their lives are especially difficult. Sierra Leone in western Africa is the second unhappiest, followed by Lebanon, ranking the 3rd from the bottom.

(With AP inputs)