Happiness: India has a long way to go
Summary
- The World Happiness Report for 2024 ranks Finns the happiest, with India at No. 126. Perhaps we need a more people-centric approach that results in a more even distribution of economic gains.
The World Happiness Report for 2024 by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network has some notable findings. The US has fallen out of the top 20 for the first time since the report started more than a decade ago. And old people are happier than the young, though this holds true across all surveyed countries.
Finns are the happiest, claiming the top spot for the seventh consecutive year, followed by Danes, Icelanders and Swedes. Nordic countries are seen to be happier on account of welfare states that grant everyone access to basic amenities. At the other end, Afghanistan is ranked the worst. With individual rights choked under Taliban rule, it’s no surprise that its people have little to be cheerful about. As for India, it stays at No. 126, while China is No. 60, Pakistan is No. 108, Sri Lanka is No. 128 and Bangladesh No. 129.
Several factors go into happiness, among them GDP per head, social support, life expectancy and freedom, apart from levels of generosity and corruption. The expansion of India’s economy should lift our mood on all these counts. Perhaps we also need a more people-centric approach that results in a more even distribution of economic gains.
