The World's Happiest Countries

Which countries are the world's happiest? The 2026 World Happiness Report crowns Finland the happiest country for the ninth year in a row. Ireland is the world's 13th happiest. This is the highest ranking Ireland has had since the first Happiness Report was published in 2012, and makes it the happiest English-speaking country after New Zealand.

Perhaps surprisingly, the world is becoming a happier place. Nearly 80 countries experienced significant improvements in national happiness over the past fifteen years, while only 40 had losses. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe have gained most and converged with Western Europe, while the most significant declines are in countries near major conflict zones.

Notably, however, young people in North America and Western Europe are less content than fifteen years ago. Happiness among under 25s in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand has dropped dramatically. This year’s report examines the evidence that social media is a major contributor to the decline.

Read my analysis in the Irish Independent (subscription required). The World Happiness Report is published by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, Gallup, and a UN agency and is available at www.worldhappiness.report.