IRELAND HAS MOVED up two places in the world happiness ranking report, but the top spot still belongs to Finland.

Finland leads the world in happiness, according to the World Happiness Report, for the eighth year in a row, with Finns reporting an average score of 7.736 (out of 10) when asked to evaluate their lives. Nordic countries dominated the top four, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden following Finland in that order.

Ireland, with an average score of 6.889, ranked 15th, up from 17th in the last happiness rankings in 2023.

European countries dominated the top 20 in the ranking, though there were some exceptions. Despite the war with Hamas, Israel came in at eighth. Costa Rica and Mexico entered the top 10 for the first time, ranking at sixth and 10th respectively.

The United States, ranked 24th, falls to its lowest-ever position, ranked just behind the United Kingdom, 23rd, reporting its lowest average life evaluation since the 2017 report. 

Afghanistan again was 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.

Country rankings are based on a three-year average of each population’s average assessment of their quality of life.

Experts in economics, psychology, sociology and other subjects seek to explain the variations of countries, including factors like GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, a sense of freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption. These factors help describe the differences between countries, although the rankings are based solely on the ratings people give about their own lives. 

This year, researchers focused on the theme of “caring and sharing” in their findings. 

Sharing meals and household size were linked to wellbeing. Researchers found that “four to five people living together enjoy the highest levels of happiness in Mexico and Europe, but many people in Europe are living on their own.”

The study also reported that, in 2023, nearly one in five young adults across the world reported having no one they could count on for social support, this had increased 39% compared to 2006.

Additionally, researchers found that the belief in the kindness of others is much more closely tied to happiness than previously thought. 

Lara B. Aknin, professor of social psychology at Simon Fraser University, and an editor of the World Happiness Report, said “Human happiness is driven by our relationships with others. Investing in positive social connections and engaging in benevolent actions are both matched by greater happiness.”

The World Happiness Report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and an independent editorial board.

The findings were published today to mark the UN’s International Day of Happiness.