U.S. drops in global happiness rankings, and political polarization is partly to blame [View all]

Source: USA Today

The United States isn’t feeling too happy lately. Since 2012, the mood in the United States has been on the decline, sliding from 11th to 24th in the global rankings, according to Gallup’s 2025 World Happiness Report.

Finland holds the top spot for the eighth consecutive year. Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and the Netherlands round out the top five happiest countries.

Based on a population's average evaluation of their quality of life from 2022 to 2024, this year's study data ranks 147 nations according to their happiness levels. The rankings are primarily based on data from the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford and Gallup World Poll, which asks respondents to rate their present level of happiness.

As the United States slumped to 24th, Mexico and Costa Rico hopped into the top 10 for the first time since the report's introduction in 2012.


Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2025/07/02/united-states-world-happiness-rankings-2025/84385092007/