Finland is the “happiest country in the world” for the seventh year running, but the World Happiness Report 2024 reveals a worrying trend among young people.
Compiled from data from over 140 countries, the World Happiness Report is published annually by Gallup, the United Nations and Oxford University.
The Nordic country, which took the gold medal for happiness, has kept its smile for the seventh year running, according to a UN-sponsored report published this Wednesday, March 20, to mark the International Day of Happiness. Denmark holds on to second place. Iceland completes the podium with a bronze medal.
The report identifies the 10 happiest countries on the African continent, with Libya topping the list with a happiness score of 5.866. It is closely followed by Mauritius, with a score of 5.816, and South Africa comes third with a score of 5.422.Mauritius ranked 85th on the global happiness index for the under-30s and 28th for the over-60s.
The World Happiness Report shows that people under 30 are less happy than their older compatriots in countries such as the USA and the UK.
Should happiness now wait for years? Published this Wednesday, March 20, the latest edition of the World Happiness Report, which saw Finland retain its title as the world’s happiest country, reveals a worrying trend. While young people have traditionally been happier than their elders, the study shows that the gap between generations has narrowed considerably or even disappeared in Western Europe.
The report unveiled on Wednesday, which is based on people’s own assessments of their happiness as well as economic and social data, does not explain the reasons for this change, but factors such as housing affordability, income inequality and fears of war and climate change are all potential explanations.
Moreover, this is the first time in over ten years that the USA (23rd) and Germany (24th) have been excluded from the Top 20 happiest nations. France, meanwhile, has slipped from 21st to 27th place. At the bottom of the ranking, Afghanistan, faced with a humanitarian catastrophe since the return of the Taliban to power in 2020, occupies last place among the 143 countries evaluated.
