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Finland just keeps going. The 2026 World Happiness Report is out, and for the ninth year in a row, the Nordic country has been named the happiest country in the world.
The report, released annually around the United Nations' International Day of Happiness, ranks more than 140 countries based on how people evaluate their own lives. The data comes primarily from the Gallup World Poll, with researchers also analyzing factors like social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption.
The Happiest Country In The World
Once again, Finland sits at No. 1 one, followed by a familiar group of countries. Iceland (No. 2) and Denmark (No. 3), with Sweden (No. 5) and Norway (No. 6) continuing their strong showing.
Finns reported an average life evaluation score of 7.764 out of 10, well ahead of most other countries.
The continued dominance of Nordic countries isn't new: This year's top 10 list is similar to previous rankings that I've covered in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019. But the report suggests their success goes beyond the usual explanations of wealth or welfare systems. Social trust, strong institutions and a sense of community all play a role in how people evaluate their lives.
"When it comes to happiness, building what is good in life is more important than finding and fixing what is bad," John F. Helliwell, a founding editor of the report, said in a statement. "Both need doing, now more than ever."
Other Happy Countries
Costa Rica is one of the standout performers this year, rising to No. 4, its highest-ever ranking and a notable moment for Latin America. The country has been on a steady climb.
Meanwhile, Switzerland re-enters the top 10 at No. 10 after dropping out last year.
Elsewhere, continued gains from countries such as Kosovo (No. 16), Slovenia (No. 18) and Czechia (No. 20) point to a broader convergence in happiness levels between Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe.
At the same time, the rankings highlight a notable absence: for the second year in a row, none of the English-speaking countries appear in the top 10, with only half placing in the top 20. New Zealand comes in at No. 11, followed by Ireland (No. 13), Australia (No. 15), the United States (No. 23), Canada (No. 25) and the United Kingdom (No. 29).
Countries affected by conflict continue to rank at the bottom of the list. For 2026, Afghanistan is the unhappiest country in the world, ranking last once again. Sierra Leone (No. 146) and Malawi (No. 145) round out the list of unhappiest countries.
Happiness In The United States
Not every country is moving in the right direction. The United States ranks 23rd this year -- up one spot from last year, but still part of a longer-term decline that has been underway for more than a decade.
A key driver behind the decline: younger Americans. According to the report, life satisfaction among people under 25 in the U.S. -- along with Canada, Australia and New Zealand -- has dropped significantly over the past decade.
What's striking is that this trend is not global. In most other parts of the world, young people are actually reporting higher levels of wellbeing than in the past.
"Most of the world's young people are happier today than they were 20 years ago, and that's a trend that deserves attention," Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup, said in a statement.
That divergence between English-speaking countries and the rest of the world is one of the most important findings in this year's report.
Trends In Happiness
A major focus of the 2026 report is the role of social media in shaping wellbeing, particularly among young people.
The findings are nuanced. Moderate use of social media (less than an hour a day) is associated with higher levels of wellbeing than no use at all. But heavy use is linked to lower life satisfaction, especially among adolescents.
And not all platforms are created equal. Platforms that emphasize social connection tend to have a positive association with happiness. In contrast, those driven by algorithmic feeds and influencer content are more often linked to negative outcomes, including increased stress and social comparison.
"The global evidence makes clear that the links between social media use and our wellbeing heavily depend on what platforms we're using, who's using them and how, as well as for how long," Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an editor of the report, said in a statement. "Heavy usage is associated with much lower wellbeing, but those deliberately off social media also appear to be missing out on some positive effects."
The impact also varies by region. In English-speaking countries and Western Europe, heavy social media use is more strongly associated with declines in wellbeing. In other parts of the world, including Latin America, the relationship is often more positive.
Happiness: A Complex Global Picture
If there's one takeaway from this year's report, it's that there's no single explanation for happiness or for its decline.
Even when social media plays a role, it's only part of a much larger picture. Factors like social connection and a sense of belonging appear to have an even stronger influence on how people feel about their lives.
In fact, the report suggests that improving those real-world connections may matter far more than simply reducing screen time.
At the same time, researchers caution against oversimplifying the data. The relationship between technology and wellbeing depends on how it's used, who's using it and the broader social context.