New Delhi: India has been ranked 116th in the World Happiness Report 2026, improving from 118th place last year. However, it still lags behind Pakistan, which has secured the 104th spot in the rankings, and Nepal (99). China is at the 65th position.
Which are the happiest countries?
The annual report, produced by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre in partnership with Gallup and the United Nations, was released on Thursday. Finland was ranked as the happiest country in the world for the ninth consecutive year. It was followed by Iceland, Denmark, Costa Rica, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Israel, Luxembourg and Switzerland, who held the top 10 positions. Costa Rica’s rise to 4th marks the highest ever ranking for a Latin American country.
Other top happiest countries in the report were New Zealand, Mexico, Ireland, Belgium, Australia, Kosovo, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Czechia and the United Arab Emirates.
One of the key insights of the report is that in general, most Western industrial countries are now less happy than they were between 2005 and 2010.
Out of the 147 ranked, the lowest in the chart were Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Malawi , Zimbabwe, Botswana, Yemen, Lebanon, DR Congo, Egypt and Tanzania.
The report also found that life satisfaction among under-25s in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand has fallen drastically over the last 10 years. The report is based on surveys of around 100,000 people across 140 countries.
Is social media affecting happiness?
The report pointed out that excessive social media use is associated with declining well-being among young people, especially teenage girls in English-speaking and Western European countries.
Researchers underlined that heavy social media use, especially more than seven hours every day, is linked with lower well-being. The key reasons cited are algorithms, image-focused platforms and influencer content. The report reiterates the importance of trust and social connections for wellbeing. It brings to fore how the rise of internet and social media use has affected wellbeing directly, and also indirectly by altering trust, social connections, and emotional bonds. The report said most US college students said that they wished social media platforms did not exist.
It added: “The impact of heavy social media use on wellbeing depends on how it is used. Engaging with multiple platforms, relying on social media as a primary news source, and following influencers are associated with higher stress, increased depressive symptoms, and more negative comparisons with parents’ quality of life.”
As per the report, the relationship between social media and happiness is contingent upon both platform design and the
broader cultural and social context in which social media use takes place.