The United States has fallen to its lowest-ever ranking, 24th place, in the 2025 World Happiness Report, highlighting growing social isolation, political polarization, and rising “deaths of despair,” as per Al Jazeera.
The annual report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford in partnership with Gallup and the United Nations, measures overall happiness across 147 countries.
While Finland continued its reign at the top of the index, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and the Netherlands, the US has continued a downward trajectory from a high of 11th place in 2012, when the survey began. Costa Rica, Norway, Israel, Luxembourg, and Mexico round out the top 10.
Afghanistan ranked the lowest, followed by Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.
The report evaluates factors such as health, wealth, freedom, generosity, and freedom from corruption, relying on self-reported assessments to gauge overall happiness.
One striking finding highlighted in the report is the increasing prevalence of social isolation in the US.
“In 2023, roughly one in four Americans reported eating all of their meals alone the previous day – an increase of 53 percent since 2003,” the report stated. This trend is particularly pronounced among young people.
Researchers also noted a rise in “deaths of despair” in the US, a trend that contradicts a global downward trend. The report found that such deaths have declined by 75 percent across 59 countries since 2000, though they remain high in nations like South Korea and Slovenia.
The researchers suggested that rising unhappiness may contribute to increasing political polarization, a trend also observed in parts of Europe.
The report contrasts the social trends in the US with countries like Mexico, which entered the top 10 happiest countries this year. Factors such as regularly sharing meals and living in larger households are believed to contribute to the higher levels of well-being in Mexico. Larger households “offer a potential advantage in fostering positive social interactions,” which may explain why Mexico and Costa Rica score as highly as many wealthier European countries.
“Latin American societies, characterised by larger household sizes and strong family bonds, offer valuable lessons for other nations seeking higher and more sustainable wellbeing,” the report stated.
Another key finding was the strong correlation between happiness and the belief that a lost wallet would be returned.
