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The 2024 World Happiness Report (WHR) analyzes trends in happiness across different ages and generations in more than 140 countries. It found that happiness among 15- to 24-year-olds has declined in North America, Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and South Asia since 2019.
A significant drop in happiness among Americans under 30 has taken the U.S. out of the top 20 for the first time since the report was first released in 2012.
For the seventh year in a row, Finland has been named the “happiest” country, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and Israel. Her two countries are new to the top 20: Costa Rica (12th) and Kuwait (13th). The “unhappiest” country in the world is Afghanistan.
The report uses Gallup World Polling data to assign rankings to countries based on their citizens’ self-reported levels of happiness. “Rankings are based on a three-year average of average quality of life ratings for each population,” according to a press release. The report uses factors such as gross domestic product (GDP), life expectancy, having someone to rely on, feelings of freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption to account for variation across countries and over time.
In addition to national rankings, the report “provides analysis and advice for evidence-based planning and policymaking,” Gallup CEO John Clifton emphasized.
Comparing age groups, the report shows that Lithuania ranks first among children and young people under 30, while Denmark ranks first among those over 60.
Comparing generations, the report found that people born before 1965 were on average happier than those born after 1980. Millennials’ evaluation of their own lives declines as they get older. Baby boomers’ life satisfaction increases with age.
Globally, young people between the ages of 15 and 24 report higher life satisfaction than older adults, according to the report. However, it cautioned that “this gap is narrowing in Europe and has recently reversed in North America.” There are limited data available on the health of children under 15 years of age.
“Given that children in some parts of the world are already experiencing what amounts to a midlife crisis, urgent policy action is needed,” said the director of the Oxford Wellbeing Research Center. said Jean-Emmanuel de Neve.
The World Happiness Report is produced by a partnership between Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Center, SDSN, and the WHR Editorial Board. The 2024 edition was released on March 20, 2024. [Publication: World Happiness Report 2024] [Summary] [WHR Press Release] [WHR Website] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on World Happiness Report 2023]
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