Visualizing The World’s Happiest Countries in 2025

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In an increasingly complex world, happiness remains humanity’s universal pursuit.

Measuring happiness remains a challenge, requiring the blend of objective metrics and subjective experiences, but it offers invaluable insights into the true health of societies beyond economic indicators alone.

In this map, we visualize the findings from the 2025 edition of the World Happiness Report, an annual publication that ranks global happiness based on life evaluations, social support, freedom to make life choices, GDP per capita, and other well-being indicators. It uses data from the Gallup World Poll and additional sources.

The World Happiness Report then averages the scores from life evaluations per country over a three-year period (2022–2024 for this year’s edition) and ranks countries from highest to lowest. Read more about the report’s methodology at the bottom of the article.

Ranked: The Most & Least Happy Countries in 2025

Below, we show the full rankings from the World Happiness Report 2025, and each country’s score.

Nordic countries continue to dominate global happiness rankings, with Finland maintaining its first-place position for the eighth consecutive year with a steady score of 7.7, unchanged from last year.

Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden follow closely behind, preserving their respective rankings from last year’s report.

Notable departures from the top 10 include Australia, which slipped from #10 to #11.

Israel dropped from #5 to #8 this year but remains in the top 10. Despite the ongoing Gaza war—which began in 2023 and is largely reflected in this year’s three-year average—Israel remains one of the world’s happiest countries.

One of the biggest shifts in rankings came from Costa Rica, which climbed from #12 to #6, achieving both the highest-ever ranking for a Latin American country and the strongest placement of any non-European nation in this year’s report.

Most and Least Happy Countries by Region

In this table, we show the most and least happy countries in each region.

Sixth-ranked Costa Rica is the happiest country in North America, surpassing both the U.S. and Canada. On the other end, the Dominican Republic (#76) ranks as the least happy in the region, likely due to economic challenges and inequality.

Uruguay, ranked 28th this year, continues to be South America’s happiest country. Meanwhile, Venezuela (#82) also remains the least happy due to ongoing economic collapse, political instability, and mass emigration, which have severely affected quality of life.

In Europe, Ukraine (#111) ranks the lowest, still suffering from the ongoing impacts of war, economic instability, and uncertainty about the future.

In the Middle East, last-place Afghanistan remains the world’s least happy country, with ongoing conflict, restrictions on freedoms—particularly for women—and economic hardship leading to the lowest recorded happiness score. The country has been the unhappiest country in the world since 2020.

This year, Taiwan surpassed Singapore as East Asia’s happiest country with a rank of #27. Bangladesh ranked the lowest among Asian economies at #134 due to economic struggles and ongoing political instability.

In Africa, which has the lowest average scores in the world, Mauritius (#78) is the continent’s happiest country, thanks to relative prosperity compared to its neighbors. In contrast, second-last Sierra Leone has the lowest happiness score on the continent, reflecting high poverty levels, political corruption, and weak infrastructure.

In the Oceania region, Australia and New Zealand both record high scores of 7.0, just shy of the top 10. Both countries benefit from high life expectancy and strong social infrastructure.

Which Countries Saw the Greatest Change in Happiness?

Below, we show the three countries that saw the largest increases to their happiness scores from last year, and the three countries that saw the greatest decreases.

Lesotho saw the biggest increase in their happiness score out of all countries surveyed, jumping 0.6 points from 3.2 to 3.8. However, despite this improvement, it remains among the least happy nations in the world.

Similarly, Lebanon and Zambia also experienced the largest increases in scores but still rank near the bottom, highlighting how even the most improved countries continue to struggle with deep-rooted economic and political challenges.

Conversely, some of the world’s least happy countries saw their scores decline further. Sierra Leone, Kuwait, and Afghanistan recorded the largest drops, with declines ranging from 0.3 to 0.4 points.

Which Countries Moved Up the Happiness Rankings Most?

Looking at ranking shifts, Latin American countries made the biggest jumps, signaling a rebound in optimism despite economic and political challenges. Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador saw the largest gains, climbing 17, 15, and 12 spots, respectively.

Colombia moved from #78 to #61, Mexico entered the top 10 for the first time, rising from #25 to #10, and Ecuador improved from #74 to #62.

Meanwhile, the United States dropped one spot from #23 to #24, continuing a downward trend that has persisted since 2016. Declining social trust and rising inequality remain key factors in the U.S.’s long-term slide in happiness rankings.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To compare country happiness rankings from a different source, check out this graphic that visualizes the happiest countries among the world’s major economies, based on analysis from Ray Dalio’s Great Powers Index 2024.