World Happiness Report 2026: Finland tops again, Israel in top 10; India ranks 116th

Finland has been ranked as the happiest nation in the world once again, according to the most recent World Happiness Report. The University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre released a report that rates nations based on how people evaluate and view their lives. Although countries from the Nordic countries top the list, countries such as Costa Rica have also shown significant improvements. As regards India, it ranks much lower on the list.

Finland continues its winning streak at the number one position based on the levels of trust, social support, and quality of life. The well-developed welfare state of Finland has been a great contributor to the country’s long reign at the top of the list.

Alongside Finland, countries such as Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway feature prominently in the top 10. These nations are often characterised by strong public institutions, low corruption, and high standards of living, all of which contribute to higher life satisfaction.

Costa Rica has made a significant leap, securing the fourth position after being ranked 23rd in 2023. The rapid increase reflects the community, environmental, and happiness aspects in the country despite low economic factors.

Israel ranks in the 8th position with a mean value for life evaluation equal to 7.187. Despite the geopolitical issues, the country has excelled in social cohesion and the assessment of the quality of life, as the life expectancy is higher at 70.8.

These rankings are based on self-reported evaluations averaged over three years and are based on how individuals rate their lives on a scale from 0 to 10. The final score is based on six main indicators: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption.

India is placed at position 116, which is much lower than that of several countries in the world and in the region. The country’s low average life evaluation score, which is 4.536, shows that it still has a long way to go in various aspects of well-being.

In the South Asian region, India’s position is as follows: Pakistan is placed higher than India, at position 104 with an average life evaluation score of 4.868, while Sri Lanka is placed at position 99. However, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Afghanistan are placed below India, at positions 127, 134, and 147, respectively.

The report found some notable facts, and one of the most prominent is the concern over the use of social media by younger generations. In countries like the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, there is a notable decrease in life satisfaction levels among individuals under the age of 25. The report found this to be associated with the amount of time spent on screens and social media, which is linked to high levels of stress and depression. However, in countries like the Middle East and Africa, moderate usage was found to be positively correlated with life satisfaction.