American Happiness Has Dropped Again: Where Are the Happiest People Living?
The United States has reached a record low in the annual World Happiness Report, falling eight places to 23rd place. This is the first time in the 12 years of the report that the United States has not made it into the top 20 happiest countries in the world, the publication writes. Axios.
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Unlike the United States, some countries, such as Finland and Denmark, consistently rank among the happiest in the world.
Numerous studies show that Americans feel depressed for a variety of reasons, from loneliness to economic problems to dissatisfaction with the country's political leadership. For the first time in 12 years, the United States is not among the world's 20 happiest countries.
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Gallup, whose data is used in the World Happiness Report, attributes the sharp decline in the US ranking to the fact that "Americans under 30 are feeling worse."
Today's young people feel less supported by friends and family, feel less free to choose their life path, experience more stress, and are less satisfied with their living conditions, the report's editor, Lara Aknin, told Axios. Young people trust government less and are more likely to perceive it as corrupt, she said.
The report notes that in North America, older people are now happier than younger people, unlike in other regions.
Many Americans distrust the political system and fear political violence.
The pandemic has also revealed high levels of loneliness among younger generations in the United States.
In addition, the country is facing inflation, which is affecting everything from the restaurant business to the real estate market.
25 happiest countries in the world:
- Finland
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Sweden
- Israel
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Luxembourg
- Switzerland
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Costa Rica
- Kuwait
- Austria
- Canada
- Belgium
- Ireland
- Czech Republic
- Lithuania
- United Kingdom
- Slovenia
- United Arab Emirates
- USA
- Germany
- Mexico
While the U.S. ranking changed little, it confirms last year's finding that the decline in happiness was mostly driven by young people under 30, said Julie Ray, Gallup's global news editor.
The number of young people who believe they have the freedom to choose their life path has dropped 10 points from 2020 to 2024, she said, painting a “bleak picture” of perceptions of the U.S. future and the feasibility of the “American dream.”
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Scandinavian countries continue to dominate the rankings of the happiest countries, with Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden taking the top four spots in the latest report.
According to Gallup, three Western countries – the United States, Canada and Switzerland – were “among the top fifteen worst performers” in happiness rankings.
"This year, for the first time, none of the major industrial powers made it into the top 20," the report said.
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