World Happiness Index 2025

23.03.2025

World Happiness Index 2025

Why in the news?   

            India ranked 118th in the World Happiness Report 2025 published recently.

About World Happiness Index:

•  It is an annual report published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford in partnership with Gallup, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
•   The rankings are based on people’s self-assessed life evaluations.
• The World Happiness Index 2025 ranked countries according to self-assessed life evaluations averaged over 2022-2024 and answers to the Cantril ladder question in the Gallup World Poll.
• It asks respondents to think of a ladder with the best possible life for them being a 10 and the worst being a zero.
• They are then asked to rate their current lives on that scale.
•  The study considers 6 explanatory factors for happiness: social support, GDP per capita, health life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and perception of corruption.
• The study also maps whether responses indicated positive or negative emotions about the country.

Highlights of World Happiness Index 2025:

• Finland is ranked as the happiest country in the world for the eighth consecutive year, and other Nordic countries – Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden, continued to remain in the top four, in that order.
• The United Kingdom is in the 23rd position, the US is 24th, and China stands at the 68th position in the list of 147 countries this year.
• While Western countries dominated the top 20, especially European nations, Costa Rica and Mexico entered the top 10 for the first time, ranking at 6th and 10th respectively.
• Afghanistan is again ranked as the unhappiest country in the world; this year 147th against last year's 143rd rank (last).
• The State of Palestine is ranked 108th (103 in 2024), while Ukraine is at 111 rank (105 in 2024).
• India ranked 118 out of 147 countries.
• Among India's neighbouring countries, Sri Lanka was ranked at 133, Bangladesh at 134, Pakistan at 109, Nepal at 92, and China at 68.

                                     Source: Indian Express

Consider the following statements regarding World Happiness Index 2025:

1. Finland is ranked as the happiest country in the world.

2. It is an annual report published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A.1 only

B.2 only

C.Both 1 and 2

D.Neither 1 nor 2

Answer C