The report, published by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, is based on Gallup World Poll data, which ranks countries according to self-assessed life evaluations averaged over the years 2022-2024. Approximately 1,000 respondents from each country were surveyed, rating their current lives on a scale of 1 to 10.
Other key factors considered in the rankings included gross domestic product per capita, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom to make key life decisions, generosity and perceptions of corruption.
Belgium secured the 14th spot — its highest ranking since 2011.
The five countries that have experienced the greatest improvements in happiness, according to the report, are Serbia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Latvia and Romania. Meanwhile, the United States, Switzerland and Canada are among some of the biggest losers.
In general, Western industrialized countries are now less happy than they were between 2005
and 2010, the report says.
In Europe and the U.S., the report draws a connection between the decline in happiness and social trust and the rise in political polarization and votes against “the system,” or for right-wing and populist parties.
However, 14 of the top 20 happiest countries are still European, with Costa Rica, Israel, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and Canada rounding out the list.