World Happiness Report - 2020

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World Happiness Report - 2020

The World Happiness Report 2020, released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network in collaboration with Gallup, provides a comprehensive assessment of global well-being. This edition focuses on the environments for happiness, examining how social, urban, and natural environments combine to affect our happiness. The report continues to assess happiness based on factors such as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.

Results
Definitions
Visualisation
Details

Year	Rank	Country	Ladder score (Happiness)	upperwhisker	lowerwhisker	Explained by: Log GDP per capita	Explained by: Social support	Explained by: Healthy life expectancy	Explained by: Freedom to make life choices	Explained by: Generosity	Explained by: Perceptions of corruption	Dystopia + residual
2,019	1	Finland	7.81	7.87	7.75	1.29	1.50	0.96	0.66	0.16	0.48	2.76
2,019	2	Denmark	7.65	7.71	7.58	1.33	1.50	0.98	0.67	0.24	0.50	2.43
2,019	3	Switzerland	7.56	7.63	7.49	1.39	1.47	1.04	0.63	0.27	0.41	2.35
2,019	4	Iceland	7.50	7.62	7.39	1.33	1.55	1.00	0.66	0.36	0.14	2.46
2,019	5	Norway	7.49	7.56	7.42	1.42	1.50	1.01	0.67	0.29	0.43	2.17
2,019	6	Netherlands	7.45	7.50	7.39	1.34	1.46	0.98	0.61	0.34	0.37	2.35
2,019	7	Sweden	7.35	7.42	7.28	1.32	1.43	0.99	0.65	0.27	0.44	2.25
2,019	8	New Zealand	7.30	7.38	7.22	1.24	1.49	1.01	0.65	0.33	0.46	2.13
2,019	9	Austria	7.29	7.36	7.23	1.32	1.44	1.00	0.60	0.26	0.28	2.40
2,019	10	Luxembourg	7.24	7.30	7.18	1.54	1.39	0.99	0.61	0.20	0.37	2.15
2,019	11	Canada	7.23	7.31	7.15	1.30	1.44	1.02	0.64	0.28	0.35	2.20
2,019	12	Australia	7.22	7.30	7.14	1.31	1.48	1.02	0.62	0.32	0.34	2.13
2,019	13	United Kingdom	7.16	7.24	7.09	1.27	1.46	0.98	0.53	0.37	0.32	2.24
2,019	14	Israel	7.13	7.21	7.05	1.22	1.40	1.01	0.42	0.27	0.10	2.71
2,019	15	Costa Rica	7.12	7.21	7.03	0.98	1.37	0.94	0.65	0.13	0.10	2.95
2,019	16	Ireland	7.09	7.17	7.02	1.45	1.47	0.98	0.59	0.30	0.37	1.94
2,019	17	Germany	7.08	7.15	7.01	1.31	1.37	0.97	0.56	0.25	0.31	2.30
2,019	18	United States	6.94	7.03	6.85	1.37	1.40	0.83	0.53	0.30	0.15	2.34
2,019	19	Czechia	6.91	6.99	6.83	1.21	1.41	0.89	0.51	0.05	0.05	2.80
2,019	20	Belgium	6.86	6.93	6.80	1.30	1.40	0.96	0.50	0.15	0.21	2.35
2,019	21	United Arab Emirates	6.79	6.87	6.71	1.43	1.25	0.79	0.65	0.28	0.22	2.17
2,019	22	Malta	6.77	6.86	6.69	1.25	1.44	0.97	0.63	0.34	0.18	1.95
2,019	23	France	6.66	6.74	6.59	1.27	1.46	1.03	0.51	0.11	0.23	2.05
2,019	24	Mexico	6.47	6.56	6.37	1.02	1.23	0.83	0.55	0.08	0.08	2.66
2,019	25	Taiwan Province of China	6.46	6.53	6.38	1.33	1.36	0.88	0.45	0.15	0.13	2.16
2,019	26	Uruguay	6.44	6.53	6.35	1.07	1.43	0.86	0.59	0.13	0.19	2.17
2,019	27	Saudi Arabia	6.41	6.52	6.30	1.33	1.31	0.76	0.55	0.09	0.16	2.20
2,019	28	Spain	6.40	6.48	6.32	1.23	1.42	1.05	0.43	0.17	0.11	2.00
2,019	29	Guatemala	6.40	6.51	6.28	0.75	1.17	0.71	0.61	0.17	0.10	2.88
2,019	30	Italy	6.39	6.47	6.30	1.24	1.35	1.02	0.32	0.17	0.04	2.25
2,019	31	Singapore	6.38	6.44	6.31	1.52	1.40	1.14	0.64	0.22	0.53	0.94
2,019	32	Brazil	6.38	6.46	6.30	0.95	1.36	0.77	0.48	0.13	0.11	2.57
2,019	33	Slovenia	6.36	6.45	6.28	1.21	1.46	0.93	0.65	0.15	0.08	1.89
2,019	34	El Salvador	6.35	6.46	6.23	0.75	1.15	0.75	0.52	0.12	0.12	2.94
2,019	35	Kosovo	6.33	6.43	6.22	0.84	1.18	0.67	0.56	0.33	0.01	2.74
2,019	36	Panama	6.30	6.42	6.19	1.10	1.38	0.88	0.58	0.10	0.05	2.22
2,019	37	Slovakia	6.28	6.36	6.20	1.19	1.42	0.85	0.42	0.12	0.01	2.26
2,019	38	Uzbekistan	6.26	6.36	6.15	0.70	1.43	0.72	0.69	0.36	0.28	2.07
2,019	39	Chile	6.23	6.32	6.14	1.10	1.32	0.89	0.42	0.16	0.06	2.28
2,019	40	Bahrain	6.23	6.39	6.07	1.30	1.32	0.84	0.61	0.29	0.13	1.75
2,019	41	Lithuania	6.22	6.30	6.13	1.19	1.43	0.80	0.42	0.05	0.08	2.24
2,019	42	Trinidad and Tobago	6.19	6.42	5.97	1.17	1.41	0.66	0.55	0.20	0.02	2.19
2,019	43	Poland	6.19	6.26	6.12	1.17	1.31	0.87	0.56	0.06	0.16	2.06
2,019	44	Colombia	6.16	6.27	6.05	0.93	1.33	0.81	0.53	0.09	0.05	2.42
2,019	45	Cyprus	6.16	6.26	6.06	1.21	1.15	1.03	0.46	0.23	0.05	2.03
2,019	46	Nicaragua	6.14	6.26	6.01	0.62	1.27	0.80	0.56	0.21	0.17	2.50
2,019	47	Romania	6.12	6.22	6.03	1.12	1.19	0.79	0.53	0.07	0.00	2.41
2,019	48	Kuwait	6.10	6.21	6.00	1.42	1.24	0.78	0.57	0.13	0.11	1.84
2,019	49	Mauritius	6.10	6.21	5.99	1.07	1.40	0.76	0.59	0.19	0.08	2.01
2,019	50	Kazakhstan	6.06	6.14	5.97	1.12	1.45	0.70	0.50	0.15	0.11	2.02
2,019	51	Estonia	6.02	6.09	5.95	1.19	1.45	0.84	0.58	0.13	0.20	1.63
2,019	52	Philippines	6.01	6.10	5.91	0.78	1.25	0.60	0.62	0.13	0.13	2.50
2,019	53	Hungary	6.00	6.08	5.92	1.16	1.42	0.81	0.39	0.07	0.03	2.12
2,019	54	Thailand	6.00	6.08	5.92	1.01	1.35	0.79	0.61	0.38	0.03	1.83
2,019	55	Argentina	5.97	6.08	5.87	1.03	1.37	0.85	0.52	0.07	0.06	2.07
2,019	56	Honduras	5.95	6.08	5.82	0.60	1.19	0.79	0.57	0.26	0.09	2.46
2,019	57	Latvia	5.95	6.02	5.88	1.14	1.41	0.78	0.33	0.08	0.09	2.12
2,019	58	Ecuador	5.93	6.03	5.82	0.85	1.22	0.84	0.56	0.12	0.09	2.25
2,019	59	Portugal	5.91	6.02	5.81	1.17	1.34	0.98	0.59	0.05	0.03	1.75
2,019	60	Jamaica	5.89	6.13	5.65	0.78	1.41	0.79	0.55	0.12	0.03	2.21
2,019	61	Republic of Korea	5.87	5.96	5.79	1.25	1.13	1.02	0.26	0.17	0.09	1.95
2,019	62	Japan	5.87	5.95	5.79	1.27	1.33	1.07	0.50	0.04	0.18	1.49
2,019	63	Peru	5.80	5.92	5.68	0.92	1.21	0.82	0.51	0.09	0.03	2.21
2,019	64	Serbia	5.78	5.88	5.68	0.99	1.33	0.83	0.40	0.15	0.06	2.03
2,019	65	Bolivia	5.75	5.85	5.65	0.73	1.14	0.66	0.57	0.14	0.07	2.43
2,019	66	Pakistan	5.69	5.79	5.60	0.62	0.87	0.47	0.41	0.23	0.12	2.98
2,019	67	Paraguay	5.69	5.79	5.59	0.90	1.37	0.74	0.59	0.20	0.07	1.83
2,019	68	Dominican Republic	5.69	5.83	5.55	0.98	1.33	0.74	0.56	0.11	0.12	1.84
2,019	69	Bosnia and Herzegovina	5.67	5.77	5.58	0.92	1.20	0.81	0.31	0.26	0.00	2.17
2,019	70	Republic of Moldova	5.61	5.69	5.52	0.71	1.24	0.71	0.39	0.17	0.01	2.37
2,019	71	Tajikistan	5.56	5.62	5.49	0.47	1.22	0.68	0.52	0.18	0.22	2.26
2,019	72	Montenegro	5.55	5.64	5.45	1.01	1.27	0.84	0.30	0.15	0.10	1.88
2,019	73	Russian Federation	5.55	5.62	5.47	1.13	1.38	0.68	0.40	0.10	0.05	1.82
2,019	74	Kyrgyzstan	5.54	5.63	5.46	0.51	1.34	0.68	0.61	0.30	0.03	2.06
2,019	75	Belarus	5.54	5.61	5.47	1.02	1.39	0.75	0.29	0.09	0.19	1.81
2,019	76	North Cyprus	5.54	5.64	5.44	1.21	1.18	1.03	0.48	0.20	0.20	1.24
2,019	77	Greece	5.51	5.61	5.42	1.13	1.17	0.98	0.17	0.00	0.05	2.02
2,019	78	Hong Kong SAR of China	5.51	5.60	5.42	1.38	1.24	1.14	0.46	0.29	0.33	0.67
2,019	79	Croatia	5.50	5.58	5.43	1.11	1.31	0.90	0.38	0.11	0.01	1.68
2,019	80	Libya	5.49	5.61	5.37	1.02	1.20	0.62	0.45	0.14	0.17	1.89
2,019	81	Mongolia	5.46	5.54	5.38	0.90	1.46	0.62	0.36	0.26	0.05	1.81
2,019	82	Malaysia	5.38	5.48	5.29	1.17	1.17	0.79	0.60	0.27	0.06	1.32
2,019	83	Viet Nam	5.35	5.42	5.29	0.72	1.25	0.82	0.65	0.14	0.09	1.69
2,019	84	Indonesia	5.29	5.38	5.19	0.89	1.15	0.61	0.57	0.54	0.04	1.48
2,019	85	Côte d’Ivoire	5.23	5.38	5.09	0.54	0.80	0.15	0.40	0.17	0.09	3.08
2,019	86	Benin	5.22	5.37	5.06	0.37	0.35	0.33	0.41	0.20	0.13	3.44
2,019	87	Maldives	5.20	5.34	5.06	0.94	1.40	0.91	0.55	0.22	0.07	1.10
2,019	88	Congo	5.19	5.35	5.04	0.63	0.76	0.46	0.39	0.12	0.12	2.72
2,019	89	Azerbaijan	5.16	5.23	5.10	0.99	1.18	0.73	0.47	0.04	0.25	1.51
2,019	90	Macedonia	5.16	5.25	5.07	0.94	1.18	0.80	0.41	0.19	0.02	1.62
2,019	91	Ghana	5.15	5.26	5.03	0.58	0.97	0.43	0.48	0.26	0.06	2.38
2,019	92	Nepal	5.14	5.25	5.02	0.44	1.10	0.67	0.48	0.30	0.13	2.01
2,019	93	Türkiye	5.13	5.21	5.05	1.13	1.20	0.78	0.25	0.09	0.12	1.56
2,019	94	China	5.12	5.17	5.07	0.99	1.13	0.87	0.60	0.08	0.12	1.34
2,019	95	Turkmenistan	5.12	5.18	5.06	1.01	1.51	0.61	0.52	0.32	0.03	1.12
2,019	96	Bulgaria	5.10	5.19	5.01	1.05	1.46	0.78	0.42	0.10	0.00	1.29
2,019	97	Morocco	5.09	5.20	4.99	0.76	0.65	0.75	0.45	0.04	0.08	2.38
2,019	98	Cameroon	5.08	5.22	4.95	0.50	0.90	0.27	0.44	0.20	0.05	2.72
2,019	99	Venezuela	5.05	5.18	4.93	0.77	1.35	0.77	0.27	0.09	0.06	1.74
2,019	100	Algeria	5.01	5.09	4.92	0.94	1.14	0.75	0.08	0.12	0.13	1.84
2,019	101	Senegal	4.98	5.08	4.88	0.50	0.95	0.52	0.35	0.16	0.08	2.41
2,019	102	Guinea	4.95	5.09	4.81	0.39	0.75	0.33	0.37	0.25	0.11	2.74
2,019	103	Niger	4.91	5.06	4.76	0.11	0.70	0.30	0.44	0.21	0.14	3.02
2,019	104	Lao PDR	4.89	4.97	4.81	0.71	0.99	0.49	0.61	0.27	0.19	1.62
2,019	105	Albania	4.88	4.99	4.77	0.91	0.83	0.85	0.46	0.17	0.03	1.64
2,019	106	Cambodia	4.85	4.96	4.73	0.54	1.07	0.59	0.67	0.23	0.07	1.66
2,019	107	Bangladesh	4.83	4.91	4.75	0.56	0.87	0.69	0.60	0.18	0.18	1.76
2,019	108	Gabon	4.83	4.95	4.71	0.99	1.11	0.52	0.37	0.05	0.06	1.74
2,019	109	South Africa	4.81	4.93	4.70	0.90	1.26	0.41	0.43	0.13	0.06	1.63
2,019	110	Iraq	4.78	4.94	4.63	0.98	1.01	0.53	0.28	0.15	0.07	1.75
2,019	111	Lebanon	4.77	4.86	4.69	0.89	1.19	0.79	0.19	0.16	0.02	1.54
2,019	112	Burkina Faso	4.77	4.89	4.65	0.30	0.93	0.31	0.32	0.19	0.13	2.59
2,019	113	Gambia	4.75	4.88	4.62	0.26	0.88	0.35	0.40	0.43	0.16	2.27
2,019	114	Mali	4.73	4.86	4.60	0.35	0.97	0.23	0.38	0.17	0.06	2.56
2,019	115	Nigeria	4.72	4.83	4.62	0.65	0.99	0.17	0.44	0.22	0.05	2.22
2,019	116	Armenia	4.68	4.79	4.56	0.81	1.03	0.78	0.38	0.11	0.10	1.47
2,019	117	Georgia	4.67	4.76	4.59	0.85	0.73	0.69	0.49	0.05	0.17	1.69
2,019	118	Iran	4.67	4.78	4.56	1.03	0.89	0.75	0.30	0.28	0.14	1.29
2,019	119	Jordan	4.63	4.75	4.52	0.79	1.14	0.78	0.42	0.09	0.15	1.26
2,019	120	Mozambique	4.62	4.78	4.47	0.18	0.96	0.32	0.56	0.22	0.16	2.22
2,019	121	Kenya	4.58	4.72	4.45	0.48	0.91	0.54	0.52	0.39	0.07	1.68
2,019	122	Namibia	4.57	4.69	4.45	0.84	1.25	0.41	0.44	0.08	0.05	1.50
2,019	123	Ukraine	4.56	4.66	4.46	0.78	1.32	0.70	0.32	0.18	0.01	1.25
2,019	124	Liberia	4.56	4.72	4.40	0.17	0.92	0.39	0.41	0.23	0.05	2.39
2,019	125	State of Palestine	4.55	4.66	4.44	0.59	1.19	0.61	0.30	0.09	0.07	1.69
2,019	126	Uganda	4.43	4.57	4.30	0.31	1.05	0.38	0.40	0.26	0.06	1.96
2,019	127	Chad	4.42	4.57	4.28	0.30	0.74	0.11	0.23	0.21	0.09	2.75
2,019	128	Tunisia	4.39	4.49	4.29	0.87	0.87	0.78	0.24	0.06	0.04	1.53
2,019	129	Mauritania	4.37	4.48	4.27	0.54	1.11	0.43	0.19	0.13	0.12	1.86
2,019	130	Sri Lanka	4.33	4.43	4.22	0.90	1.19	0.79	0.53	0.25	0.05	0.61
2,019	131	DR Congo	4.31	4.52	4.10	0.06	0.83	0.28	0.36	0.25	0.08	2.44
2,019	132	Swaziland	4.31	4.45	4.17	0.83	1.06	0.22	0.30	0.07	0.15	1.69
2,019	133	Myanmar	4.31	4.39	4.22	0.68	1.10	0.50	0.60	0.57	0.19	0.68
2,019	134	Comoros	4.29	4.45	4.12	0.42	0.72	0.44	0.18	0.26	0.10	2.17
2,019	135	Togo	4.19	4.31	4.06	0.27	0.55	0.34	0.30	0.20	0.11	2.41
2,019	136	Ethiopia	4.19	4.26	4.11	0.32	1.00	0.48	0.41	0.23	0.12	1.63
2,019	137	Madagascar	4.17	4.28	4.05	0.24	0.82	0.50	0.19	0.19	0.08	2.14
2,019	138	Egypt	4.15	4.22	4.08	0.88	0.98	0.60	0.37	0.07	0.10	1.16
2,019	139	Sierra Leone	3.93	4.05	3.81	0.24	0.75	0.20	0.38	0.26	0.05	2.05
2,019	140	Burundi	3.78	3.99	3.57	0.00	0.40	0.30	0.28	0.19	0.21	2.40
2,019	141	Zambia	3.76	3.88	3.64	0.54	0.90	0.36	0.49	0.25	0.09	1.13
2,019	142	Haiti	3.72	3.92	3.52	0.28	0.65	0.37	0.17	0.46	0.16	1.62
2,019	143	Lesotho	3.65	3.81	3.49	0.45	1.09	0.10	0.41	0.10	0.05	1.45
2,019	144	India	3.57	3.63	3.52	0.73	0.64	0.54	0.58	0.24	0.11	0.73
2,019	145	Malawi	3.54	3.68	3.40	0.18	0.53	0.45	0.49	0.21	0.13	1.55
2,019	146	Yemen	3.53	3.63	3.42	0.39	1.18	0.42	0.24	0.09	0.09	1.12
2,019	147	Botswana	3.48	3.60	3.36	1.00	1.09	0.49	0.51	0.03	0.10	0.26
2,019	148	Tanzania	3.48	3.60	3.35	0.46	0.87	0.44	0.51	0.27	0.20	0.72
2,019	149	Central African Republic	3.48	3.70	3.25	0.04	0.00	0.00	0.29	0.25	0.03	2.86
2,019	150	Rwanda	3.31	3.42	3.21	0.34	0.52	0.57	0.60	0.24	0.49	0.55
2,019	151	Zimbabwe	3.30	3.41	3.18	0.43	1.05	0.38	0.38	0.15	0.08	0.84
2,019	152	South Sudan	2.82	3.03	2.61	0.29	0.55	0.21	0.07	0.21	0.11	1.38
2,019	153	Afghanistan	2.57	2.63	2.51	0.30	0.36	0.27	0.00	0.14	0.00	1.51

Rank – Country rank by happiness.
Country – Country Name.
Ladder score – The main happiness measure, based on the Cantril ladder where people rate their life on a scale from 0 (worst possible life) to 10 (best possible life).
Upperwhisker – The upper bound of the confidence interval for the Ladder score, representing a higher possible estimate.
Lowerwhisker – The lower bound of the confidence interval for the Ladder score, representing a lower possible estimate.
Explained by: Log GDP per capita – The part of the Ladder score that can be attributed to economic wealth.
Explained by: Social support – The part of the Ladder score explained by the presence of supportive relationships.
Explained by: Healthy life expectancy – The part of the Ladder score due to health and longevity.
Explained by: Freedom to make life choices – The portion of happiness attributed to perceived freedom and autonomy.
Explained by: Generosity – The part of happiness that is explained by acts of generosity.
Explained by: Perceptions of corruption – The effect of trust and corruption perceptions on overall happiness.
Dystopia + residual – A measure capturing everything unexplained by the above factors, ensuring all countries’ ladder scores add up correctly.

Source	https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2025/#appendices-and-data
Geo	Global
Entries	153
Columns	12
Date Sourced	2025
Last Updated	Mar 22, 2025

Insights

Use Cases

Finland maintained its position as the world's happiest country for the third consecutive year, with a score of 7.809. Denmark and Switzerland followed closely, reflecting the consistent high rankings of Nordic countries. These nations were characterized by resilient public services, transparent communication, and high levels of mutual trust—all of which contributed to their citizens reporting higher life satisfaction.

Conversely, Afghanistan remained at the bottom of the list, with a score of 2.567, highlighting ongoing challenges in the region. Other countries in the bottom 10 included Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Botswana.

The report noted that countries with strong social support systems, high levels of trust in government, and low levels of corruption tended to rank higher in subjective well-being. Importantly, the 2020 report also introduced a ranking of cities around the world by their subjective well-being, with Helsinki, Finland, topping the list.

Access the full report here: World Happiness Report 2020.

Top 10 Happiest Countries in 2020:

Finland – 7.84
Denmark – 7.65
Switzerland – 7.56
Iceland – 7.50
Norway – 7.49
Netherlands – 7.45
Sweden – 7.35
New Zealand – 7.30
Austria – 7.29
Luxembourg – 7.24

Bottom 10 Happiest Countries in 2020:

Afghanistan – 2.57
South Sudan – 2.82
Zimbabwe - 3.30
Rwanda - 3.31
Botswana - 3.48
Tanzania - 3.48
Central African Republic - 3.48
Yemen - 3.53
Malawi - 3.54
India – 3.57

Education & Research

Curriculum Development: Integrate findings into courses on sociology, psychology, and public health to discuss the impact of social connections on well-being.
Further Research: Investigate the causal relationships between communal activities and happiness levels across different cultures.

Policy Making

Community Programs: Develop initiatives that encourage communal dining and social gatherings to strengthen community bonds.
Mental Health Services: Address the rising trend of social isolation, especially among youth, by providing accessible mental health resources.

Media & Journalism

Public Awareness: Highlight stories that showcase acts of kindness and community support to foster a more optimistic societal outlook.
Data Visualisation: Create infographics and interactive content to present the report's findings in an engaging manner.

General Public

Community Engagement: Participate in local events, volunteer opportunities, and communal meals to enhance personal well-being.
Foster Trust: Recognise and appreciate acts of kindness in daily life, contributing to a more trusting and connected community.

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