World Happiness Report - 2017

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World Happiness Report - 2017

The World Happiness Report 2017, released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network in collaboration with Gallup, provides a comprehensive assessment of global well-being. This edition emphasizes the importance of social foundations—such as trust, generosity, and social support—in supporting happiness. The report continues to assess happiness based on factors including GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.

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Year	Rank	Country	Ladder score (Happiness)
2,018	1	Finland	7.77
2,018	2	Denmark	7.60
2,018	3	Norway	7.55
2,018	4	Iceland	7.49
2,018	5	Netherlands	7.49
2,018	6	Switzerland	7.48
2,018	7	Sweden	7.34
2,018	8	New Zealand	7.31
2,018	9	Canada	7.28
2,018	10	Austria	7.25
2,018	11	Australia	7.23
2,018	12	Costa Rica	7.17
2,018	13	Israel	7.14
2,018	14	Luxembourg	7.09
2,018	15	United Kingdom	7.05
2,018	16	Ireland	7.02
2,018	17	Germany	6.99
2,018	18	Belgium	6.92
2,018	19	United States	6.89
2,018	20	Czechia	6.85
2,018	21	United Arab Emirates	6.83
2,018	22	Malta	6.73
2,018	23	Mexico	6.60
2,018	24	France	6.59
2,018	25	Taiwan Province of China	6.45
2,018	26	Chile	6.44
2,018	27	Guatemala	6.44
2,018	28	Saudi Arabia	6.38
2,018	29	Qatar	6.37
2,018	30	Spain	6.35
2,018	31	Panama	6.32
2,018	32	Brazil	6.30
2,018	33	Uruguay	6.29
2,018	34	Singapore	6.26
2,018	35	El Salvador	6.25
2,018	36	Italy	6.22
2,018	37	Bahrain	6.20
2,018	38	Slovakia	6.20
2,018	39	Trinidad and Tobago	6.19
2,018	40	Poland	6.18
2,018	41	Uzbekistan	6.17
2,018	42	Lithuania	6.15
2,018	43	Colombia	6.13
2,018	44	Slovenia	6.12
2,018	45	Nicaragua	6.11
2,018	46	Kosovo	6.10
2,018	47	Argentina	6.09
2,018	48	Romania	6.07
2,018	49	Cyprus	6.05
2,018	50	Ecuador	6.03
2,018	51	Kuwait	6.02
2,018	52	Thailand	6.01
2,018	53	Latvia	5.94
2,018	54	Republic of Korea	5.90
2,018	55	Estonia	5.89
2,018	56	Jamaica	5.89
2,018	57	Mauritius	5.89
2,018	58	Japan	5.89
2,018	59	Honduras	5.86
2,018	60	Kazakhstan	5.81
2,018	61	Bolivia	5.78
2,018	62	Hungary	5.76
2,018	63	Paraguay	5.74
2,018	64	North Cyprus	5.72
2,018	65	Peru	5.70
2,018	66	Portugal	5.69
2,018	67	Pakistan	5.65
2,018	68	Russian Federation	5.65
2,018	69	Philippines	5.63
2,018	70	Serbia	5.60
2,018	71	Republic of Moldova	5.53
2,018	72	Libya	5.53
2,018	73	Montenegro	5.52
2,018	74	Tajikistan	5.47
2,018	75	Croatia	5.43
2,018	76	Hong Kong SAR of China	5.43
2,018	77	Dominican Republic	5.43
2,018	78	Bosnia and Herzegovina	5.39
2,018	79	Türkiye	5.37
2,018	80	Malaysia	5.34
2,018	81	Belarus	5.32
2,018	82	Greece	5.29
2,018	83	Mongolia	5.29
2,018	84	North Macedonia	5.27
2,018	85	Nigeria	5.27
2,018	86	Kyrgyzstan	5.26
2,018	87	Turkmenistan	5.25
2,018	88	Algeria	5.21
2,018	89	Morocco	5.21
2,018	90	Azerbaijan	5.21
2,018	91	Lebanon	5.20
2,018	92	Indonesia	5.19
2,018	93	China	5.19
2,018	94	Viet Nam	5.18
2,018	95	Bhutan	5.08
2,018	96	Cameroon	5.04
2,018	97	Bulgaria	5.01
2,018	98	Ghana	5.00
2,018	99	Côte d’Ivoire	4.94
2,018	100	Nepal	4.91
2,018	101	Jordan	4.91
2,018	102	Benin	4.88
2,018	103	Congo	4.81
2,018	104	Gabon	4.80
2,018	105	Lao PDR	4.80
2,018	106	South Africa	4.72
2,018	107	Albania	4.72
2,018	108	Venezuela	4.71
2,018	109	Cambodia	4.70
2,018	110	State of Palestine	4.70
2,018	111	Senegal	4.68
2,018	112	Somalia	4.67
2,018	113	Namibia	4.64
2,018	114	Niger	4.63
2,018	115	Burkina Faso	4.59
2,018	116	Armenia	4.56
2,018	117	Iran	4.55
2,018	118	Guinea	4.53
2,018	119	Georgia	4.52
2,018	120	Gambia	4.52
2,018	120	Sri Lanka	4.37
2,018	121	Kenya	4.51
2,018	122	Mauritania	4.49
2,018	123	Mozambique	4.47
2,018	124	Tunisia	4.46
2,018	125	Bangladesh	4.46
2,018	126	Iraq	4.44
2,018	127	DR Congo	4.42
2,018	128	Mali	4.39
2,018	129	Sierra Leone	4.37
2,018	131	Myanmar	4.36
2,018	132	Chad	4.35
2,018	133	Ukraine	4.33
2,018	134	Ethiopia	4.29
2,018	135	Swaziland	4.21
2,018	136	Uganda	4.19
2,018	137	Egypt	4.17
2,018	138	Zambia	4.11
2,018	139	Togo	4.09
2,018	140	India	4.02
2,018	141	Liberia	3.98
2,018	142	Comoros	3.97
2,018	143	Madagascar	3.93
2,018	144	Lesotho	3.80
2,018	145	Burundi	3.78
2,018	146	Zimbabwe	3.66
2,018	147	Haiti	3.60
2,018	148	Botswana	3.49
2,018	149	Syria	3.46
2,018	150	Malawi	3.41
2,018	151	Yemen	3.38
2,018	152	Rwanda	3.33
2,018	153	Tanzania	3.23
2,018	154	Afghanistan	3.20
2,018	155	Central African Republic	3.08
2,018	156	South Sudan	2.85

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).

Source	https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2025/#appendices-and-data
Geo	Global
Entries	156
Columns	3
Date Sourced	2025
Last Updated	Mar 22, 2025

Insights

Use Cases

Norway ascended to the top position in the 2017 rankings with a score of 7.537, reflecting its strong performance across all key indicators, including income, social support, and governance. The top ten countries are predominantly Nordic nations, highlighting the effectiveness of their social models in promoting well-being.

In contrast, the Central African Republic ranked lowest at 155th with a score of 2.693, underscoring the challenges faced by countries with low income, limited social support, and political instability.

Access the full report here: World Happiness Report 2017.

Top 10 Happiest Countries in 2017:

Norway - 7.54
Denmark – 7.52
Iceland - 7.50
Switzerland - 7.49
Finland - 7.47
Netherlands - 7.38
Canada - 7.32
New Zealand – 7.31
Australia - 7.28
Sweden - 7.28

Bottom 10 Happiest Countries in 2017:

Central African Republic - 2.69
Burundi - 2.91
Tanzania - 3.35
Syria - 3.46
Rwanda - 3.3.47
Togo - 3.50
Guinea - 3.51
Liberia - 3.53
South Sudan - 3.59
Yemen - 3.59

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.

World Happiness Report - 2017

Education & Research

Policy Making

Media & Journalism

General Public

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