Key insights: Top happiest countries in 2025: Finland retains its title as the world's happiest country, with Nordic countries dominating the top spots. The UK and the United States barely make the top 25, while France drops to 33rd. Generosity and happiness: The happiest countries are also among the most generous.
It came ahead of three other Nordic countries in this year's UN-sponsored World Happiness Report, while Latin America's Costa Rica and Mexico entered the top 10 for the first time. Both the UK and the US slipped down the list to 23rd and 24th respectively - the lowest-ever position for the latter.
(Note) The data was extracted from Cabinet Office (2010 and 2011). Some answer choices are different in the 2010 survey and 2011 survey. In the World Values Survey, Japan's average score for happiness is at lower-middle level. Comparing with other developed countries, it is low.
KEY POINTS: The US is around 30% richer than the UK – that means the average American enjoys more of most goods and services than the average Brit. There are some exceptions: British people spend more on clothing and footwear and consume similar levels of recreation, culture and education.
The latest data covering October-December 2024 averaged a score of 7.4 out of 10 and for their overall life satisfaction, a score of 7.5 out of 10. Only 32% of people reported having very high levels of happiness (score 9 or 10), while 8.5% of people reported very low levels of happiness (score 0 to 4).
The United States fell to its lowest happiness ranking, partly due to more Americans eating meals alone. Finland remains the happiest country for eight years. Afghanistan is the unhappiest. Social factors like welfare systems and community connections impact happiness.
According to the 2025 World Happiness Report, Finland is the happiest country in the world for the eighth year in a row. It's followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and the Netherlands in the annual survey released on Thursday, March 20, 2025, that ranks countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be.
When comparing costs between the United States and the United Kingdom, consumers focus on housing, food, and utility expenses. Overall, the cost of living is 15.5% lower in the U.K. than it is in the U.S. However, local purchasing power is higher in the U.S., by 18.5%.
The economy of Japan is a highly developed mixed economy, often referred to as an East Asian model. According to the IMF forecast for 2025, it will be the fifth-largest economy in the world by nominal GDP as well as by purchasing power parity (PPP) by the end of the year.
Japanese people are often depicted as being shy or quiet, particularly when traveling abroad. Historically, being calm and quiet has been viewed as a virtue in Japan since the samurai period. Politeness is also a major part of Japanese culture.
But if China sits at number two, who's holding the crown in the wealth stakes? Surprise, surprise it's the Japanese, who head the list with the most HNWIs in Asia—and are second in the world only to the USA's wealthy horde. One in every 17 Japanese households, in fact, has over a million dollars in disposable assets.
Both the UK and US have beautiful landscapes. In the US, you can enjoy the sublime and varied natural beauty, including national parks, the Grand Canyon, the Rockies, and beaches in Hawaii, etc; meanwhile in the UK, you can appreciate more historical beauty, century-old castle, villages, mountains, etc.
Matthieu Ricard was a volunteer subject in a study performed at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on happiness, scoring significantly above the average of hundreds of volunteers.
Despite growing 1.9%, Japan's nominal 2023 gross domestic product in dollar terms was $4.2 trillion, government data showed, compared with $4.5 trillion for Germany, according to figures released there last month.
According to the annual statistical research on religion in 2015 by the Agency for Culture Affairs, Government of Japan, followers of Shintoism make up 70.4% of the total population, followers of Buddhism make up 69.8% of the population, followers of Christianity make up 1.5% of the population, and followers of other ...
What Does “First World” Mean? The modern definition of “first world” is used to classify countries that are highly industrialized and with advanced economies. First-world countries include the United States, Canada, Japan, and Western European countries.
The UK generally has lower rates of violent crime, especially gun-related incidents, compared to the U.S.. However, petty theft and property crime can be more noticeable in urban areas. Most expats find that with basic precautions, daily life feels safe and secure.
Like everyone, Barrett-Brown points out that a shared language makes it easier to move here than elsewhere, and notes that for most Americans, the cost of living is generally cheaper, especially given the recent exchange rates.
From 1812 to 1815, Britain was at war with the recently independent United States. The fighting took place along America's Canadian frontiers and Atlantic coastlines. Militarily, the conflict ended in stalemate, but it had a lasting impact on the communities of North America.
In 2025, while the U.S. slid to an all-time low of 24th out of all the world's nations in life satisfaction, Finland again reigned supreme. The nation has held the top spot for the past eight years running. Finns were happier during the peak COVID years, even, than Americans have ever been.
Ranking of the least happy countries worldwide 2024, by score. Afghanistan was ranked the least happy country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report from 2025. The country scored only 1.36 on a scale from 0 to 10.
They came 24th this year. In 2023 we came 19th, and in 2021 we were at 17. In 2020 we even nearly cracked the top ten, achieving our highest ever spot of 13th.
