World Happiness Report: Well-being among young people in Western Europe is decreasing
20.3.2024
The World Happiness Report 2024 not only provides the annual happiness ranking between countries but also gives a comprehensive picture of happiness across generations.
Finland tops the overall list for the seventh successive year. Switzerland dropped from 8th to 9th. The biggest climbers are Serbia (37th, up 69 places) and Bulgaria (81st, up 63 places).
Here are some key takeaways from the new report, also relevant for policy-making:
- People with higher well-being are less likely to develop #dementia. By the way, according to Alzheimer Schweiz Suisse Svizzera, the cost of dementia in Switzerland was 11,8 billion CHF in 2017.
- People are happier living in countries where the equality of happiness is greater. Or, as the great Swiss singer-songwriter Mani Matter sang already more than 50 years ago: "Those who are well off would be better off if those who are less well off were better off"
- In the ranking, Germany (24) and the United States (23) have dropped out of the top twenties. In both countries, the well-being of young people is noticeably lower than that of older people. Generally, the well-being of 15- to 24-year-olds has fallen in North America and Western Europe. This is particularly worrying as the best predictor for adult life satisfaction is subjective well-being and emotional health during childhood.
- The country ranking by age group differs widely from the overall ranking. Children and young people under 30 are happiest in Lithuania. Denmark is the world’s happiest nation for those 60 and older.
The World Happiness Report is a partnership of Gallup, the University of Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the WHR’s Editorial Board.
Read the full report
Finland tops the overall list for the seventh successive year. Switzerland dropped from 8th to 9th. The biggest climbers are Serbia (37th, up 69 places) and Bulgaria (81st, up 63 places).
Here are some key takeaways from the new report, also relevant for policy-making:
- People with higher well-being are less likely to develop #dementia. By the way, according to Alzheimer Schweiz Suisse Svizzera, the cost of dementia in Switzerland was 11,8 billion CHF in 2017.
- People are happier living in countries where the equality of happiness is greater. Or, as the great Swiss singer-songwriter Mani Matter sang already more than 50 years ago: "Those who are well off would be better off if those who are less well off were better off"
- In the ranking, Germany (24) and the United States (23) have dropped out of the top twenties. In both countries, the well-being of young people is noticeably lower than that of older people. Generally, the well-being of 15- to 24-year-olds has fallen in North America and Western Europe. This is particularly worrying as the best predictor for adult life satisfaction is subjective well-being and emotional health during childhood.
- The country ranking by age group differs widely from the overall ranking. Children and young people under 30 are happiest in Lithuania. Denmark is the world’s happiest nation for those 60 and older.
Read the full report