The US drops out of list of 20 happiest countries in the world for the first time ever

2024's World Happiness Report is out and Americans are apparently not as happy as they used to be.

For those unaware, the yearly reports details the 20 happiest countries on the planet.

Compiled by using data from more than 140 countries, the intriguing report is published annually by Gallup, the United Nations, and the University of Oxford.

And folks living in Finland are seemingly pretty content, as the country has been named the happiest country for the seventh consecutive year.

But for the first time since the index began in 2012, the US has been ranked outside the top 20.

For the first time, this year's World Happiness Report offered data based on age, which showed a worrying difference between the happiness of young people to the older generation.

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Things seem particularly difficult for young Americans right now, as happiness levels in that generation have fallen rapidly since 2010.

What are the top 20 happiest countries?

The top 20 list is certainly dominated by European nations, with the likes of Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and Norway all retaining their spots in the top ten.

The US sat in 15th place in the 2023 World Happiness report, dropping seven places to 22nd in 2024.

Explaining how Israel came to be included in the top 20, the authors of the report said the survey took place 'after the hostage taking but before much of the subsequent warfare' between Israel and Hamas.

The 20 happiest countries right now are:

1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Sweden
5. Israel
6. Netherlands
7. Norway
8. Luxembourg
9. Switzerland
10. Australia
11. New Zealand
12. Costa Rica
13. Kuwait
14. Austria
15. Canada
16. Belgium
17. Ireland
18. Czechia
19. Lithuania
20. United Kingdom

Lithuania is the only new addition to the top ten, while the likes of Serbia and Bulgaria - despite not being in the top 20 - have seen massive rises up the leaderboard this year.

IM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

What are the 10 least happy countries?

As for the least unhappy nations, Afghanistan remains at the bottom. Here are the ten least happy nations:

1. Afghanistan
2. Lebanon
3. Lesotho
4. Sierra Leone
5. Congo (Kinshasa)
6. Zimbabwe
7. Botswana
8. Malawi
9. Eswatini
10. Zambia

Young people are less happy worldwide

But I think the most important stats from the new report comes down to the happiness of young people.

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The new data suggests that the mental wellbeing of 15-to 24-year-olds has fallen in North America, Western Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.

Emmanuel De Neve, an economist at the University of Oxford and an editor the report, said: "Once again the World Happiness Report uncovers some special empirical insights at the cutting edge of the wellbeing research frontier.

"Piecing together the available data on the wellbeing of children and adolescents around the world, we documented disconcerting drops especially in North America and Western Europe.

"To think that, in some parts of the world, children are already experiencing the equivalent of a mid-life crisis demands immediate policy action."