World's Happiest Countries 2024: Finland Retains Top Spot; Where Does India Stand

New Delhi: For the seventh year in a row, Finland has retained its title as the world's happiest country, the annual UN-sponsored World Happiness Report released on Wednesday showed. This consistent ranking underscores Finland's success in prioritising factors such as social support, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and overall life satisfaction among its citizens.

The Nordic nations yet again have maintained their stronghold at the top of the rankings in the World Happiness Report, with Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden closely trailing behind Finland. Afghanistan, on the other hand, continues to be at the bottom of the list of 143 countries surveyed. The ongoing humanitarian crises in the country, following the Taliban's resurgence to power in 2020, have contributed to its persistently low ranking.    

Top 10 happiest countries in the world | Full list

1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Israel
5. Netherlands
6. Sweden
7. Norway
8. Switzerland
9. Luxembourg
10. New Zealand

Where does India stand?

In the report, India ranked 126, the same as last year. The decline in India's ranking was largely attributed to the worsening mental health crisis aggravated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This indicates a significant challenge for the country, as mental health issues can have far-reaching consequences on individuals and society as a whole.