The World Happiness Report 2025 was published recently by the Wellbeing Research Center at Oxford University in collaboration with Gallup, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UNSDSN), on March 20, which is known as World Happiness Day. The rankings are dependent on people's self-assessed life evaluations. Finland has become the world's Happiest country for the eighth consecutive year, followed by other Nordic Countries - Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. At the same time, India lags in the World Happiness Report 2025. Top-ranked nations maintained their highest position by highlighting their nations' quality of life and strong social support systems. The World Happiness Report 2025 topic is essential for the aspirant UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) exam. It falls under General Studies Paper III, which covers topics like Economic Development, Sustainable Growth, Science & Technology, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management. 

This topic is related to the General Studies Paper II, which covers Current Affairs and Events, Important International Institutions, Governance, Constitutions, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations, etc. Boost your UPSC preparation by joining UPSC CSE Coaching today.

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What is the World Happiness Report?

The World Happiness Report 2025 is a global study evaluating happiness levels across countries based on economic and social factors. Issued by the Well-being Research Centre at the University of Oxford in collaboration with Gallup and the UNSDSN (United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network), the report assesses happiness rankings based on key indicators such as GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption perception. First issued in 2012, It strives to measure people's general happiness worldwide and emphasize areas where advancements are required. The rankings enable policymakers to consider societal well-being and execute methods to enhance citizens' grade of life.

The World Happiness Report 2025

The World Happiness Report is a publication comprising rankings and articles on national happiness, focused on respondent ratings of their ongoing lives, which also correlates with various life factors. It was published on World Happiness Day, March 20, 2025, preserves its custom of ranking global happiness dependent on self-reported life evaluations. The World Happiness Report 2025 was published by the University of Oxford in collaboration with Gallup and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solution Network and focused on "caring and sharing." 

As per the survey, Finland topped the list with rank one; other Nordic countries ranked Denmark (2), Iceland (3), and Sweden (4). Ranks of the neighboring countries of India are Pakistan (109), Sri Lanka (133), and Bangladesh (134). India ranked 118th out of 147 countries on the World Happiness Report 2025 happiness index, while Pakistan, the neighboring country, ranked 109th on the index report. Despite facing crucial economic and social challenges, a higher ranking in Pakistan defines a stronger sense of social support in the nation among its people.

Unhappiest Country in the World

Afghanistan persists to be the unhappiest country in the world, with a happiness score of 1.4. Constant friction, political fluctuation, and limitations on freedom have contributed to its inferior ranking. Despite global efforts to enhance circumstances, the nation still struggles with extreme financial and humanitarian emergencies.

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The World Happiness Report is a magazine that includes articles and rankings of national happiness founded on respondents' ratings of their own lives, which the report also associates with quality of life. The Wellbeing Research Centre has published the report at the University of Oxford in partnership with Gallup since 2024, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and an autonomous editorial committee. The editorial committee consists of the three founding editors, Richard Layard, John F. Helliwell, and Jeffrey D. Sachs, along with Lara Aknin, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, and Shun Wang.

India has demonstrated steady progress over the last five years. In the World Happiness Report 2025, India is ranked 118th out of 147 countries, rising from 126th in 2023. The progress is attributed to:

• Advanced GDP per capita (ranked 93rd, up from 97th in 2022).
• More increased personal freedom (ranked 23rd, best in five years).
• Deflated corruption perception (ranked 56th, improving from 71st in 2022).
• Regardless, India still lags behind Pakistan (109th) and Nepal (92nd) due to lower social support and higher economic inequality.
• Economic inequality can impact the feeling of security of the people of a nation like India. The country has seen strong economic development, but capital imbalance is a crucial problem.
• India often faces challenges in social mounting methods necessary for a nation's well-being. A. Shortage of social faith in organizations and more vulnerable social security nets can lead to inferior life longing.
• Some essential elements, like congested living conditions, air pollution, and inadequate access to schooling and health care, can affect the general life grade in India, reducing nationwide satisfaction.
• The necessary level of space, or personal space, to make individual life options like lifestyle, occupation, etc, is a robust needle of happiness. Many Indians may feel self-conscious due to financial constraints and societal benchmarks. 
• Cognitive fitness matters, including stress and tension, are daily in India. Numerous social stigmas about cognitive fitness usually control people from pursuing necessary therapy and help.

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Methodology of the World Happiness Report 2025

The World Happiness Report 2025 highlights the importance of economic stability, social trust, and personal freedom in determining national happiness levels. While Nordic countries continue to dominate the rankings, notable shifts have occurred in Latin America and Asia. India’s gradual improvement in the rankings is a positive sign, but challenges such as economic disparity and low social support still need to be addressed. In the survey, participants were asked to rank their happiness on a ranking of 1 to 10, with 10 indicating the highest possible happiness.

In the reports, professionals in domains including psychology, economics, survey analysis, and national statistics relate how well-being measures can be used to evaluate the improvement of countries and other issues. Each report is organized with chapters that delve more in-depth into subjects connecting to happiness, including cognitive illness, the factual benefits of joy, the significance of ethics, guideline implications, and connections with the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's) technique to estimating personal well-being and other global and national actions.

• The happiness score is based on six key factors: social support, GDP per capita, freedom, healthy life expectancy, perception of corruption, and generosity.
• A three-year average of life evaluations of people of a nation determines the rankings.
• Happiness ranked based on trust, shared meals, communal kindness, and social connections. These factors significantly affect overall happiness, often more significant than wealth.

An Overview of World Happiness Report 2024

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Download the World Happiness Report 2025 Key Takeaways PDF

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