The United States has hit a new low in the World Happiness Report’s annual ranking, dropping to No. 24, the worst position in the report’s 13-year history. Last year, the U.S. fell out of the top 20 for the first time, sliding from No. 15 to No. 23. The ranking, based on how residents across more than 140 countries rate their quality of life, highlights a troubling trend: a significant decline in well-being among young Americans.
“That gradual decline in well-being in the United States is, if you start digging into it, especially driven by people that are below 30,” says Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, a professor of economics at the University of Oxford and editor of the World Happiness Report. “Life satisfaction of young people in the U.S. has declined.”
If only Americans under 30 were assessed, the U.S. would not even rank in the top 60 happiest countries, the report finds. This demographic trend has played a major role in the country’s consistent drop in rankings.
The Growing Happiness Gap
The U.S.’s overall decline is largely explained by increasing inequality, especially in comparison to the Nordic nations that continue to dominate the rankings. Finland remains the world’s happiest country at No. 1, followed by Denmark (No. 2) and Iceland (No. 3).
“In these Nordic Scandinavian countries, a rising tide lifts all boats, so the levels of economic inequality are much less, and that reflects in well-being as well,” De Neve explains. “In Finland, most people will rate their happiness as a seven or an eight. But in the U.S., there are a lot of 10s and a lot of ones—a much wider gap.”
Loneliness and Declining Social Support
One of the key findings of this year’s report is the strength of social support and how much people trust others, both critical predictors of happiness. In 2023, nearly one in five young adults in the U.S. reported having no one they could count on for support.
Another indicator of rising social isolation is the 53% increase in people dining alone since 2003. This year’s report included data on shared meals across a week, which researchers found correlated with higher well-being.
“You see an extraordinary increase in dining alone over the past two decades in the U.S.,” says De Neve, noting how this deepens social mistrust. “People are increasingly on their own, isolated. Their political thinking, their theories around life and society, are no longer tested by others … In our echo chambers, we develop these notions that others are to be distrusted.”
Mistrust and Social Fragmentation
The researchers also tracked trust levels by asking participants whether they believed a lost wallet would be returned. Compared to Nordic countries, Americans were far more likely to assume it would not be.
“It requires that strangers are to be trusted, that they will go beyond the call of duty and be kind,” says De Neve. “That single item of the wallet drop is very powerful.”
The Future of Happiness in the U.S.
The continuous decline in the U.S.’s happiness ranking, particularly among young people, suggests a deepening crisis of social isolation, inequality, and mistrust. Experts stress the importance of social connections and community engagement in reversing this trend.
With the U.S. slipping further down the rankings, researchers warn that without intervention, the country may continue to fall behind in global happiness.