Finland Tops 2026 World Happiness Report for Ninth Year; Costa Rica Rises to Fourth
The Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, along with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, published the 2026 World Happiness Report in March. This report evaluates 147 nations using data from Gallup World Poll interviews conducted between 2023 and 2025. For the ninth year in a row, Finland secures the top position with a score of 7.764. Notably, Costa Rica ascends to fourth place from 23rd in 2023, attributed to advancements in education and healthcare. Switzerland reenters the top 10 at tenth. The top 10 also features Luxembourg (9th), Israel (8th), the Netherlands (7th), Norway (6th), Sweden (5th), Denmark (3rd), and Iceland (2nd). Additionally, the report indicates that extensive social media usage negatively impacts life satisfaction among youth in English-speaking nations.
Key facts
- Finland tops the World Happiness Report for the ninth consecutive year with a score of 7.764.
- Costa Rica ranks fourth, the highest ever for a Latin American country, up from 23rd in 2023.
- No English-speaking country is in the top 10 for the second year running.
- The report ranks 147 countries based on Gallup World Poll interviews from 2023 to 2025.
- The report was released in March by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
- Switzerland returns to the top 10 at number 10 after a year outside.
- The report's featured research found heavy social media use is linked to lower life satisfaction among young people in English-speaking countries and Western Europe, especially girls.
- Costa Rica abolished its military in December 1948 and redirected funds to education and healthcare.
Entities
Institutions
- Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford
- Gallup
- UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
- World Economic Forum
- Global Peace Index
- Transparency International
- National Geographic
- Wellbeing Research Centre
- University of Oxford
Locations
- Finland
- Costa Rica
- Switzerland
- Luxembourg
- Israel
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Iceland
- New Zealand
- United States
- Canada
- Amsterdam
- Utrecht
- Rotterdam
- Copenhagen
- Nicoya Peninsula
- Luxembourg City
- France
- Belgium
- Germany
- Silicon Valley
- North Atlantic
- English-speaking countries
- Western Europe
Sources
- Quartz —
- SCMP Culture —