Scandinavians and high social support continue to characterize the highest levels of well-being.

Life satisfaction is highest at low rates of social media use and lower at higher rates of use.

Social media that prioritizes communication, news, learning, and content creation can support happiness.

U.S. college students wish social media did not exist, but use it because others do. They prefer no one did.

The Gallup World Poll, United Nations, and Oxford University Wellbeing Research Centre’s World Happiness Report (WHR) has come of age, celebrating gains in happiness worldwide. In its 21st year, WHR psychologists, economists, and political scientists continue to collaborate to boost government well-being policies.

More Are Happy Than Not

The 2026 edition reports that since 2006, in nearly twice as many of the 136 countries in which residents self-assess and report on their well-being, there are notable gains in happiness (79) compared to losses (41). Positive emotions remain twice as frequent as negative emotions, and the frequency of anger fell everywhere.

World Happiness researchers consistently find that positive emotions influence well-being more than negative emotions detract, but along with positive emotions, negative emotions are also becoming more common.

Three-quarters of the variation in life evaluations across countries and time are explained by six variables: per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) followed by social support (having someone to count on), long life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, corruption, and generosity.

Nordic countries still lead the happiness rankings. Finland has the standout highest well-being score, followed by Iceland, Denmark, Costa Rica, Sweden, and Norway in the top six. The Netherlands, Israel, Luxembourg, and Switzerland complete the top 10.

Central and Eastern European countries continue to grow happier. Countries showing significantly lower well-being are in zones of major conflict.

In 85 of 136 countries, the under-25s are happier now than they were 20 years ago. In all global regions except one, they worry more than their elders, but experience negative emotions less frequently. In eight of the 10 global regions covering 90 percent of the world’s population, those in the youngest age group now have higher life evaluations than previously.

In 2013, the WHR began assigning rankings based on three-year averages to balance short-term surges driven by unique events. Comparing the 2026 top-ranking countries with those in 2013, 14 Western industrial countries are in the top 20 in both periods. In 2026, three of the new top 20 countries are from Central and Eastern Europe (Kosovo at 16, Slovenia at 18, and Czechia at 20).

Mexico and Costa Rica remain in the top 20. Costa Rica’s rise to fourth is the highest-ever ranking for a Latin American country. Both show decreasing or low perceived corruption, high levels of social support, and longevity.

In 2013, the top 10 countries were all Western industrial countries. Eight remain in the top 10. The industrial countries that were pushed out of the top 10 between 2013 and 2026 include Canada (from 6 to 25), Austria (from 8 to 19), and Australia (from 10 to 15).

Of the Western industrial countries, only four show significant improvements in happiness, while 15 show significant drops, as do Venezuela and Panama, which are no longer in the top 20. The highest sadness scores show up in the NANZ countries—the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Life evaluations and emotions all show a distinct pattern of decline in the NANZ region, where under-25s rank at the bottom in the list of 136 countries, between 122 and 133. In evaluating decreases in happiness, WHR researchers considered the increase in social media use among young people and its association with well-being.

When Social Media Isn’t Social

Life satisfaction is lower at higher rates of social media use. Internet activities fall into two groups. Platforms designed to facilitate social connections show a clear positive association with happiness, whereas those driven by algorithmically curated content tend to demonstrate a negative association at high rates of use.

The report highlights the irony of the moniker “social” media because, in many cases, it is anti-social in nature. Worldwide, heavy social media use is associated with higher levels of depression and stress, particularly with the most problematic platforms where the main use is passive, and the main material is visual (encouraging social comparisons), often coming from influencers. Data from Latin America show that platforms with algorithmic feeds or those of influencers are more likely to be negatively linked to life satisfaction.

College students seem to have wised up to this. In a sample of U.S. college students, the majority wish that social media platforms did not exist. They use them because others do, but they would prefer no one did.

Loving Your Neighbor Surpasses All

The World Happiness Report finds that a high cultural prevalence of social support and connections coincides with long life expectancy, both of which moderate negative influences. This extends to social media use. Communications, news, learning, and content creation are associated with higher life satisfaction levels. Young people in Latin America spend more time using the internet for communication. When it socially connects people, social media enhances well-being, particularly among people under the age of 25. Although life satisfaction is highest at low rates of social media use, platforms designed to facilitate social connections show a clear positive association with happiness.

Helliwell, J. F., Layard, R., Sachs, J. D., De Neve, J.-E., Aknin, L. B., & Wang, S. (2026). World Happiness Report 2026. Oxford. University of Oxford: Wellbeing Research Centre.

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