Canada's happiness ranking just dropped and the youth are not smiling

The 2024 World Happiness Report is out, and Canada is grappling with a dip in spirits, landing at 15th place on the global joy index. Canadian youth, in particular, don't seem to be finding much to smile about these days.

The ranking, determined by factors like social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption, serve as a broad gauge of national well-being. The results are based on an analysis of Gallup World Poll data, going beyond economic success to see what contributes to a country's collective smile. Results are based on a three-year average, which can lead to some surprising results, especially in the face of recent conflict.

Finland, with its penchant for dark coffee, heavy metal, and efficient public services, claims the top spot for the seventh year in a row. Their secret could be the saunas, the beautiful natural environment, or their strong social welfare system. Perhaps a mix of all three, plus a societal emphasis on trust and equality, factors that heavily contribute to the overall happiness index.

Meanwhile, Nordic countries continue to dominate, with Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway all lounging comfortably at the top. It seems there's something in the Scandinavian air (or perhaps in their social policies) that keeps citizens so content.

While the top 10 rankings remain relatively unchanged, with Finland retaining the lead but Denmark now trailing more closely behind, positions 10 to 15 show a noticeable shift compared to last year.

Newcomers Costa Rica and Kuwait made their debut at 12th and 13th places. Their introduction, along with the closer rankings between Eastern and Western European countries — Czechia, Lithuania, and Slovenia in 18th, 19th, and 21st — led to the United States and Germany dropping out of the top 20 altogether.

In fact, the United States plunged eight places to 23rd, with happiness taking a huge hit among youth. The report refers to an "epidemic of loneliness" that seems to be taking hold across North America.

While Europe's younger residents in countries like Portugal and Greece show higher happiness levels than their elders, the opposite is true in the U.S., Canada and parts of Western Europe. The report found declining happiness among children and adolescents, with some experts equating the levels of discontent among young people to a "mid-life crisis."

The rankings also reflect a shift away from the world's most populous nations leading in happiness. In the top ten, only the Netherlands and Australia have more than 15 million people. In the top twenty, only Canada and the United Kingdom exceed 30 million residents.

At the end of the list is Afghanistan, once again labelled the unhappiest country, joined by Lebanon, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, and Congo.

Here are the World’s 20 Happiest Countries In 2024:

1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Sweden
5. Israel
6. Netherlands
7. Norway
8. Luxembourg
9. Switzerland
10. Australia
11. New Zealand
12. Costa Rica
13. Kuwait
14. Austria
15. Canada
16. Belgium
17. Ireland
18. Czechia
19. Lithuania
20. United Kingdom

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.