News World Happiness Report 2025: Finland happiest, Japan 55th

According to the World Happiness Report 2025, released on Thursday, Finland has been named the world's happiest country for the eighth consecutive year. Nordic nations continue to dominate the rankings, with Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden securing the second, third, and fourth spots, maintaining the same order as in previous years.


Meanwhile, happiness levels have declined in some countries, with the United States falling to its lowest-ever ranking at 24, a sharp drop from its peak at 11th place in 2012. The report notes a 53% rise in solo dining in the U.S. over the past two decades. The United Kingdom also reported its lowest average life evaluation since 2017, ranking 23rd. Taiwan achieved the highest ranking in Asia at 27, while Japan placed 55th and China at 68th.

Afghanistan is again ranked as the unhappiest country in the world, with Afghan women saying their lives are especially difficult. Sierra Leone in western Africa is the second unhappiest, followed by Lebanon, ranking the 3rd from the bottom. In a concerning development, the study said 19% of young adults across the world reported in 2023 that they have no one they could count on for social support. That is a 39% increase compared to 2006. All countries are ranked according to their self-assessed life evaluations averaged over 2022 to 2024.

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Source: Finland is again ranked the happiest country in the world. The US falls to its lowest-ever position

And here's a summary of the main findings. A key finding is that average happiness levels have not changed much for older people but have dropped substantially for younger people. Happiness of the younger, the older, and those in between

In some ways I'm not surprised Japan is only half way up this league table. From my Western, individualist perspective (and it's important to start with that), it must be difficult living in a society where the group takes priority over the individual, although I can see that countries where 'individuality is king' tend to be, on occasion, problematic to live in.

The sempai/kohai system seems very oppressive too, especially when coupled with the deference shown to older people regardless of their competence. I've witnessed the 'Never question your teacher/boss' first hand when fraudulent activities were discovered and the whistleblowers received 'hamon' and were disgraced before there peers.

But if that's the environment one is brought up in perhaps it's not so much of an issue. Perhaps the members of this forum who were brought up in the West and been transplanted to Japan have a more insightful perspective.

I realise that the above is derived from (neo) Confucianism, a philosophy I much admire, but then, much as I'm amazed by evolution through natural selection, I wouldn't want to live in a society based upon Darwinism; I wouldn't last long!