Which countries are happiest?
Click any country to see its happiness score — how people rate their own lives on a ladder from 0 to 10.
Overview
Every year, people around the world are asked to rate their lives on a ladder from 0 to 10. This map shows the average score for each country — the basis of the World Happiness Report rankings.
Key facts
- The Nordic countries consistently top the rankings.
- Scores range from under 2 to nearly 8.
- Income, health, freedom and social support all shape national happiness.
Common questions
How is happiness measured?
Through the Cantril ladder: people rate their current life from 0 (worst possible) to 10 (best possible). National scores are the average of these self-ratings.
Why are the same countries always on top?
High-scoring countries combine wealth, good health, social support, freedom and low corruption — a stable mix that changes slowly.
Where does the data come from?
The World Happiness Report, based on the Gallup World Poll, via Our World in Data.
Sources & methodology
Data from World Happiness Report (via Our World in Data), compiled via Our World in Data. Global figures are population-weighted across the countries that report this measure; countries without reliable recent data are shown as “no data”.
Last updated: 3 August 2026.
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