Finland retains first spot in World Happiness Index, India moves to 118th position
PTC News Desk: With rapidly increasing use of social media, a stark decline in the well-being among young people has been recorded with the effects particularly worrying in teenagers, according to the World Happiness Report 2026 published Thursday.
Finland remains the happiest country in the world in 2026, holding the top spot for the ninth consecutive year. The Finnish population reported an average life evaluation score of 7.764 out of 10 this year, up 0.375 points from last year.
The United States is at 23rd place, Canada is at 25th and Britain at 29th.
A new entry to the top five on the list is Costa Rica, which climbed to fourth place this year after rising through the ranks from 23rd place in 2023.
The Nordic nations continue to dominate global happiness rankings, with Iceland (2nd), Denmark (3rd), Sweden (5th), and Norway (6th) all featuring in the top 10 happiest countries in 2026.
Meanwhile, Switzerland re-entered the top 10 at 10th position after slipping to 13th last year.
India has also shown gradual improvement, moving up from 126th in 2024 to 118th in 2025, and rising further by two spots this year to 116th, with a life evaluation score of 4.536.
- With inputs from agencies
