World Happiness Report

Heavy social media use contributes to a stark decline in well-being among young people, with the effects particularly worrying in teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe, according to the World Happiness Report 2026 published Thursday. The annual report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, also found that Finland is the happiest land in the world for the ninth year in a row. Other Nordic countries such as Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway ranked among the top 10 countries. But it highlighted how life evaluations among under 25-year-olds in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have dropped over the past decade, and suggested that long hours spent scrolling through social media is a key factor in that trend.

India leads the global happiness rankings, while Japan struggles with inflation, pension insecurity, and growing despair among youth and the elderly

The annual World Happiness Report considers factors such as social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption to create a global ranking of happiness around the globe

This day is committed to spreading awareness about the significance of happiness and prosperity. The day also aims to highlight the adverse impact of stress and other mental health issues

India has been ranked 139 out of 149 countries in the list of UN World Happiness Report 2021 released on Friday which is topped by Finland

Indians are suffering the impact of weaker social support networks, a less generous society, and fewer reasons to experience positive emotions such as laughter

Given the context, the Indian government should be complimented for resisting the temptation to embark on a project to map Gross Domestic Happiness

India dropped 11 places from its previous rank of 122 in the list of 156 countries and was behind the majority of SAARC nations, apart from Afghanistan