Are we a lot happier: Mapping India's position in global happiness index

The World Happiness Report 2025 is scheduled to be launched on 20 March globally to celebrate the event

The world observes March 20 every year to commemorate the International Day of Happiness. The General Assembly of the United Nations, in a resolution initiated by Bhutan in July 2012, proclaimed this, recognising the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals.

 

The World Happiness Report 2025 is scheduled to be launched on March 20 globally to celebrate the event. In this context, it is important to look at how India has fared on happiness levels globally till now.

 

India was ranked 126th out of 143 countries in the World Happiness Report 2024, with a happiness score of 4.054. This was significantly lower in relation to other BRICS nations. Outside BRICS, Finland topped the charts with a score of 7.741, and the United States (US) had a score of 6.725.

 

What may surprise many is that Pakistan was ranked higher (108th) with a score of 4.657, along with Nepal (93rd, score 5.158) and Myanmar (118th, score 4.354). Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan fared worse than India.

 

India ranked 126th out of 137 countries in the 2023 report for the period 2020-22, with a score of 4.036.

 

The happiness score or subjective well-being is based on the national average response to the life evaluations question in the Gallup World Poll (GWP). The survey asks respondents to evaluate their current life as a whole using a ladder scale, with the best possible life as 10 and the worst possible life as 0. Happiness rankings are based on a three-year average of these life evaluations (2021-23 in the 2024 report).

   

To explain international differences in happiness scores, the report looks at six indicators - GDP per person, healthy life expectancy, social support, perceived freedom to make life choices, generosity and perception of corruption. However, happiness rankings are not based on any index of these six factors.

   

India’s happiness score declined by 0.92 points (out of ten) from average scores obtained in the years 2006-10 to 2021-23. The lower-middle aged Indians (age between 30 and 44) were the least happy  group, according to the 2024 report, with a drop in the happiness score of 1.124 from 2006-10 to 2021-23. Indian youngsters (aged below 30) were the happiest compared to other countrymen, scoring 4.281 in 2021-23.