Mexico ranked 10th, driven largely by new President Claudia Sheinbaum.
U.S. once again hits new low in World Happiness Report
The U.S. hit a new record low on the annual World Happiness Report released Wednesday night.
The drop in the U.S.’ ranking comes on the back of a monumental U.S. election and as many Americans report struggling to stay afloat financially.
The U.S. ranked 24th in the 2025 World Happiness Report, one spot lower than it did last year, when it likewise broke a new record low.
Mexico ranked 10th, driven largely by new President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The World Happiness Report, powered by data from Gallup, noted that the “increasing number of people dining along is one reason for declining wellbeing” in the U.S.
2024 marked the first year the U.S. didn’t rank among the world’s 20 happiest countries since the report launched 12 years ago. Its number 23 ranking last year was eight slots lower than it was in 2023.
While the U.S. ranking only changed slightly between the 2024 and 2025 reports, it underscores the previous year’s finding that young people under 30 are driving the downward shift, Julie Ray, said managing editor of world news at Gallup.
“There’s been “no recovery in terms of young people’s perception,” she said.
Instead, young people in the U.S. feel “less supported by friends and family, less free to make life choices, and less optimistic about their living standards,” Ray said.
In fact, the number of young people who said they believe they have the freedom to choose what to do with their lives fell 10 points between 2024 and 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, Ray noted.
This paints a “bleak picture” of perceptions of the U.S.’ future and the viability of the American dream, according to Ray.
The Nordic countries continue to rank among the happiest in the world, with Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden claiming the top for slots in the latest report.
According to Gallup’s findings, three Western nations — the U.S., Canada and Switzerland — were “among the fifteen largest losers” in the happiness rankings.
“This year, none of the large industrial powers ranked in the top 20 for the first time,” the report stated.
