World Happiness Report 2024: India ranked 126th, Finland retains first spot; check top 10 on the list
Upstox
3 min read • Updated: March 20, 2024, 7:24 PM
Summary
India is ranked at the 126th spot among the 143 countries assessed in the UN-sponsored World Happiness Report 2024. The country’s ranking is higher than neighbouring Sri Lanka (128) and Bangladesh (129), but lower than Pakistan (108) and Myanmar (118). Meanwhile, Finland retained the number one spot, followed by Denmark at the second position and Sweden third.
Finland continues to be the world's happiest country, as per the UN-sponsored World Happiness Report 2024 released on March 20. The report, which assesses a total of 143 countries, has placed India at the 126th spot, the same as last year.
At the bottom of the list, is Afghanistan at 143rd position, whereas Pakistan ranks highest among the countries in the Indian subcontinent at 108th. Myanmar is positioned at the 118th spot, while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are ranked 128th and 129th, respectively.
China, the economic powerhouse of Asia, is ranked at the 60th position. Among large countries – those with a population of at least 30 million – only Canada and the UK have made it to the top 20.
Costa Rica and Kuwait are the fresh additions to the top 20 list, the report highlighted. They have been ranked at the 12th and 13th positions, respectively. The two countries have replaced the United States and Germany, who have slipped to the 23rd and 24th spots, respectively.
The rankings are based on individuals’ self-assessed valuation on parameters such as freedom, generosity, quality of life, social support, healthcare, corruption and life expectancy.
Which are the top 10 happiest countries?
The top 10 countries have remained much the same since before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finland is still at the top, with Denmark now very close, and all five Nordic countries in the top 10, the report said. Here’s the list:
- Finland
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Sweden
- Israel
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Luxembourg
- Switzerland
- Australia
How happy are India’s elderly?
The report dedicated a chapter to highlight the level of happiness in India’s older population – those aged 60 or above. “Women consistently reported lower life satisfaction than men, while those without formal education tended to show significantly lower satisfaction compared to their educated peers,” it said.
Retirement seemed to correlate with lower satisfaction levels, contrasting with those still in the workforce, it added.
Interestingly, unmarried individuals, those less concerned with religion, and those discontent with their living situations “displayed notably lower satisfaction scores,” the report said.
“Moreover, experiences of ill-treatment or discrimination, social inactivity, depression, poor self-rated health, and difficulties with daily activities were all linked to diminished life satisfaction among older adults.
“Financial status, caste, and rural residence also emerged as influential factors, with those from the western region of India reporting the highest satisfaction levels, followed by counterparts in the central, north-eastern, and northern regions,” it further noted.