The World Happiness Report for 2025 has revealed the happiest countries on the planet, with the Nordic countries once again dominating the annual list, released to mark the International Day of Happiness on 20 March.
Finland managed to keep its top ranking for the eighth consecutive year, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden respectively in second, third and fourth places. Another European country, the Netherlands, came in fifth.
Costa Rica and Mexico both made it to the top 10 for the first time since the report was first published in 2012, respectively ranking in sixth and tenth places.
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The rankings are derived from local residents scoring their lives against six key factors: GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption.
Macao’s near neighbour Hong Kong was listed in 88th place, up two places in comparison to last year. Taiwan earned 27th place while mainland China was ranked 68th, down by 8 places compared to 2024. Macao was not ranked.
The World Happiness Report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and an independent editorial board made up of scholars from several top universities.
