Pakistan is happier than India, shows World Happiness Report 2026

2026-03-19 - 09:20

ISLAMABAD – Finland has been named the happiest country in the world for the ninth consecutive year, according to the World Happiness Report released to mark International Day of Happiness on March 20. The report, prepared with support from the United Nations, assessed 147 countries, including Pakistan, using Gallup World Poll data from 2023 to 2025. Rankings considered factors such as income per capita, life expectancy, social support, freedom, generosity, and corruption. Finland topped the list once again, followed by Iceland and Denmark. Costa Rica secured fourth place, with Sweden fifth, Norway sixth, and the Netherlands seventh. Israel, Luxembourg, and Switzerland completed the top ten. Where Does Pakistan Stand? Pakistan improved five places compared to last year, rising to 104th from 109th while India ranked 116th, behind Pakistan. Among Muslim-majority countries, Kosovo was the happiest at 16th globally, while the UAE ranked 21st and Saudi Arabia 22nd. Surprisingly, the United States came in at 23rd place. At the other end of the spectrum, Afghanistan was ranked the least happy country at 147th, followed by Sierra Leone, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Yemen, Lebanon, DR Congo, Egypt, and Tanzania also featured among the ten least happy nations.