US EditionWorld Happiness Report highlights social media’s negative impact, ranks Finland as happiest country
Finland tops happiness rankings for the ninth year, while heavy social media use is linked to nearly one-point drop in youth life satisfaction in English-speaking and Western European countries.
- On March 19, 2026, the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford published the World Happiness Report, ranking Finland as the happiest country for the ninth year with a score of 7.764.
- Researchers said algorithmic feeds and influencer-driven platforms fuel social comparisons, adolescents spend 2.5 hours daily on social media, and causes vary by region, gender, and socio-economic status.
- Evidence indicates life evaluations among under‑25s in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand dropped by almost one full point, with Jan‑Emmanuel De Neve saying 'Heavy usage is associated with much lower wellbeing, but those deliberately off social media also appear to be missing out on some positive effects.'
- Policy-Makers elsewhere are considering social media restrictions as Australia last year introduced the world’s first ban for under 16s, with Denmark, France, and Spain planning similar limits.
- Nordic dominance persists as Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway lead while Costa Rica climbed to fourth, based on around 100,000 responses across 147 countries averaged over three years.
282 Articles
282 Articles
Finland is world's happiest country ninth year in a row, UN happiness report finds
Finland maintains its top position as the world's happiest country for the ninth year running, as it scores 7.764 on a 10-point scale, according to an annual UN-sponsored report. Known for its nature, sauna culture and extensive welfare system, the country's 5.6 million inhabitants generally report a high level of trust in authorities and low levels of inequality.
The Billings Gazette
World Happiness Report flags social media risks
HELSINKI — Heavy social media use contributes to a stark decline in well-being among young people, with the effects particularly worrying in teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe, according to the World Happiness Report 2026 published Thursday.
Finland remains first in the world for the ninth consecutive year, according to the UN Happiness Report published on Thursday. France is still down two places in the 35th place.
A victory for the Finns. This time in measuring the happiness of the population. Which is not really a surprise, since Finland has been in first place for several years in a row. In the World Happiness Report, published by the University of Oxford under the auspices of the United Nations, the Finns are joined by Costa Rica and other Scandinavian nations. The report is published every year around March 20, which is declared the International Day …
World Happiness Report 2026: Which are the top 10 happiest nations and where does India rank?
The latest World Happiness Report shows a marked rise in global well-being, with 79 nations recording significant improvements between the 2006-2010 baseline and the 2023-2025 period. Finland retained its place as the happiest country for the ninth straight year in 2026, reporting an average life evaluation score of 7.764 -- an increase of 0.375 points from the previous year. The Nordic region maintained a strong presence in the top rankings, wi…
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