Image Credit: axios. Edited by Author for clarity.
The 2025 World Happiness Report shows a worrying drop for the United States, which is now ranked 24th, the lowest ever. That’s down from 23rd in 2024 and 15th in 2023. Numbers tell part of the story, but they don’t capture the everyday pressures affecting Americans' well-being .
The gap between generations is striking. People under 30 rank 62nd, dealing with loneliness, money stress, and social media pressures, while those over 60 rank 10th and report being happier. Social isolation is growing too: in 2023, one in four Americans ate all their meals alone, up 53% since 2003.
On the numbers side, the U.S. scored 6.719 on life evaluation, with social support, health, freedom, and trust in institutions all below many peer countries . Nordic countries like Finland, Denmark, and Iceland top the rankings, while Afghanistan and Lebanon and a few others are at the bottom.
The report suggests that boosting happiness isn’t just about policy. It will take building stronger social connections, supporting mental health, addressing inequality, and maybe even rethinking how Americans live and connect with each other.
References:
Helliwell, J. F., Layard, R., Sachs, J., & De Neve, J.-E. (Eds.). (2025). World happiness report 2025. Sustainable Development Solutions Network. https://worldhappiness.report/
Axios. (2025, March 20). U.S. hits lowest ranking ever in World Happiness Report. https://www.axios.com/2025/03/20/us-new-low-world-happiness-report
Economist Times. (2025, March 20). Young Americans are miserable, dragging U.S. to worst world happiness ranking yet. https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/us/young-americans-are-miserable-dragging-us-to-worst-world-happiness-ranking-yet-whats-gone-wrong/articleshow/123458221.cms
Helliwell, J., Huang, H., & Wang, S. (2025). Comparing happiness across countries: Methodological challenges and insights. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.06867
Gallup. (2023). U.S. life satisfaction trends. https://news.gallup.com/poll/655493/new-low-satisfied-personal-life.aspx
