The world's happiest countries mapped out as UK falls down rankings

The happiest countries in the world have been revealed, with Finland topping the list for the seventh year running.

Afghanistan ranks bottom again, while the UK drops one place to 20th^th The United States fell eight spots to 23rd.

The report analyzed statistics from 146 countries and is based on self-reported data from people surveyed in each country, who were asked to rate their lives out of 10.

Each country’s average score was calculated based on six indicators: social support, gross domestic product, health, freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption.

According to the study, the decline in happiness in the UK and US is symptomatic of a wider trend in the Western world – people under 30 are feeling less happy.

Professor Jan-Emmanuel Deneve, Director of the Center for Well-Being Research at the University of Oxford and Editor of the World Happiness Report, said: “By combining existing data on the well-being of children and young people around the world, we found a disturbing decline , especially in North America and Western Europe.

“In some parts of the world, children are already experiencing the equivalent of a midlife crisis, requiring immediate policy action.”

Experts say much of the decline in happiness among young people is due to growing wealth inequality between young and old.

Responding to the findings, charity the Intergenerational Foundation said: “Young people are being hit by a combination of government policy, the housing affordability crisis, wage stagnation and high living costs.

“It’s no wonder their generation is experiencing unprecedented levels of mental health problems when their future looks so bleak.”

This analysis is reflected in the scores, which rank the United States 62nd but 10th least happy among young people.^th Belongs to one of the oldest age groups and ranks 32nd in the UK^ND in young people and 20^th in the elderly.

Similar to previous years, Europe tops the list, with ten of the eight happiest countries in the world coming from the continent, with Denmark in second place and Sweden in third.

After the Gaza war, Israel remained fifth in the ranking of the happiest countries in the world, while Palestine was at the bottom with a score of 103.^RD.

Other countries involved in conflict ranked at the bottom, with Afghanistan and Lebanon remaining two of the unhappiest countries on earth.

Meanwhile, as the conflict between Kiev and Moscow intensifies, both countries’ happiness index has fallen near the bottom, with Russia now down two places to 72nd and Ukraine down 13 places to 105th.^th.