Finland Tops World Happiness Rankings Again as Nigeria Falls to 105th

The World Happiness Report 2025, released on March 20, ranks Finland as the happiest country for the eighth consecutive year. The Nordic nation has consistently topped the rankings due to strong social support, high trust levels, and an excellent quality of life

Other Nordic countries, including Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden, also remain at the top in the same order, reaffirming the region’s reputation for high well-being.

Nigeria ranked 105th out of 147 nations, dropping three spots from its 2024 position of 102. Despite the decline, Nigeria has climbed to become the 10th happiest country in Africa, a significant shift from 2003, when a World Values Survey identified Nigeria as having the happiest people globally.

In Africa, Libya emerged as the highest-ranked nation, securing 79th place due to relative stability and improvements in life satisfaction.

Meanwhile, the United States, which fell out of the top 20 for the first time in 2024, now ranks 24th. The country had its highest ranking in 2012 at 11th place, but a decline in social trust and increasing economic concerns contributed to the drop. Similarly, the United Kingdom now stands at 23rd place, marking its lowest life satisfaction score since 2017.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, in collaboration with Gallup and the Oxford Center for Well-Being Research, produces the annual report. It evaluates happiness using six key variables: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.

The 2025 report focuses on the impact of caring and sharing on happiness, emphasizing how happiness levels vary within and between nations. The findings highlight the importance of social connections and economic stability in shaping well-being worldwide.