Nigeria has been ranked 105th out of 147 countries in the 2025 World Happiness Report, released on Thursday, March 20. The report, compiled by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and an independent editorial board, evaluates global happiness based on social, emotional, and physical well-being indicators.
For the seventh consecutive year, Finland emerged as the happiest country in the world, followed by Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. The top four nations remained unchanged from the 2024 rankings, reinforcing the dominance of Nordic countries in global happiness rankings.
A major shift in the 2025 report was the entry of two Latin American nations into the top 10 for the first time—Costa Rica at No. 6 and Mexico at No. 10. The Netherlands, Israel, and Luxembourg completed the top 10 list, while Norway landed at No. 7.
The United States, which had previously fallen out of the top 20, ranked 24th this year. Notably, the U.S. experienced its highest ranking in 2012 at No. 11 but has seen a gradual decline since then. Similarly, the United Kingdom placed at No. 23, recording its lowest average life satisfaction since 2017. Canada, despite experiencing a downward trend in happiness over the past decade, remained in the top 20 at No. 18.
At the bottom of the rankings, Afghanistan was rated the least happy country, sitting at No. 147, followed by Sierra Leone (146), Lebanon (145), Malawi (144), and Zimbabwe (143).
The World Happiness Report continues to highlight disparities in global well-being, with factors such as economic stability, social support, and mental health playing key roles in national rankings.
