[anandhsub]

Originally Posted by binand

Personally, I'm not surprised about that. I'm contesting the relative position of India vis-a-vis several other countries that have conditions much worse (lower income levels, war/strife) than ours but ranking above us.

It is also about what makes one happy. When everyone in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria etc see everyone in conditions similar to them they consider it is the norm. These people dont really know how much better quality of life can be in more developed, less conflict ridden countries.

However when some see others getting uplifted they aspire for more and when that doesnt happen, it makes them unhappy even though they might be living a better life than those in other countries.

Personally I would rather have people unhappy and aspiring for a better quality of life rather than being content at well below par income levels.

[jomyboy]

If I may be allowed a tongue in cheek comment: I wonder if "Divorce" plays a big role with being in a happy state of mind?? 60% of Finns get divorced should be some telling.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by jomyboy

I wonder if "Divorce" plays a big role with being in a happy state of mind?

If the marriage is not working out, for whatever reason, is it better for two people to be happy separately, or to stay miserable together because society/religion dictates it, family requires it, etc etc.?

[volkman10]

Happiest Countries in the World (World Happiness Score 2024) 2025

Like ‘mercy’ in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, caring is “twice-blessed” – it blesses those who give and those who receive. In this report, we investigate both of these effects: the benefits to the recipients of caring behaviour and the benefits to those who care for others: WHR 2025


Finland is the happiest country in the world for the eighth year in a row.

The Nordic countries, historically at the top, are getting happier while the U.S. is getting less happy. While GDP per capita is relatively similar across the Nordic countries, the U.S., Australia, and the UK, the distribution of wealth sets them apart.

Taiwan is the happiest place in Asia, according to the 2025 World Happiness Report,

Of the 147 places around the world that were ranked this year, it took the 27th spot, moving up from 31st last year, and dethroning Singapore’s top position on the list. Taiwan is a democratically self-ruled island that Beijing considers part of its territory.

India made slight improvement in its happiness quotient, up from 126 in 2024 to 118 this year. Surprisingly, India is unhappier than conflict-affected countries like Ukraine, Mozambique, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Palestine, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Gambia and Venezuela.









Link:

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Happiest Countries in the World (World Happiness Score 2024) 2025

Thank you for sharing this survey.

There is not a shred of doubt that we in India have a long way to go to make life better for those in the 50th to 75th percentile and much much better for those in the bottom 50%. And we should not make excuses for that - water, sanitation, nutrition, primary school education, basic healthcare....we do have some distance to cover.

But....

But very limited aspect surveys like these hide more than they reveal. They pick a infinitesimally thin sliver of the vast range of human society and emotions and then try and draw far reaching conclusions. What about divorce rates, ratio of minimum wages to per capita GDP, single parent households, extent of drug abuse, alcoholism, suicide rate, domestic violence, street crime, friendship with neighbours, how much do people smile, trust amongst strangers....I could go on. One can't box something as complex as happiness into a few criterion cunningly selected and announce nirvana. Some parts of Western media love these simplistic exercises and self proclaiming themselves as judges of humanity. And who gives these two penny outfits the authority to sit in judgement.

Question - who funds these surveys. What is the motivation. What need are such surveys fulfilling. I have noticed that nations like India and China that stand up to the narrative of Western media on other political matters surprisingly end up in disfavour on these lists relative to where one would expect them to be.

It is not just about India but I can't comprehend how Kenya, one of Africa's best run states ranks below Congo or Gaza or even Pakistan. This is just one of several head scratching examples.

Hands up all those eager to migrate to Gaza or Zaire {Democratic Republic of Congo} or Pakistan or Nigeria.

[Jeroen]

Happiness is a very subjective if not personal experience/feeling. Why this survey is relevant is they simply ask the respondents about their level of happiness. So why somebody is more happy in Finland then in say Gaza can’t be deduced from this. Just that they feel happier.

I would not consider Kenia a particular well run country anymore. Ten years ago and even thirty years ago they stood out from most African countries. They have come done considerable in my opinion with rampant corruption and and a failing political system.

Security forces are enforcing a brutal
Regime, Opposition and free press are under constant threat and are being suppressed by violence.

Such a shame. I have spend considerable time in Kenya in the mid 80s. At that time a lovely country with a relative easy going population.

Not so I’m afraid.

These days I would rate Botswana as the most promising upcoming African democracy!

Jeroen

[am1m]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

What about divorce rates,...

Again, I would actually think rising divorce rates are a good indicator of individual agency, especially female.

How easy is it even today for a person to actually walk out of a bad marriage in India? (Again, more so for women.) Even among the educated top percentile, upper-middle class, getting a divorce is often a traumatic affair, as I've seen in the case of a few friends. Both legally and because of society's "norms"/conventions. More so because of the latter.

I'd rather have a society where 2 unhappy people can stop living together, making each other miserable and at least try and find happiness, or at least stop being miserable separately. The ability (financially mostly) to take your own decisions also contributes to individual happiness.

I too used to think divorce was some sort of failure, till I read this, this guy articulates it much better than I can: https://indiauncut.com/we-should-cel...divorce-rates/

PS: 1. I'm not divorced! (been married for over a decade and a half now)
2. I agree with the notion that these 'happiness surveys' are not reliable. Just that I disagree that divorce rates are a negative thing.
3. My intent is not to put down the concept of marriage, I love being married! Just that a forum should also provide some sort of counter point to conventions that might have run their course. And open people's minds to the possibilities of finding happiness.

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

.

Question - who funds these surveys. What is the motivation..

Trust me, despite being ranked Happiest Country in the world, even the Finns are asking this.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

Trust me, despite being ranked Happiest Country in the world, even the Finns are asking this.

I can only think of F1 Drivers Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen. Stone faced always! And always straight to the point.

Raikkonen's one liners are comedy gold

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Question - who funds these surveys.

answers are in the report:
All editors and and authors are volunteers. The cost related to the administrative and research support cost is covered by: Gluck, the Katsuuki foundation, Blue zones, Illycsffe and Fondazione Ernesto Illy

Jeroen

[BullettuPaandi]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

But....

But But....

Wouldn't it end up being reductionist to break up the complex nature of 'Happiness' and consider several of the factors you mention- if not more- in a survey? Couldn't basic/vague parameters like 'benevolence', 'caring', etc. that such surveys consider, more often than not, imply few/several of the complex components of 'Happiness'?

Looking with a geo-political lens, I do hold all of your views and very much valid concerns. And I do think, the hierarchy in this list is doomed to not change drastically, simply because of the social construct that exists in the world. Just for instance, you won't find a burnt out textile worker producing whatever the Fashion industry wants at that particular moment, working for however many hours a day, in the western world; because such a person is more likely to be found in a Chinese or Bangladeshi or Indian sweatshop, which exports largely to the western world.

But with a dispassionate academic lens, I do think such surveys hold some value in being a 'loose gauge' to track improvement (or the lack of it).

[Jeroen]

There are tonnes of information in and or behind this report that can all be accessed very easily.

I just came across this report which is included in there as well:

https://worldhappiness.report/ed/202...ults-in-india/

Embedded in this report is this video as well:

https://youtu.be/nH8M8yOgMsQ?si=u-EQfTaEcpJylWcb

Key Insights

Older age is associated with higher life satisfaction in India, refuting some claims that the positive association between age and life satisfaction only exists in high-income nations.

On average, older men in India are more satisfied with life than older women (Table 5.1), but when all other measures are taken into account, older women report higher life satisfaction than their male counterparts (Table 5.2).

Older adults with secondary or higher education and those with higher social castes report higher life satisfaction than counterparts without formal education and those from scheduled castes and tribes.

Satisfaction with living arrangements, perceived discrimination, and self-rated health emerge as the top three predictors of life satisfaction in this study.

Jeroen

[SmartCat]

There will be vast levels of unhappiness among Indian population because of poverty, corruption, unemployment etc. 40% of households depend on agriculture and a large percentage of those households are labourers (not landowners). This is partly captured by GDP per capita, where India stands at 140th place out of 190 countries. What this means is 3 out of 4 countries are better off than India.

Now in this happiness ranking, India is at 118 out of 147 countries (especially in logical sounding 'cantril ladder' metric). But if we incorporate the statistical error of 5%, the new ranking for India is actually 111 out of 147 countries. After all, the score difference between one country to the next is not much. If we incorporate this, 3 out of 4 countries are better off than India! So:

GDP per capita: 3 out of 4 countries are better off than India
Happiness Index: 3 out of 4 countries are better off than India

Basically, there is strong positive correlation between money and happiness. Pop culture quotes say "money cannot buy happiness", sure, but that is just referencing specific individuals who might have other issues.

Why India scores lower than a few seemingly worse off countries is again due to statistical errors. Many of these countries might have 10% statistical errors while others might have zero error. It is the average that is 5%. Basically, statistical errors for each country is never evenly distributed.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Why India scores lower than a few seemingly worse off countries is again due to statistical errors. Many of these countries might have 10% statistical errors while others might have zero error. It is the average that is 5%. Basically, statistical errors for each country is never evenly distributed.

Wouldn’t statistical errors work both ways? So India, or any other country, due to erro the score is higher or lower. (Or correct!)

Irrespective, this report shows a highly subjective way of measuring happiness. They just ask on a scale of 0-10 how happy are you. So from that perspective you can’t really conclude much, but you can rank countries obviously. As I understand it they have measured these other 6 indices as well as they have sufficient data from all these countries.

Jeroen

[BullettuPaandi]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

They just ask on a scale of 0-10 how happy are you.

No, that'd be quite boring. I'm sure most would say "Meh, 5".

I haven't gone through this report, but have skimmed through earlier ones. They consider certain factors like donations to charity, 'social experiments' like returning "lost" wallets, family size etc. However, ultimately the key factor can be attributed as GDP per capita, one way or the other.

Attaching a couple of screenshots from their report.