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Finland Tops 2026 World Happiness Report as Youth Well-Being Slide Takes Center Stage

The Oxford-led analysis links heavy, algorithm-driven social media use with lower adolescent well-being, cautioning this reflects association rather than proof.

Overview

  • Finland ranks first for the ninth year, with Nordic countries dominant and Costa Rica rising to fourth, while Israel holds eighth.
  • The United States places 23rd, up one spot, Mexico is 12th, and Canada falls to 25th, its lowest position since the rankings began.
  • The report underscores sharp declines in life evaluations among under‑25s in several English‑speaking countries, linking heavy social media use to lower adolescent well‑being, with seven‑plus hours a day associated with much poorer scores.
  • Despite its eighth‑place overall rank, Israel shows rising levels of worry, sadness and anger and falling trust indicators in the report’s separate measures.
  • Rankings are based on three‑year averages of self‑reported life evaluations, and conflict‑affected countries remain at the bottom, with Afghanistan last.