The report highlighted that the young population in India tends to be the happiest, while those in the lower-middle-income bracket are the least happy.
India is ranked 126th out of 143 nations in the global happiness index released on Wednesday. This ranking is based on the overall happiness levels in the country, with older age being associated with higher life satisfaction in India. The World Happiness Report 2024 revealed that Finland emerged as the happiest country in the world, maintaining its top position for the seventh consecutive year.
The top 10 countries in the happiness index include Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Australia. India, however, finds itself at the 126th spot, lagging behind countries like Libya, Iraq, Palestine, and Niger. These findings were announced to mark the UN’s International Day of Happiness.
On the other hand, the United States has dropped out of the top 20 for the first time, mainly due to a significant decline in the well-being of Americans under 30. Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the rankings as the ‘unhappiest’ nation, while Pakistan is placed at 108th on the list.
Factors Influencing Happiness
The report highlighted that the young population in India tends to be the happiest, while those in the lower-middle-income bracket are the least happy.
The report said that 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 “but when taking all other measures into account, older women report higher life satisfaction than their male counterparts,” it said.
In India, older adults with secondary or higher education and those of higher social castes report higher life satisfaction than counterparts without formal education and those from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
“India’s older population is the second largest worldwide, with 140 million Indians aged 60 and over, second only to its 250 million Chinese counterparts. Additionally, the average growth rate for Indians aged 60 and above is three times higher than the overall population growth rate of the country,” the report said.
Satisfaction with living arrangements, perceived discrimination, and self-rated health emerge as the top three predictors of life satisfaction for India in this study, the report said.
“We found that older men, those in the higher age groups, currently married, and those who were educated, report higher life satisfaction compared to their respective peers. Lower satisfaction with living arrangements, perceived discrimination, and poor self-rated health were important factors associated with low life satisfaction among older Indians,” it said.
The findings of this study indicate that strengthening family networks to ensure a comfortable living arrangement for older adults, men, widowed, and those without formal education in particular, and bolstering social networks to reduce discrimination may enhance well-being in older age, it noted.
The report added that Serbia (37th) and Bulgaria (81st) have had the biggest increases in average life evaluation scores since they were first measured by the Gallup World Poll in 2013.
The next two countries showing the largest increases in life evaluations are Latvia (46th) and Congo (Brazzaville) (89th), with rank increases of 44 and 40 places, respectively, between 2013 and 2024.
For the first time, the report gives separate rankings by age group, in many cases varying widely from the overall rankings. Lithuania tops the list for children and young people under 30, while Denmark is the world’s happiest nation for those 60 and older.
The World Happiness Report is a collaborative effort between Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the WHR’s Editorial Board. This partnership aims to provide valuable insights into global happiness levels and factors influencing well-being across different nations.
(With inputs from agencies)
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