World Happiness Report: U.S. ranks 23rd among top 25

The United States placed 23rd in the 2026 World Happiness Report, which ranked 147 countries using Gallup’s Cantril Ladder; experts cited stress, economic strain, and weaker social support as possible contributors.

The United States placed 23rd in the 2026 World Happiness Report, which ranked 147 countries. The report is published by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre in partnership with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Rankings are based on life-evaluation responses collected through the Gallup World Poll using the Cantril Ladder. Experts speaking to Newsweek identified structural and cultural factors such as stress, economic strain, and lower social support as possible explanations for the U.S. position. Key points: - The United States ranked 23rd in 2026 and moved up one place from the previous year. - The report ranked 147 countries and again placed Nordic nations at the top, with Finland first; Costa Rica reached a record-high position for Latin America. - Rankings are based on respondents’ life evaluations on the Cantril Ladder, a zero-to-ten scale used in the Gallup World Poll. - Mental health professionals and researchers cited stress, an emphasis on productivity, economic pressures, reduced social connection, and lower trust in institutions as factors linked to lower reported life satisfaction. Summary: The 23rd-place ranking underscores a gap between the country’s material resources and reported life satisfaction. Experts point to social, cultural, and economic influences as relevant to that gap. Undetermined at this time.