World Happiness Report 2025: India at 118th

The World Happiness Report 2025 published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University in collaboration with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, highlights India’s growing happiness levels over the past five years. Ranked 118th globally India has steadily improved.

Shivam Last updated on March 22nd, 2025 10:09 am

India’s happiness ranking has shown steady improvement over the last five years, as per the World Happiness Report 2025, released by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre in collaboration with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Ranked 118th out of 147 countries, India has climbed significantly from its 139th position in 2020. Key factors such as economic growth, improved perception of corruption, and rising personal freedom have contributed to this upward trend. However, India still lags behind Pakistan (109th) and Nepal (92nd) due to lower social support and economic inequality.

Key Findings of the World Happiness Report 2025

India’s Performance

Ranking: Improved from 126 (2023) to 118 (2024).
Best Rank: 94 (2011)
Lowest Rank: 144 (2019)

Key Improvements

Personal Freedom: Highest in five years (ranked 23rd in 2024).
GDP per Capita Rank: 93rd in 2024 (Improved from 97 in 2022).
Perception of Corruption: Rank improved from 71 (2022) to 56 (2024).

Areas of Concern

Low Social Support: Weak community ties and social trust.
Economic Inequality: Growing wealth disparity.
Mental Health Issues: Rising stress, work-life imbalance.

Global Happiness Trends

Top 5 Happiest Countries

Finland (1st for the 8th consecutive year)
Denmark
Iceland
Sweden
Netherlands

Notable Improvements & Declines

Costa Rica (6th) and Mexico (10th) entered the top 10 for the first time.
The US dropped to 24th due to rising social isolation, particularly among young adults.
The UK ranked 23rd, its lowest position since 2017.

Bottom 5 Unhappiest Countries

143. Zimbabwe
144. Malawi
145. Lebanon
146. Sierra Leone
147. Afghanistan (Unhappiest for the fourth consecutive year).

Understanding the World Happiness Index

First Published: 2012
Released By: Wellbeing Research Centre (University of Oxford), Gallup, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network

Ranking Factors

GDP per capita (Economic prosperity)
Social Support (Community & trust)
Healthy Life Expectancy
Freedom to Make Life Choices
Generosity (Charitable activities)
Perception of Corruption (Trust in governance)

Summary/Static	Details
Why in the news?	World Happiness Report 2025: India at 118th
India’s Happiness Rank (2024)	118th (Improved from 126th in 2023)
Best Rank	94 (2011)
Lowest Rank	144 (2019)
Personal Freedom Ranked	23rd (Best in 5 years)
GDP per Capita Rank	93rd (Improved from 97 in 2022)
Perception of Corruption	Rank improved from 71 (2022) to 56 (2024)
Top 5 Happiest Countries	1. Finland 2. Denmark 3. Iceland 4. Sweden 5. Netherlands
Bottom 5 Unhappiest Countries	143. Zimbabwe 144. Malawi 145. Lebanon 146. Sierra Leone 147. Afghanistan
Notable Changes	Costa Rica (6th) and Mexico (10th) entered the top 10 for the first time
US & UK Trends	US dropped to 24th due to rising social isolation, UK at 23rd (Lowest since 2017)
Key Factors for Happiness Ranking	GDP per capita, Social Support, Healthy Life Expectancy, Freedom, Generosity, Perception of Corruption