The 2025 World Happiness Report has been released, with Finland securing the top spot for a ninth consecutive year. Israel's eighth-place finish stands out as surprising, given the ongoing conflict in the region.
Israel's surprising position
Israel recorded a life-evaluation score of 7.187 out of 10, placing it ahead of Luxembourg and Switzerland. It is the only Middle Eastern country in the top 20.
The ranking does not measure how people feel at a particular moment. Instead, the report uses a three-year average of people's assessments of their quality of life, with the 2026 rankings based on responses collected between 2023 and 2025.
Top 11 countries
Finland topped the table with a score of 7.764. Iceland followed in second place with 7.540, while Denmark was third with 7.539.
Costa Rica was fourth with a score of 7.439, marking its highest-ever position in the rankings and the best-ever ranking achieved by a Latin American country. Sweden took fifth place, followed by Norway in sixth and the Netherlands in seventh.
Israel was eighth, followed by Luxembourg in ninth and Switzerland in 10th. New Zealand completed the top 11 in 11th place, scoring 6.995.
Methodology and UK ranking
The full top 11 are: Finland (7.764), Iceland (7.540), Denmark (7.539), Costa Rica (7.439), Sweden (7.255), Norway (7.242), Netherlands (7.223), Israel (7.187), Luxembourg (7.063), Switzerland (7.018), and New Zealand (6.995).
The UK ranked 29th with a life-evaluation score of 6.694, leaving Britain outside the top 20. The report bases its rankings on a question from the Gallup World Poll asking people to evaluate the quality of their lives on a scale from zero to 10.
Researchers also examine factors including GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption to help explain differences between countries.
