World Happiness Report 2024: How happy is the world?

The World Happiness Report 2024 shows a roughly constant level of happiness worldwide in the years 2021 to 2023 compared to the years 2006 to 2010 - despite the pandemic, war, inflation and the coronavirus crisis. The World Happiness Report 2023 already made it clear that social support has increased worldwide. People are donating more money, volunteering more often and offering their help to people they don't know. 

This year's report focuses on the perception of happiness at different stages of life. While Shakespeare's 'As You Like It' depicts the later stages of life as gloomy and depressing, the World Happiness Report shows a nuanced picture that changes over time. 

These are the happiest countries

Finland ranks first in the country comparison for the seventh time in a row, while Germany is in 24th place, having been in 16th place the previous year. Germany joins Norway, Sweden, France, Spain and the UK as a country where older people appear to enjoy higher levels of life satisfaction than their younger counterparts. In general, the youngest (under 30 years) in Germany are the least happy compared to the rest of the world. 

Lebanon and Afghanistan once again took the last two places in the country comparison in the World Happiness Report 2024. People in these countries are the least happy. 

Source: www.ministeriumfuerglueck.de