Happiness ranking 2026: What unhappy people have in common as English-speaking countries are shut out of the top 10

Happiness may be hard to quantify, but for the data-obsessed, the World Happiness Report is as close as you can get. The annual report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, leverages data from Gallup to rank every country in the world by self-reported life satisfaction. For the second year in a row, not a single English-speaking country has cracked the top 10. The exact reason is tough to pin down, but this year’s lead researchers point out one major factor that could be to blame. As per usual, Nordic countries dominate the top 10 happiest countries, with Finland claiming the number one spot for the ninth consecutive year. Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway are also in the top 10, positioning Northern Europe as the happiest region on the planet. Costa Rica also jumped to the top 5 for the first time, snagging the fourth place spot. The United States, meanwhile, finds itself in 23rd place. Happiness among those under age 25 in English-speaking and We