Gen Z already facing 'midlife crisis' in their 20s

Gen Z, identified as those born between 1997–2012, are already experiencing the 'equivalent of a midlife crisis', reports suggest.

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy delved into Gallup's 2024 World Happiness report, which found those in their twenties are the most unhappy.

Murthy believes this to be a result of social media, a suggestion he explored with The Guardian.

"What’s happening in social media is the equivalent of having children in cars that have no safety features and driving on roads with no speed limits," he told the publication.

"No traffic lights and no rules whatsoever. And we’re telling them: ‘You know what, do your best – figure out how to manage it.’ It is insane if you think about it."

One of the key findings from the report is that happiness rankings differ between age groups with Americans under the age of 30 coming in 62nd out of 143 countries.

Editor of the report and director of the Wellbeing Research Centre, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, highlighted the 'disconcerting drops in youth happiness, especially in North America and Western Europe' as though it had 'fallen off a cliff'.

"To think in some parts of the world children are already experiencing the equivalent of a midlife crisis demands immediate policy action," he added.

Nordic countries took the top spots for the world's happiest countries in the world with Finland taking the crown for the 7th consecutive year. This was followed by Denmark in second place and Iceland coming in third.

Here is the full list of the happiest countries in the world, as per the 2024 report:

1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Sweden
5. Israel
6. Netherlands
7. Norway
8. Luxembourg
9. Switzerland
10. Australia
11. New Zealand
12. Costa Rica
13. Kuwait
14. Austria
15. Canada
16. Belgium
17. Ireland
18. Czechia
19. Lithuania
20. United Kingdom
21. Slovenia
22. United Arab Emirates
23. United States
24. Germany
25. Mexico

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