The US is officially more unhappy than ever – but is Trump to blame?

The World Happiness Report for 2025 has officially dropped – and surprise, surprise, Finland has taken the crown for the eighth year in a row. In contrast, America has seemingly gotten more unhappy as time has gone on.

The report delves into the happiness of over 140 countries based on self-assessments. The researchers highlighted several key factors that generally affect people's well-being, such as social support, income, health, freedom, and perceptions of corruption.

Unfortunately, the data showed the US far beyond the top 10. In fact, it dropped to its lowest-ever place at 24, versus the 11th place over a decade ago.

Mark Williamson, CEO of the nonprofit Action for Happiness suggested the decline could be a result of "ongoing challenges around cost of living, economic uncertainty and political polarization may have played a role."

He also noted: "We have also observed a significant increase in anxiety in the population."

World Happiness Report

"The decline in life satisfaction explains the overall rise in anti-system votes but trust in others then comes into play," the report stated, with "unhappy people attracted by the extremes of the political spectrum".

Despite the assumption that Donald Trump may be to blame for recent results, it turns out that the survey took place across 2022-2024, before Trump's return to office.

The report did, however, highlight a rise in people dining alone: "In 2023, roughly one in four Americans reported eating all of their meals alone the previous day – an increase of 53 per cent since 2003.

"Dining alone has become more prevalent across all age groups, but especially among young people."

Meanwhile, Finland secured the top spot yet again in 2025, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Norway, Israel, Luxembourg, and Mexico.

Afghanistan was ranked the lowest, followed by Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, Comoros and Lesotho.

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