Israel ranked fifth happiest country in the world

The United States (23) dropped out of the top 20 for the first time since the World Happiness Report was first published in 2012, driven by a large drop in the well-being of Americans under 30.

Afghanistan was ranked the least happiest country in the world.

“The broad country coverage and annual surveys of the Gallup World Poll provide an unmatched source of data about the quality of lives all over the globe. There are now enough years of data, going back to 2006, to enable us this year to plausibly separate age and generational patterns for happiness,” said Professor John F. Helliwell, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia, and a founding editor of the World Happiness Report.

The report was released to coincide with the International Day of Happiness, which was established when the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/281 in June 2012.