Germany moves up five spots in World Happiness Report

How happy are people in Germany today? The latest World Happiness Report has found that we’re feeling a little better than last year, but across the globe, heavy social media use is eroding our self-esteem and social cohesion.

World Happiness Report 2026

Published annually by Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the WHR’s Editorial Board, the annual World Happiness Report asks over 100.000 residents in 140 countries to assess how happy they are with their lives.

Each year’s report also has a specific focus, with the 2026 edition exploring the link between heavy social media use and declining mental well-being among young people, particularly among young girls and particularly in western European countries.

Key findings included that life satisfaction is highest at low rates of social media use and lower at higher rates of use, that social media is harming adolescents at a scale large enough to cause changes at the population level and that “if social media platforms did not exist, many users would be better off”. 

The report also found that social media use had eroded the social and emotional foundations of wellbeing for most younger Europeans, but that the impact of social media use on mental wellbeing also depends on whether it is used actively, for example, to communicate with friends and family, or passively, to scroll endless algorithm-suggested content.

Finns are the happiest in the world, Germans are doing better

In the overall ranking, Finland maintained its title as the country with the happiest residents, followed by Iceland and Denmark. The Nordic happiness convention was interrupted by Costa Rica in fourth place, followed by Sweden in fifth place.

To assess happiness, the report considers GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity, corruption and a “benchmark” value which combines all six factors. Consistently high happiness rates in the Nordic countries are attributed to wealth, equality and solid social security systems.

Moving up five spots in the ranking to 17th place, people in Germany are slightly happier than they were in 2025. A separate, nationwide survey from Ipsos substantiates the findings; 72 percent of Germans said they were happy, an 8 percent increase compared to 2025.

In the Ipsos survey, people in Germany listed feeling valued and loved, family life, and physical health as the most important factors for feeling happy.

The happiest countries in 2026

Overall, these are the top 10 happiest countries according to the latest WHR:

1. Finland
2. Iceland
3. Denmark
4. Costa Rica
5. Sweden
6. Norway
7. The Netherlands
8. Israel
9. Luxembourg
10. Switzerland

For more information and to see where other countries ranked, check out the official website.