Israel is 8th happiest nation, first in social connections

Mar 20, 2025 11:51 am | Israel21c

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Israel has dropped three places in the World Happiness Report’s global rankings, falling from 5th to 8th place in the latest edition released to coincide with the United Nations International Day of Happiness on March 20.

The 13th edition of the annual report shows Finland maintaining its dominance at the top spot for yet another year, followed by Denmark, Iceland and Sweden rounding out the Nordic countries’ bizarrely consistent high placement. The Netherlands and Costa Rica moved up to 5th and 6th place, respectively, displacing Israel.

Despite the slip in rankings, Israel remains firmly within the top 10 happiest nations globally, which is a fairly notable achievement given the ongoing conflicts and tensions the country has faced since October 7, 2023.

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Israel’s strength: strong social connections

The report measures a number of factors to come up with its global ranking: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and perception of corruption. The former two factors make up a majority of Israel’s overall happiness.

Israel is 8th happiest nation, first in social connections
Israeli soldiers helping an elderly man in Jerusalem, December 1, 2024. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90

The report highlights Israel as the country with the highest global ranking in the quality of social connections (followed closely by Mexico and Argentina). This suggests that young adults in the country generally feel confident about the availability of help when needed, which is a crucial factor for overall well being.

The report’s top 10 happiness rankings for 2025:

1. Finland

2. Denmark

3. Iceland

4. Sweden

5. Netherlands

6. Costa Rica

7. Norway

8. Israel

9. Luxembourg

10. Mexico

A Purim party in the streets of Jerusalem, March 16, 2025. Photo by Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90

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A Purim party in the streets of Jerusalem, March 16, 2025. Photo by Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90

The post Israel is 8th happiest nation, first in social connections appeared first on ISRAEL21c.

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