Heavy use of social media is causing a sharp decline in the health of young people, with teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe particularly affected, according to the World Happiness Report 2026, released on Thursday.The annual study published by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Center also found that Finland remains the world’s happiest country for the ninth year in a row. The other Nordic nations – Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway – continue to dominate the top rankings.At the other end of the spectrum, conflict-affected countries remain at the bottom, with Afghanistan again listed as the unhappiest, followed by Sierra Leone and Malawi.
Happiest country:
- finland
- iceland
- denmark
- costa rica
- sweden
- norway
- Netherlands
- israel
- luxembourg
- Switzerland
Least happy country:
147. Afghanistan146. Sierra Leone145. Malawi144. Zimbabwe143.Botswana142. Yemen141. Lebanon140. DR Congo139. Egypt138. TanzaniaThe report highlights a significant decline in life satisfaction among people under 25 over the past decade in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with prolonged social media use identified as a major contributing factor.Notably, for the second year in a row, no English-speaking country features in the top 10. The United States is ranked 23rd, Canada 25th and Britain 29th.Among the biggest movers, Costa Rica moved up to fourth place this year, from 23rd in 2023. Researchers attributed its rise to strong family ties and social ties.“We think this is due to the quality of their social life and the stability they currently enjoy,” said Jan-Emmanuel de Neve, director of the Wellbeing Research Center and co-editor of the report. He noted that Latin American societies tend to have stronger social ties and higher levels of social capital.The continued dominance of the Nordic countries is linked to a combination of wealth, relatively equal distribution, strong welfare systems and high life expectancy, the report said.
Where is India’s place?
India ranked 116th out of 147 countries included in the report, a slight improvement from its 118th position in 2025.India improved its ranking by two places:111. Ukraine 112. Morocco 113. Guinea 114. Gardener 115. Ghana 116. India 117. Somalia 118. Uganda 119. Jordan 120.MauritaniaThe ranking is based on responses from nearly 100,000 people in 140 countries and territories, collected in partnership with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Participants were asked to rate their lives on a scale from 0 to 10.Among people under 25 in English-speaking and Western European countries, the average life satisfaction score has declined by about one point over the past decade. The report found that the negative impact of heavy use of social media is especially visible on teenage girls. For example, 15-year-old girls who spend five or more hours per day on social media have significantly lower life satisfaction than those who use it less.Young people who spend less than an hour per day on social media report the highest levels of well-being – even higher than those who don’t use it. However, teens now spend an average of about 2.5 hours per day on these platforms.“It’s clear that we need to do as much as possible to bring the ‘social’ back into social media,” De Neve said.Regional differences have also been noted in the report. In the Middle East and parts of South America, social media use appears to be more positively associated with well-being, and youth satisfaction levels remain stable despite heavy use.Researchers suggest that platform design plays an important role. Algorithm-driven, image-heavy platforms that emphasize influencers worsen well-being by encouraging social comparison, while platforms focused on communication show more positive outcomes.The findings come amid a growing global debate over regulating social media use among minors, with many countries considering or implementing restrictions.