2024’s list of the happiest nations in the world, with India’s position

NEW DELHI: The yearly UN-sponsored World Happiness Report, which was made public on Wednesday, indicates that Finland has retained its position as the happiest nation in the world for a record seven years running.
The top ranks are still dominated by Nordic countries, with Finland closely followed by Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. Conversely, Afghanistan continues to rank lowest among the 143 nations examined, with persistent humanitarian issues arising after the Taliban reclaimed control in 2020.

The United States and Germany have fallen out of the top 20 happiest countries for the first time in more than ten years, coming in at 23rd and 24th place, respectively. Kuwait and Costa Rica, ranked 12th and 13th, respectively, have broken into the top 20.
The world’s biggest countries are no longer among the happiest countries, according to the research. The only countries with populations above 15 million in the top 10 are the Netherlands and Australia, while the only countries in the top 20 with populations over 30 million are Canada and the United Kingdom.

Between 2006 and 2010, major shifts in happiness have been noted, with large gains recorded in Eastern European nations such as Serbia, Bulgaria, and Latvia and notable reductions in Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Jordan. People’s self-reported assessments of their level of happiness are used to rank happiness along with other variables, including GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, charity, and corruption.

The University of Helsinki’s Jennifer De Paola studies happiness and points to Finland’s robust work-life balance and close ties to the natural world as major contributors to their high level of life satisfaction. She points out that Finns see success differently, appreciating things other than monetary gain and enjoying the advantages of a strong welfare state, public confidence in government agencies, low levels of corruption, and free public health and education.
The research for this year also emphasises a pattern in which younger generations, with the exception of North America, Australia, and New Zealand, where youth happiness has decreased between 2006 and 2010, typically report greater levels of happiness than older age groups. In contrast, Western Europe reports constant levels of happiness throughout generations, whereas Central and Eastern Europe have witnessed increases in happiness across all age groups over the same time. According to the survey, there has been a worrying increase in happiness inequality worldwide, especially among older people and in Sub-Saharan Africa. This trend is reflected in differences in social support systems, healthcare, education, and income.

What position does India have?
India remained at position 126 on the happiness rating from the previous year.
Among older Indians, life satisfaction is also influenced by variables like physical health, social participation, and marital status. Significantly, contentment with living arrangements shows up as a crucial component, indicating older Indians’ strong desire to remain in situ while retaining their independence and social ties. This research casts doubt on the idea that high-income countries are the only places where age-related contentment exists and emphasises the need to take a variety of variables into account when assessing life satisfaction among older people in India.
With 140 million people over 60, India has the second-largest elder population in the world, behind only China. This group is growing at a pace that is three times faster than the population growth rate of the whole nation. Even though this change in the population is a sign of social and economic advancement, it is nevertheless important to comprehend the elements that affect older adults’ quality of life.

The study made the observation that older Indian men—especially those in higher age groups, married at the time, and with more education—tend to be happier with their lives than their younger counterparts. Lower life satisfaction is associated with older Indians’ discontent with living circumstances, perceptions of discrimination, and bad self-rated health.
The idea that age-related contentment is mainly significant in high-income countries is refuted by an intriguing trend in life satisfaction among older people in India. In India, being older is typically linked to having a better level of life satisfaction; however, older women tend to feel less satisfied than older males. Social caste and education level also have a big impact; those from higher social castes and with more education tend to be happier with their lives. Furthermore, among older Indians, the main determinants of life satisfaction are perceived discrimination, self-rated health, and contentment with living circumstances.
While older Indian women experience greater stress and health issues than men, they tend to report higher levels of life satisfaction. Social support might be important since women tend to have larger social networks. Conversely, there are different correlations between age and life happiness. Contrary to the popular assumption, which holds that age-related contentment declines, certain empirical investigations indicate that age-related satisfaction actually rises as a result of experience, adaptive tactics, and improved social and emotional control.