The top spot in the ranking for happiness has been held by Finland for seven consecutive years, with a score of 7.741. Northern Europe continues to dominate the table, with Denmark (7.583), Iceland (7.525), and Sweden (7.344) following closely behind. Israel holds the fifth spot, dropping one place from the previous year with an average score of 7.341.
In terms of specific indices, Israel ranks ninth in social support and fifth in healthy life expectancy. However, it is only in 71st place when it comes to freedom to make choices in life, and it ranks 103rd out of 143 on the effect of corruption index. In terms of positive feelings, Israel is at 123rd place, while in negative emotions it has risen to 60th place.
The report also examined happiness ratings by different age groups for the first time. In Israel, young people and those aged 30 to 44 ranked second, but among those aged 45 to 59 they fell to seventh place and further dropped to 18th among the oldest population group. The USA dropped out of the top 20 countries for the first time, landing in 23rd place, while Germany also fell out of the top 20. Lesotho, Lebanon, and Afghanistan were at the bottom of the list.
Anat Panti, a happiness policy researcher
