Heavy social media use is driving a sharp decline in well-being among 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 Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, also found that Finland remains the world’s happiest country for the ninth consecutive year. Other Nordic nations — Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway — continue to dominate the top rankings.At the other end of the spectrum, countries affected by conflict continue to rank lowest, with Afghanistan again listed as the unhappiest, followed by Sierra Leone and Malawi.
Happiest countries:
- Finland
- Iceland
- Denmark
- Costa Rica
- Sweden
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Israel
- Luxembourg
- Switzerland
Least happy countries:
147. Afghanistan146. Sierra Leone145. Malawi144. Zimbabwe143. Botswana142. Yemen141. Lebanon140. DR Congo139. Egypt138. TanzaniaThe report highlights a significant drop in life satisfaction among people under 25 in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand over the past decade, with prolonged social media use identified as a key contributing factor.Notably, for the second year running, no English-speaking country features in the top 10. The United States ranks 23rd, Canada 25th and Britain 29th.Among the biggest movers, Costa Rica climbed to fourth place this year, up from 23rd in 2023. Researchers attributed its rise to strong family bonds and social connections.“We think it’s because of the quality of their social lives and the stability that they currently enjoy,” said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of the Wellbeing Research Centre and co-editor of the report, noting that Latin American societies tend to have stronger social ties and higher levels of social capital.The continued dominance of Nordic countries, the report said, is linked to a combination of wealth, relatively equal distribution, robust welfare systems and high life expectancy.
Where does India rank?
Among the 147 countries featured in the report, India ranks 116th, a slight improvement from its 118th position in 2025.India improved its ranking by two spots:111. Ukraine 112. Morocco 113. Guinea 114. Mali 115. Ghana 116. India 117. Somalia 118. Uganda 119. Jordan 120. MauritaniaThe rankings are based on responses from around 100,000 people across 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 of 0 to 10.Among under-25s in English-speaking and Western European countries, average life satisfaction scores have fallen by nearly one point over the past decade. The report found the negative impact of heavy social media use to be especially pronounced among teenage girls. For instance, 15-year-old girls who spend five or more hours a day on social media report significantly lower life satisfaction compared to those who use it less.Young people who spend less than an hour a day on social media report the highest levels of well-being — even higher than those who do not use it at all. However, adolescents now spend an average of about 2.5 hours daily on these platforms.“It is clear that we should look as much as possible to put the ‘social’ back into social media,” De Neve said.The report also notes regional differences. In parts of the Middle East and South America, social media use appears to correlate more positively with well-being, and youth satisfaction levels have remained stable despite heavy usage.Researchers suggest that platform design plays a key role. Algorithm-driven, image-heavy platforms that emphasise influencers tend to worsen well-being by encouraging social comparison, while platforms focused on communication show more positive outcomes.The findings come amid growing global debate over regulating social media use among minors, with several countries considering or implementing restrictions.
