Finland Tops Happiness Again as Social Media Impacts Youth Well-Being
Finland is ranked the happiest country for the ninth straight year, with Nordic nations also near the top, while the World Happiness Report 2026 links heavy social media use to lower well-being among youths—especially teenage girls in English-speaking Western Europe. Costa Rica climbs to fourth, illustrating strong social ties, while the United States, Canada and Britain sit 23rd, 25th and 29th as many English-speaking countries fall out of the top 10. The rankings are based on about 100,000 responses from 140 countries, with regional variations in how social media affects happiness and a noted boost from social connections and welfare systems in other regions.
