India Climbs in Global Happiness Ranking: A Focus on Benevolence

India's ranking in the World Happiness Report 2025 improved to 118th, up from 126th in 2024, but it remains behind several neighboring nations. The report highlights the influence of communal activities on happiness, while Finland maintains its status as the happiest country globally for the eighth consecutive year.

India has advanced to the 118th position in the World Happiness Report for 2025, improving from its previous 126th place. Despite this progress, it still ranks lower than neighboring countries like Nepal and Pakistan.

Released annually by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford in cooperation with Gallup, the report evaluates happiness based on self-reported life assessments over three years. This edition spotlights the advantages of community and sharing in fostering happiness.

Finland remains the world's happiest country for the eighth year in a row, followed by Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. The study further reveals that although benevolent acts surged during the COVID-19 era, they have slightly decreased since 2024. Notably, Bhutan's initiative inspired the global focus on happiness as a development approach.

(With inputs from agencies.)