Cyprus falls to 62nd in 2026 World Happiness Report

Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus ranked 62nd out of 147 countries in the 2026 World Happiness Report published on Thursday, extending a multi-year slide in the index.

Cyprus ranking trends

Cyprus continued its decline in the rankings, from 39th in 2019 to 43rd in 2023 and 50th in 2024, before falling to 62nd in 2026.

How the report is compiled

The report, compiled by the wellbeing research centre at Oxford University with polling agent Gallup and the UN, measures GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, generosity, freedom and perceptions of corruption.

Top-ranked countries

Finland topped the ranking for the ninth consecutive year, followed by Iceland, Denmark, Costa Rica, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Israel, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

Regional and international comparisons

Greece ranked 85th, falling four places, while Turkey remained 94th. The United States ranked 23rd, Canada 25th, and the UK 29th.

Social media and wellbeing

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an Oxford professor and editor of the report, said heavy social media use is linked to lower happiness among people under 25. “Heavy usage is associated with much lower well-being.”

Bottom of the rankings

Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Botswana occupied the bottom five.

How do you view Cyprus’s continued decline in the World Happiness Report rankings?