Continued decline since 2019
Cyprus ranked 62nd out of 147 countries in the 2026 World Happiness Report, continuing a steady decline in recent years. The country placed 39th in 2019, dropped to 43rd in 2023, fell to 50th in 2024, and now stands at 62nd.
The report is compiled by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford and published as part of the annual World Happiness Report.
Finland remains the happiest country
Finland ranked first for the ninth consecutive year, followed by Iceland and Denmark. Costa Rica came fourth – the highest ranking ever recorded for a Latin American country – while Sweden placed fifth and Norway sixth.
The Netherlands ranked seventh, Israel eighth, Luxembourg ninth, and Switzerland tenth. Israel was the only Middle Eastern country in the top 20 despite the ongoing conflict in the region.
The United States ranked 23rd, Canada 25th, and the United Kingdom 29th. For the second consecutive year, none of the major English-speaking countries – the US, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia, Canada, or the UK – appeared in the top ten.
How the report measures happiness
Researchers analyse factors such as GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support, generosity, freedom to make life choices, and perceptions of corruption to explain differences between countries.
John F. Helliwell, emeritus professor at the University of British Columbia and founding editor of the World Happiness Report, said Finland’s long-term commitment to cooperation helps explain its consistent ranking at the top.
He noted that societies that work together during difficult times tend to report higher levels of wellbeing.
Lowest-ranked countries
At the bottom of the ranking, Afghanistan placed last at 147th, followed by Sierra Leone, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.
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