Turkey has climbed eight places in the World Happiness Report 2024 compared to the previous year and is now ranked 98th out of 143 countries, with the country’s older people happier than its younger generation.
The report, the latest edition of which was released on Tuesday on the occasion of the International Day of Happiness, is issued annually by the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network and draws on global survey data from people in more than 150 countries. It ranks countries on happiness based on their average life evaluations over the three preceding years, in this case, 2021 to 2023.
Turkey had a ranking of 79th in 2019, 93rd in 2020, 104th in 2021, 112th in 2022 and 106th in 2023.
The report lists income, health, having someone to count on, having a sense of freedom to make key life decisions, generosity and the absence of corruption as parameters that play strong roles in supporting life evaluations.
According to the report Finland is the world’s happiest country, for the seventh year in a row, followed by Denmark, Iceland and Sweden, while war-torn Afghanistan is at the bottom of the list at No. 143, with Lebanon being one rank higher.
The annual report shows a notable shift as the United States and Germany have dropped out of the top 20 and are now ranked 23rd and 24th, respectively. Meanwhile, Costa Rica and Kuwait have made significant progress, moving into the top 20 in 12th and 13th place respectively.
The report also examines the variation by age groups, showing that there are considerable differences in the assessment of happiness between younger and older people in different countries, with particularly stark contrasts being observed in certain regions.
Older people in North America have significantly higher satisfaction scores than their younger peers. In Central and Eastern Europe, on the other hand, young people are much happier than older people, reversing the generational divide observed in North America.
A prime example of these differences is Lithuania, which is ranked first for those under 30, but falls to 44th place for the over-60 group.
Turkey’s younger population is less happy compared to their elders. The country ranks 101st for those under 30, while it is slightly better off for those over 60 (92nd).
While the happiest countries in the world no longer include the most populous nations, the top 10 include the Netherlands and Australia, both of which have a population of over 15 million.
The report also shows that inequality in happiness has increased globally over the last 12 years, with all regions and age groups affected to varying degrees.