The 2025 edition of the World Happiness Report is out and I love it! It’s produced by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre in collaboration with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. This year The World Happiness Report focuses on the theme of caring and sharing and their effects on global happiness. (I’ve been banging on about kindness for a while now, so to see the research hit the big stage is very exciting!)
World Happiness Report Key Findings:
Caring is “twice-blessed”: It benefits both the giver and the receiver. People who engage in benevolent acts – such as donating, volunteering, or helping strangers – consistently report higher levels of wellbeing.
We underestimate kindness: Across the world, people believe others are less kind than they really are. Wallet return experiments show far higher return rates than expected, especially in Nordic countries.
- Kindness is on the rise: Since the global pandemic benevolence has increased in every region of the world and is now still 10% above pre-pandemic levels.
Meal sharing boosts happiness: Regularly eating with others is linked to greater life satisfaction – comparable in impact to income and employment. (While an increasing number of people eating alone is a one reason for declining wellbeing in the USA.)
Living with others matters: Happiness peaks in households of four and people living alone are much less happy than people living with others.
Loneliness is rising: particularly among young adults – with 19% reporting no one to turn to in 2023. (A 39% increase since 2006.)
Deaths of despair (suicide, substance abuse) are falling globally, except in countries like the U.S. and South Korea. Higher rates of prosocial behaviour correlate with lower rates of such deaths.
Effective giving: Donating to the most cost-effective charities can multiply happiness gains. Mental health interventions are among the most impactful uses of charitable funds.
Global Country Rankings:
Finland remains the happiest country, followed by Denmark and Iceland.
Australia ranks 11th. (Check out the World Happiness Report Country Rankings.)
The World Happiness Report 2025 clearly demonstrates that kindness not only lifts others but also boosts our own wellbeing — it truly is “twice-blessed.” When we choose to see the good in others and act with generosity, we help create a happier, more connected world for everyone.
