In 2021, Ireland ranked as the 14th happiest country in the world, but the latest edition of the World Happiness Report reveals that the country has dropped slightly to 18th place in 2023. The report assesses factors such as income, social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption levels. While Ireland still scores high in overall happiness, this decline could indicate changes in the country’s social and economic landscape. Let’s take a closer look at the possible causes of this drop and what it could mean for the Irish population.
According to the 2023 World Happiness Report, Ireland has been ranked as the 14th happiest country in the world. This represents a slight decline from last year’s ranking of 13th, with Ireland achieving a happiness score of 6.9 out of 10. The index takes an average of the past three years into account when calculating rankings.
For the sixth year in a row, Finland takes the top spot as the happiest nation on Earth, with a happiness score of 7.8, outshining all other countries. Denmark comes in second place, while Iceland took third place, and northern European countries such as Israel, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway fill out the top 10. The report also notes a high correlation between happiness and equality in society.
Ireland outranks the United States, which comes in 15th place, while Australia and Canada rank 12th and 13th, respectively. The United Kingdom ranks 19th, while Lithuania enters the top 20 for the first time. The top 20 countries tend to appear year after year, with 19 countries from last year’s top 20 making an appearance this year, except for Lithuania. Lithuania has steadily climbed the ranks over the last six years, rising from 52nd place in 2017 to 20th place in 2023.
On the other end of the spectrum are the lowest-ranked countries in the world, such as Afghanistan, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Afghanistan recorded the lowest happiness score of just 1.85, highlighting the widespread unhappiness and displeasure with life in the country under the rule of the Taliban. The country also had the smallest ‘happiness gap’, reflecting the widespread discontent amongst its people.
The index measures life evaluations in terms of six key variables such as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and freedom from corruption. Ireland had the 16th smallest happiness gap between the happiest and least happy people.
Liberia, one of the poorest countries in West Africa, had the largest happiness gap in the world, the report concludes.
In conclusion, although Ireland has slipped one position in the World Happiness Rankings, achieving 14th position in 2023, it still remains higher than many other developed and developing countries, reaffirming its status as a country that prides itself on its high social support and equality levels. Nonetheless, there is still room for improvement as Ireland seeks to address issues such as corruption and increase life expectancy.
