World Happiness Report 2026- Sri Lanka ranked among world s unhappiest countries

Sri Lanka has been identified as one of the least happy countries in the world, dropping to 134th place in the latest World Happiness Report 2026, released on Thursday. The nation has an average life evaluation score of 4.013, placing it just above 13 other nations, including Ethiopia, Tanzania, Lebanon, Yemen, and Afghanistan. In previous years, Sri Lanka was ranked 133rd in 2025 and 128th in 2024. The country was also positioned at 112th and 127th in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Each year, the World Happiness Report assesses how satisfied people feel with their lives, ranking 147 countries based on data from the Gallup World Poll. Respondents rate their lives on a scale from 0 to 10, known as the Cantril Ladder. The rankings reflect a three-year average from 2023 to 2025, providing a more reliable picture of global happiness. Despite rising geopolitical tensions, 79 countries have shown notable improvements in happiness from the base period of 2006–2010 to 2023–2025. Finland is recognized as the happiest country in the world for 2026, maintaining this position for the ninth year in a row. The average life evaluation score for Finland is 7.764 out of 10 this year, which is an increase of 0.375 points from the previous year. Other Nordic countries, such as Iceland (2nd), Denmark (3rd), Sweden (5th), and Norway (6th), are also included in the top 10 happiest countries for 2026.