The World Happiness Report 2025 offers a sweeping look at the latest global trends in wellbeing, anchored around one central theme: the profound influence of caring and sharing on people’s happiness. Building upon a decade of prior World Happiness Report research, the 2025 edition highlights how social connections, trust, benevolence, and family structures converge to affect life satisfaction across countries. Drawing on large-scale survey data, experimental interventions, and multi-faceted analyses, the report underscores that acts of caring and sharing—whether through supporting friends and neighbors, volunteering in community settings, or building robust social and familial ties—deliver benefits both to individuals and to societies at large. Benevolence, in the report’s view, is truly “twice-blessed”: it helps those who receive assistance and also those who give it.
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This essay explores the key findings and arguments from the World Happiness Report 2025. It begins by outlining the global happiness rankings and delving into the factors that influence well-being. Then, it provides an in-depth look at caring and sharing as central themes, tracing how everything from volunteering to meal sharing can help boost collective flourishing. Finally, it examines the role of policy and personal decisions in nurturing empathy, trust, and social connections, culminating in a call for greater benevolence at every level.
1. Global Happiness Rankings and Their Foundations
For the 2025 iteration, the World Happiness Report once again relies on the Gallup World Poll’s survey data, where respondents are asked to evaluate the quality of their lives on a scale from 0 (worst possible life) to 10 (best possible life). Researchers average these life evaluations over three years—2022, 2023, and 2024—to create country-level scores. As in past editions, Nordic nations dominate the top of the rankings. Finland remains in first place, followed by Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden, with a small group of other high-income nations close behind.
What explains the consistently high standing of Nordic countries? For one, citizens there report both strong social support and a sense of freedom to shape their lives. Moreover, these nations have relatively low corruption, well-developed welfare systems, and an overarching “culture of trust.” When people believe that public institutions, neighbors, and even strangers behave benevolently, they are more likely to experience high life satisfaction. This is a crucial insight of the 2025 report, which argues that expectations of kindness—exemplified by the hypothetical question of how likely one’s lost wallet is to be returned—can profoundly shape how we feel about life overall.
At the other end of the spectrum, some nations remain stuck in a cycle of low happiness. Afghanistan continues to rank lowest, with a life evaluation score around 1.36, illustrating the toll of prolonged conflict and humanitarian crises. Economic instability, weak institutions, low trust, and social unrest similarly depress happiness in other hard-hit regions. Yet, the report reveals that country rankings are not set in stone: Togo, for example, once near the bottom, has shown notable gains by improving economic and social conditions.
Underpinning all these findings is a relatively simple statistical model that explains more than three-quarters of the cross-country differences in life evaluations. It uses six factors:
- GDP per capita (logarithmic scale): Wealthier nations typically provide more resources for health, education, and social security.
- Social support: Having relatives or friends to rely on in times of need strongly predicts well-being.
- Healthy life expectancy: Living not just long but healthy lives contributes greatly to life satisfaction.
- Freedom to make life choices: A sense of autonomy—feeling in control of one’s own destiny—bolsters daily happiness.
- Generosity: Measured through self-reported donations adjusted for each country’s income.
- Corruption perceptions: When people see their government and businesses as honest, they are more likely to trust others and be happier.
Interestingly, even after controlling for these six factors, certain regions exhibit higher (or lower) life evaluations than predicted. Latin America, for instance, consistently scores above the model’s expectations, with researchers attributing that “surplus” in part to robust family and community ties. Conversely, some East Asian nations report lower happiness than one might anticipate from their material prosperity, hinting at cultural norms around self-reporting and different definitions of “the good life.”
2. Caring and Sharing: Core Themes
One of the most significant contributions of the World Happiness Report 2025 is its focus on caring and sharing. The editors frame “benevolence” as a spectrum of everyday actions that enhance mutual well-being. From helping a stranger and volunteering to returning a lost wallet or donating to charity, each instance of benevolence enriches both the giver and the receiver.
Indeed, empirical studies confirm that individuals engaging in prosocial behavior show heightened life satisfaction, better emotional health, and even a reduced risk of chronic illnesses. The 2025 report brings to light three primary ways people show benevolence:
- Donations to charity: Financial generosity, particularly when driven by empathic concern, can foster a strong sense of purpose and belonging.
- Volunteering: Giving time or skills to a meaningful cause is linked to greater social connectedness, expanded social networks, and a sharper sense of identity as a helpful contributor to one’s community.
- Helping strangers: Simple acts like assisting someone in distress, holding a door, or offering directions form quick yet meaningful social bonds.
Moreover, the report features “wallet questions” that ask respondents: What is the likelihood that your lost wallet would be returned by a stranger, by a neighbor, and by the police? Across many societies, people tend to underestimate the kindness of others; actual “wallet return” rates in experimental studies surpass predicted levels. This underscores a critical insight: our world is likely more benevolent than we think, and correcting this false pessimism may lead to substantial gains in well-being.
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3. How We Care and Share: New Data and Analyses
3.1 The Sustained ‘Benevolence Bump’
The outbreak of COVID-19 initiated what the report dubs the “benevolence bump”: a notable surge in prosocial actions worldwide. Initially, the global crisis prompted people to help neighbors, donate to food banks, and look after those especially vulnerable to the pandemic. While overall volunteering rates and donations showed some declines after the initial height of the crisis, helping strangers remained significantly above pre-pandemic baselines. In other words, social solidarity outlasted some of the pandemic’s darkest days, fueling hope that crisis periods can leave behind lasting cooperative norms.
The data suggest that every region of the world experienced this bump, though to varying degrees. Countries with limited governmental relief efforts often witnessed even stronger private acts of benevolence, as communities had to pick up the slack. For older populations, volunteering offered a sense of purposeful activity. Younger generations, initially concerned about job losses and isolation, also found solidarity in delivering groceries to elders or fundraising for charities.
3.2 The Three Cs: Caring Connections, Choice, and Clear Impact
The World Happiness Report 2025 outlines a broad literature review showing that giving boosts happiness most when accompanied by what the authors call the “three Cs”:
- Caring connections: Acts of giving are more rewarding when they arise in a context of meaningful social relationships. Helping a friend or joining a well-run organization provides a personal link that magnifies the happiness benefits.
- Choice: When giving is coerced or feels forced, it yields fewer psychological rewards. Volunteering should stem from one’s personal values and intrinsic motivations rather than external pressure.
- Clear impact: Whether it is returning a lost wallet or providing a donation, seeing the tangible impact of one’s benevolence enhances the positive feelings for both giver and receiver.
When these conditions are met, benevolence can become self-reinforcing, triggering a cycle of improved self-worth and a heightened sense of belonging, which in turn encourages more giving.
4. Specific Insights from Individual Chapters
A crucial feature of the World Happiness Report 2025 is its deep dive into multiple forms of caring, sharing, and social connection. Different chapters analyze topics as varied as sharing meals, living in multi-person households, forging friendships in young adulthood, and preventing “deaths of despair” through communal support.
4.1 Sharing Meals with Others
One chapter examines the surprisingly large impact of meal sharing on subjective well-being. Drawing on Gallup’s global data, the report finds that people who eat most or all of their meals alone tend to experience substantially lower life satisfaction than those who often dine with others. This effect holds across various regions, ages, and income levels. Meal sharing fosters conversation, emotional exchange, and a communal sense of belonging.
Yet, in some countries—such as the United States—eating alone is becoming more common. Busy schedules, shifting family structures, and greater reliance on takeaway foods all contribute to solitary meals. The chapter’s authors argue for interventions that encourage communal dining, such as workplace lunch programs or neighborhood potlucks, to reclaim mealtimes as a cornerstone of social life.
4.2 Living with Others: Families and Households
Another chapter focuses on household size and composition. Drawing on data from Europe and Latin America, the authors find that people living in households with three to five members—often a couple and one or two children—report higher life satisfaction compared to those who live alone or in very large extended families. That said, living in multi-generational setups can bring emotional support that buffers life’s hardships, especially in regions with strong cultural traditions around family ties, such as Latin America.
Nonetheless, living alone has steadily increased worldwide, especially among urban youth and the elderly in high-income nations. This trend correlates with heightened loneliness, mental health issues, and reduced social support. The authors note that supporting families—through policies such as parental leave, universal child benefits, and flexible work arrangements—not only aids child development but can also increase shared happiness within the household.
4.3 Connecting with Others: The Young Adult Perspective
Social connections remain vital for young adults, offering protection against various stressors. Yet, the report warns that social disconnection among youth is on the rise, with more respondents reporting they have “no one to count on” in times of distress. Paradoxically, many students underestimate how empathic and kind their peers can be; as a result, they avoid reaching out when they feel stressed or isolated.
Fortunately, data from interventions at university campuses show that directly informing young adults of their peers’ genuine kindness can reduce loneliness. When students realize that most of their classmates are willing to help, they become more open to making new friends and forging deeper bonds. The chapter recommends introducing targeted “empathy-building sessions” that highlight actual behaviors of classmates, which can reshape social perceptions, encourage more connections, and improve mental health outcomes.
4.4 Supporting Others: Reducing Deaths of Despair
“Deaths of despair”—attributable to suicide, alcohol, and drug abuse—are unfortunately a global phenomenon, though they have declined in most countries since the early 2000s. A striking exception is the United States, where these deaths continue to climb, partly due to under-treated mental health issues and limited safety nets for individuals facing economic or social crises.
The report finds a robust negative correlation between deaths of despair and overall levels of prosocial behavior. Countries with a ten percent higher share of people who frequently volunteer, donate, or help strangers tend to see about one fewer death of despair per 100,000 people per year. Some possible reasons: when communities exhibit strong compassion and support, people facing mental health struggles may find it easier to seek help rather than turn to addictive substances or self-harm. The authors call for broader social investments in mental health services, community outreach, and volunteer initiatives that foster human connection.
4.5 Trusting Others: Populism and Social Distrust
Yet another section of the report addresses the intersection of happiness, trust, and populism. In regions with stagnating happiness, dissatisfaction with “the system” often propels populist candidates into office. A key determinant here is whether people trust their neighbors and institutions: among the unhappy, those with low trust lean more toward far-right populism, while those with high trust may support far-left populism. In any case, building mutual trust—through transparent governance, anti-corruption measures, and supportive communities—remains critical to reducing political polarization and sustaining civic well-being.
4.6 Giving to Others: Maximizing the Happiness Return
A final chapter zeroes in on maximizing the “happiness return” of charitable giving. While donating to any worthwhile cause can benefit both the giver and the recipient, not all charities deliver the same impact per dollar. By measuring changes in “well-being years” (WELLBYs)—a metric that converts improvements in life satisfaction into a time-based measure—researchers can estimate which charitable causes yield the greatest net benefit. Mental health interventions often top the list, offering potent, cost-effective ways to boost well-being in low-income settings. The authors encourage donors to consider these analyses when deciding how and where to allocate funds.
5. Distribution of Well-Being and Inequality
Beyond measuring the average level of happiness, the World Happiness Report 2025 investigates how happiness is distributed within a society. While international inequality of happiness between countries has held relatively steady, within-country inequality of happiness has been on the rise for more than a decade. The reasons vary: in some places, economic growth outpaces investment in social welfare, generating deeper rifts between those with and without reliable social support.
Importantly, high social trust, altruistic norms, and robust community engagement can cushion the extremes, preventing those at the bottom from plunging too far into despair and those at the top from extreme isolation. The data imply that fostering trust—through greater transparency, fair institutions, and meaningful relationships—can reduce the harmful consequences of inequality, creating societies that not only rank higher in overall happiness but also exhibit more equitable well-being.
6. Policy Implications and Ways Forward
Given the evidence, what can policy-makers, community leaders, and individuals do to promote caring, sharing, and happier lives? The World Happiness Report 2025 offers several strategies:
- Strengthen families and social bonds: Policies like universal childcare, paid family leave, and affordable eldercare let family members care for one another without jeopardizing financial security. Community centers, sports clubs, and cultural programs can also foster intergenerational ties.
- Promote volunteerism and charitable giving: Governments might offer tax incentives, flexible work schedules, or partnership grants that nurture the non-profit sector. Visibility matters, too: public awareness campaigns can highlight the direct impacts of volunteering and donating.
- Invest in public institutions: A climate of trust grows when public agencies, such as the police and judicial systems, demonstrate honesty, fairness, and efficiency. Transparent governance, citizen review boards, and anti-corruption watchdogs all improve confidence in institutions and each other.
- Reinforce community-based mental health care: The link between prosocial behavior and lower “deaths of despair” suggests that robust mental health services—alongside strong social networks—can help individuals during difficult periods. Training community volunteers in basic mental health first aid, creating accessible hotlines, and promoting open conversations about emotional wellbeing can all help reduce stigma and suffering.
- Emphasize well-being in education: Schools and universities can teach social-emotional learning, instill empathy, and set up peer-support programs. Ensuring students see the kindness in their communities helps build more resilient, trusting societies over the long haul.
- Maximize the happiness impact of foreign aid: If official development assistance is “untied”—that is, free of constraints that benefit donors rather than recipients—data indicate that donors themselves experience higher happiness. Likewise, focusing on interventions with strong “WELLBY” returns, such as mental health programs, can yield robust improvements in well-being for vulnerable populations.
7. Overcoming Misconceptions About Human Kindness
One recurring theme is how people systematically underestimate human kindness. Surveys and experiments reveal that we are generally more inclined to help each other than we ourselves predict. Even in major cities or countries with histories of mistrust, lost wallets are returned at surprisingly high rates. This optimism gap has real consequences: by believing the world is more cynical than it is, individuals may be less likely to reach out for help or offer help themselves.
Correcting these misperceptions could spark positive feedback loops, improving trust and enabling societies to tackle urgent issues more effectively. For instance, if residents of urban communities see data that, in fact, most neighbors will return a wallet or assist a stranger in need, they may be more willing to collaborate on safety initiatives, community gardens, or mutual aid efforts. Over time, small acts of collaboration—and a more accurate understanding of our social fabric—can make neighborhoods safer, friendlier, and happier.
8. Conclusion: The Power of Benevolence
The World Happiness Report 2025 illustrates that caring and sharing are not merely moral virtues or quaint ideals; they stand at the heart of flourishing societies. Whether through donating, volunteering, offering a helping hand to a stranger, or creating stronger familial and communal ties, benevolent actions raise overall life satisfaction and reduce social isolation. They can strengthen trust in institutions and each other, mitigating political polarization and addressing some of the most tragic outcomes of despair.
A notable refrain echoes throughout the chapters: these prosocial behaviors consistently deliver a “double dividend,” elevating well-being for both giver and receiver. When we help each other—whether in a crisis like a global pandemic or in everyday life—we discover shared humanity and reap practical benefits: communities become more cohesive, households become more nurturing, and individuals gain self-esteem and improved mental health.
Crucially, the 2025 report cautions that society-wide improvements in happiness are less likely to happen if we rely solely on individuals acting out of good will. Government policies and institutional practices must also encourage, facilitate, and reinforce a culture of benevolence. That means building and maintaining ethical public institutions, ensuring transparency in governance, expanding mental health resources, and teaching young people about empathy from early on. If societies institutionalize opportunities to volunteer, donate, and connect with others—while simultaneously highlighting the real kindness that exists—then the future for collective well-being appears bright.
To close, the report’s emphasis on “twice-blessed” benevolence resonates now more than ever. Even in a world contending with economic inequality, political conflicts, and ongoing public health challenges, a powerful weapon is readily at hand: our capacity to care for one another. Contrary to the myth that people are narrowly self-interested, the data paint a more hopeful picture of humanity. By recognizing this innate social altruism and designing systems that encourage it, we can harness prosocial forces to make the world a happier and more equitable home for everyone.
