World Happiness Report 2023

It has been over ten years since the first World Happiness Report was published. And it is exactly ten years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/281, proclaiming 20 March to be observed annually as International Day of Happiness. Since then, more and more people have come to believe that our success as countries should be judged by the happiness of our people. There is also a growing consensus about how happiness should be measured. This consensus means that national happiness can now become an operational objective for governments. So in this year’s report, we ask the following questions: What is the consensus view about measuring national happiness, and what kinds of behaviour does it require of individuals and institutions? (Chapter 1) How have trust and benevolence saved lives and supported happiness over the past three years of COVID-19 and other crises? (Chapter 2) What is state effectiveness and how does it affect human happiness? (Chapter 3) How does altruistic behaviour by individuals affect their own happiness, that of the recipient, and the overall happiness of society? (Chapter 4) How well does social media data enable us to measure the prevailing levels of happiness and distress? (Chapter 5)