IRELAND has ranked at 15th in a report published today ranking the world's happiest countries.
The position marks an increase on last year's 17th place in the World Happiness Report.
Finland took the top spot for the eighth year running, while the United States dropped to 24th, its lowest position since the report was first published in 2012.
The United Kingdom came 23rd on the list, while the lowest ranked country was Afghanistan (144th).
The authors of this year's report, which focused on the theme of 'caring and sharing', suggested engaging with others was more important to finding happiness than achieving financial success.
"This year's report pushes us to look beyond traditional determinants like health and wealth," said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre and an editor of the report.
"It turns out that sharing meals and trusting others are even stronger predictors of wellbeing than expected.
"In this era of social isolation and political polarisation we need to find ways to bring people around the table again — doing so is critical for our individual and collective wellbeing."
Ireland big on donating
Using data collected between 2022 and 2024, countries were assessed on several factors, including whether respondents had donated, volunteered or helped a stranger in the past month.
They were also quizzed on how likely they thought a lost wallet would be returned by a neighbour, a stranger and the police.
Ireland ranked in the top 10 for donating (7th) and for the likelihood that a neighbour would return a wallet (9th).
Its lowest score was 88th for having helped a stranger.
People eating together in Helsinki in Finland, which ranked as the happiest country(Image: Suzi Media Production / iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus)
The authors say the majority of responses to the lost wallet questions show people are too pessimistic, as actual return rates are twice as high as people expect.
Believing that others are willing to return your lost wallet is also shown to be a strong predictor of population happiness.
Nordic nations once again topped the ranking of the world's happiest countries and they also rank among the top places for expected and actual return of lost wallets.
"The wallet data are so convincing because they confirm that people are much happier living where they think people care about each other," said John F. Helliwell, an economist at the University of British Columbia and a founding editor of the report.
"The wallet dropping experiments confirm the reality of these perceptions, even if they are everywhere too pessimistic."
Taste of happiness
The research also found that sharing a meal with others was strongly linked to wellbeing, which might explain the United States' fall in the rankings.
According to the report, the number of people dining alone in the United States has increased 53 per cent over the past two decades.
Researchers also determined that household size was closely linked to happiness.
Four to five people living together enjoy the highest levels of happiness in Mexico and Europe, although many people in Europe are living on their own.
"The findings in this year's World Happiness Report reconfirm a fundamental truth: happiness is rooted in trust, kindness, and social connection," said Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and a founding editor of the report.
“It is up to us as virtuous individuals and citizens to translate this vital truth into positive action, thereby fostering peace, civility, and wellbeing in communities worldwide."
See More: World Happiness Report
