The World Happiness Report 2026 was released on Thursday, 2026 , revealing that 79 out of 140 surveyed nations recorded gains in happiness despite rising geopolitical tensions. Key Developments Finland retained the top spot for the ninth consecutive year with a life‑evaluation score of 7.764 out of 10. India moved up from 126th (2024) to 118th (2025) and now stands at 116th with a score of 4.536 . Costa Rica surged to 4th place, its highest ever, driven by strong family and social bonds. No English‑speaking country featured in the top 10 for the second year running; New Zealand (11th), Ireland (13th) and Australia (15th) were the only ones in the top 20. Afghanistan remained the world’s least happy nation (147th), followed by Malawi (145th) and Sierra Leone (146th), all affected by conflict. The report flagged a pronounced decline in well‑being among youth ( algorithmic feed driven social‑media platforms. Important Facts The rankings are based on responses from roughly 100,000 individuals across 140 countries, collected via telephone or face‑to‑face interviews. The study was conducted in partnership with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network . Six variables explain the life‑evaluation scores: Having someone to count on GDP per capita Healthy life expectancy Freedom to make life choices Generosity Freedom from corruption Social‑media analysis shows that adolescents using platforms for less than one hour daily report the highest well‑being, even surpassing non‑users. In contrast, average usage stands at 2.5 hours per day , with visual‑heavy, influencer‑driven apps correlating with lower scores. UPSC Relevance Understanding the methodology and findings of the World Happiness Report is vital for: GS Paper I (Social Issues): Links to mental health, youth well‑being, and the impact of digital ecosystems. GS Paper II (Governance): How governments adopt alternative development metrics such as Gross National Happiness and integrate well‑being indicators into policy. GS Paper III (Economy): Role of GDP per capita alongside non‑economic factors in assessing progress. GS Paper IV (Ethics): Ethical considerations of regulating social‑media usage for minors and the balance between freedom of expression and public health. Way Forward Policymakers should consider a multi‑pronged approach: Incorporate well‑being metrics like Gross National Happiness into national planning and budgeting. Strengthen digital‑literacy programmes and promote time‑management tools to curb excessive algorithmic feed exposure among adolescents. Encourage research on the causal pathways between social‑media patterns and mental health, guiding evidence‑based regulation. Facilitate community‑building initiatives that enhance the “someone to count on” factor, especially in conflict‑affected regions. By aligning development goals with subjective well‑being data, India can craft policies that address both material and psychological dimensions of progress, a theme recurrent in UPSC examinations.